VOA标准英语2013--联合国报告表明叙利亚化武使用确定无疑

 

UN Report on Syria Leaves Little Doubt about Chemical Weapons 联合国报告表明叙利亚化武使用确定无疑

There is a growing consensus¹ that details contained in a U.N. report of last month’s chemical attack in Syria leave little doubt as to who was responsible.  Military analysts³ say the direction from which the rockets were fired and other factors point squarely to the Assad government even as Syria's allies continue to offer a different narrative⁴.

Around the Syrian capital, the skyline is punctuated⁵ by pillars of dark smoke.  Neighborhoods hit by chemical weapons look like ghost towns.

A contrast to the panic and suffering of a month ago.

Now, after U.N. inspectors⁶ released their report, experts like Salman Shaikh from The Brookings Doha Center say there can be no doubt as to what happened.

“I don’t think we should labor⁷ this point today in terms of who did it.  It’s quite clear that the regime did it,“ Shaikh said.

To back up the claim, analysts point to the work of the U.N. inspectors, who pored over the evidence and made detailed⁸ notes on how and where the rockets landed.

Based on that, analysts at Human Rights Watch mapped the paths of two rockets from their point of impact to a likely point of origin, a Syrian military base.

Other military analysts point out the rebels simply don't have access to the types of surface-to-surface rockets used in the August 21 attack.

But in Moscow Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted questions remain.

"We want the events of the 21st of August to be impartially⁹, objectively, professionally investigated," he said. "We have serious grounds to believe that it was a provocation¹⁰."

Such doubts give hope to supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, being forced only to hand over his chemical weapons to international control and nothing more.

“It clearly is so far demonstrating that you can use these weapons and there is relatively¹¹ little accountability," said Brookings analyst² Shaikh.

Many analysts fear that message will only set the stage for more intense fighting and more Syrian skylines sullied by smoke.

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

5 punctuated   

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物

参考例句：

• Her speech was punctuated by bursts of applause. 她的讲演不时被阵阵掌声打断。
• The audience punctuated his speech by outbursts of applause. 听众不时以阵阵掌声打断他的讲话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 impartially   

adv.公平地，无私地

参考例句：

• Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
• We hope that they're going to administer justice impartially. 我们希望他们能主持正义，不偏不倚。

10 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。