VOA标准英语2018--World Must Stop the Use of Chemical Weapons

 

“The day we prayed would never come has come again,” said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.“Chemical weapons have once again been used on Syrian men, women, and children.”

“Only a monster targets civilians¹ and then ensures that there are no ambulances to transfer the wounded,” declared Ambassador Haley. “No hospitals to save their lives. No doctors or medicine to ease their pain.”

The Russian regime's “hands are all covered in the blood of Syrian children,” said Ambassador Haley. She added that the international community “must not overlook Russia and Iran's roles in enabling the Assad regime's murderous destruction. Russia and Iran have military advisers² at Assad's airfields³ and operations centers. Russian officials are on the ground helping⁴ direct the regime's ‘starve and surrender' campaign, and Iranian allied⁵ forces do much of the dirty work.”

Since the Assad regime used chemical weapons at Khan Sheikhun one year ago, chemical weapons have been reportedly used dozens of times.

Ambassador Haley urged fellow Security Council members to take action. “This is about the inhumane use of chemical agents on innocent civilians,” something each member of the Security Council is on record as opposing.“There can be no more rationalizations for our failure to act,” declared Ambassador Haley.

The United States has introduced a resolution demanding unrestricted humanitarian⁶ access to the people of Douma. The priority must be to help the starving, the sick, and the injured who have been left behind. “We also call on this Council to immediately re-establish a truly professional and impartial⁷ mechanism⁸ to attribute responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria.”

“The United States is determined⁹ to see that the monster who dropped chemical weapons on the Syrian people is held to account,” said Ambassador Haley.

“We are on the edge of a dangerous precipice,” she warned.“The great evil of chemical weapons use that once unified¹⁰ the world in opposition¹¹, is on the verge¹² of becoming the new normal. The international community must not let this happen.”

History will record this as the moment when the Security Council either discharged its duty or demonstrated its failure to protect the people of Syria.

“Either way,” said Ambassador Haley, “the United States will respond.”

1 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。

2 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

3 airfields   

n.（较小的无建筑的）飞机场( airfield的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For several days traffic fromthe Naples airfields was partially interrupted. 那不勒斯机场的对外交通部分地停顿了数天。 来自辞典例句
• We have achieved a great amount of destruction at airfields and air bases. 我们已把机场和空军基地大加破坏。 来自辞典例句

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

8 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。