VOA常速英语2017--IS负隅顽抗 杀害叙利亚平民百姓

The six month campaign by the Iraqi army to take back the city of Mosul from ISIS, is coming to an end. The terrorist group captured Mosul and looked toward capturing Baghdad itself, but has since lost most of Mosul to Iraq's armed forces, and is clinging to a handful of pockets within the far Western reaches of the city. It is now just a matter of time before the last ISIS extremists are killed, or chased from the city.

伊军为了从IS手中收复摩苏尔市已经打了6个月的战役，现在这场战役终于要结束了。恐怖组织IS掠夺了摩苏尔市，并妄图继续掠夺巴格达市，但不仅没有成功，反而被伊军重新夺回了摩苏尔的大部分地区。现在，IS正死守着摩苏尔远西地区的数个据点。现在，剿灭或驱逐IS余党只是时间的问题。

But as they prepare for a last stand, the terrorists are ever more brutal¹ in their treatment of Mosul's civilian² population. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner³ for Human Rights, ISIS has killed over 200 people in the last three weeks. Entire families, including children, have been murdered by the terrorists. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Shooting children as they try to run to safety with their families: really, there are no words of condemnation⁴ strong enough. Clearly these amount to war crimes.

但IS在负隅顽抗期间，却以残忍至极的手段对待摩苏尔的平民百姓。根据联合国人权事务高级专员办事处的数据，IS已经在过去的3周里杀害了200多人。无数家庭被满门灭族，连孩子也不能幸免。扎伊德是一名联合国人权事务高级专员，他表示，IS在孩子们准备和家人逃亡安全地带的时候将其射杀；说真的，他们的罪恶已经无法用言语来谴责。显然，这些都是战争犯罪。

ISIS has used human shields in the past, and killed people who have tried to leave the city. But now the slaughter⁵ and other abuses are escalating⁶. ISIS is locking entire families in basements with no food or water and welding the doors shut, and booby trapping streets and houses with explosives to prevent people from leaving.

以前，IS用过人肉盾牌的手段，也杀害过那些想要逃走的人。但现在，杀戮和其他暴行仍在升级。IS将很多家庭所在地下室里，不给食物吃，也不给水喝，还将门焊死，甚至还在大街小巷和房子里布满炸药陷阱，防止人们逃跑。

So we are working very closely with the Iraqi Security Forces on the plan to ensure that we defeat the remaining fighters in Mosul while also doing our utmost to protect the civilian life that Daesh is so aggressively trying to take, said Special Presidential Envoy⁷ Brett McGurk.

所以，我们正在与伊拉克安全部队密切合作，以制定计划，确保能够打击摩苏尔余留的恐怖分子，同时竭尽全力保护IS正在残忍屠戮的生命，总统特使布雷特 麦格克(Brett McGurk)如是说道。

But it's a really important reminder⁸ of what's happening right now, of the true face of this enemy. They are mass murderers, they are barbaric, they are a threat to all civilization, all humanity, and those civilians⁹ in Mosul trapped, being held hostage by ISIS, we will do everything we can in supporting the Iraqi Security Forces to free them.

但这是一个很重要的提醒，提醒我们正在发生的一切，提醒我们IS这个敌人的真面目。他们是大规模的屠戮者，他们是蛮人，他们是所有文明国度的威胁，是对人道的威胁，是对困在摩苏尔作为人质的百姓的威胁。我们会竭尽所能支持伊军让这些百姓重获自由。

1 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

5 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

6 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

7 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

8 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。