VOA标准英语2014--乌克兰东部寻求避免经济灾难

 

Eastern Ukraine Oligarchs Seek to Avoid Economic Disaster 乌克兰东部寻求避免经济灾难

MARIUPOL, UKRAINE — Smoke billows from Azovstal steel works here, one of the many gargantuan¹ industrial assets in this southeastern port city owned by Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov.

Akhmetov employs more than 300,000 people across the region. This plant alone produces 4 million to 5 million tons of steel each year for markets around the world.

But vital export markets in Europe and elsewhere would be cut off to local industry if the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic were to secede² from Ukraine, a move supported in last week’s unofficial referenda there and in Luhansk. Only a handful of countries would recognize the two republics’ sovereignty.

In a potentially seismic³ shift in the power dynamics⁴ of eastern Ukraine, business leaders — claiming that secession would be economically disastrous⁵ for the region — this week began mobilizing industrial workers to rise up against armed separatists here and in a handful of other cities.

The workers have formed patrols, removing armed groups from checkpoints and occupied buildings around Mariupol. Some 100 groups are patrolling Mariupol, each consisting of six to eight workers and two policemen.

On Friday, businessmen such as Akhmetov signed a memorandum⁶ with police, union leaders and some separatists, renouncing⁷ political violence and calling for armed groups to lay down their weapons. But on Friday night, the Ukrainian military still controlled access in and out of Mariupol.

The workers recently forced separatists to abandon the Mariupol administration building. But as they patrolled before the cameras Friday, tensions were high.

The directors of two steel plants owned by Akhmetov have been leading patrols themselves.

Yuriy Zinchenko said it was important to take the separatists’ views into account, but not at the risk of jeopardizing⁸ jobs or the regional economy.  

“All of us have good brains and we don't want to turn Donetsk into a war zone,” said Zinchenko, who heads Illich Steel Works. “All of us understand that this is just destruction. This is the road to nowhere.”

Skeptical⁹ of motivations 

Many observers said they were skeptical of the patrols, suggesting the oligarchs are only looking out for their own interests.

“Patrolling is a good thing, but you must understand, this is not a patrol, it is just a PR stunt¹⁰ from comrade Akhmetov,” said Aleksander Sukhovsky, an unemployed¹¹ machinist. “Akhmetov is trying to show all of us that he is the real boss of the entire region.”

Separatists who had met with the steel companies tried to win over the crowd, with mixed results.

An unidentified separatist leader addressed the crowd, saying, “The sense of this memorandum is to request the authorities in Kyiv to pull their troops back from the borders of Mariupol and to dismantle¹² the roadblocks."  

“Don't lie to people, don't try to trick us,” a female observer shouted back in Russian.

“Resign! Resign!" the crowd chanted to the separatist leader.

1 gargantuan   

adj.巨大的，庞大的

参考例句：

• My gargantuan,pristine machine was good for writing papers and playing solitaire,and that was all.我那庞大的、早期的计算机只适合写文章和玩纸牌游戏，就这些。
• Right away,I realized this was a mistake of gargantuan proportions.我立刻意识到这是一个巨大的错误。

2 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

3 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

4 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

5 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

6 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

7 renouncing   

v.声明放弃( renounce的现在分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• He enraged the government by renouncing the agreement. 他否认那项协议，从而激怒了政府。 来自辞典例句
• What do you get for renouncing Taiwan and embracing Beijing instead? 抛弃台湾，并转而拥抱北京之后，你会得到什么？ 来自互联网

8 jeopardizing   

危及，损害( jeopardize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Plans may also become inefficient in the attainment of objectives by jeopardizing group satisfactions. 用危及群体利益方法去达到目标的计划，也是无效率的。
• That boosted government revenues in the short term, but is now jeopardizing them. Morales将天然气工业，电信业和部分采矿业收归国有的举措吓跑了投资者们。

9 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

10 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

11 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

12 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。