VOA标准英语2008年-White House Increases Presssure on Russia to En

The White House is increasing pressure on Russia to stop the escalating¹ conflict in Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from Beijing, where U.S. President George Bush is speaking out on the crisis while attending the summer Olympic games.

President Bush says Russia has gone too far, and must agree to mediate² its differences with neighboring Georgia.

In an interview here with America's NBC television network, the president says he was firm during a face-to-face conversation Friday at the Olympics with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"I said this violence is unacceptable," said Mr. Bush. "I not only said it to Vladimir Putin, I said it to the president of the country, Dmitri Medvedev."

The conversation with Mr. Putin occurred just hours after Georgia sent troops into South Ossetia, and Russia responded with force.
　
Russian troops ride atop armored vehicles near the village of Khurcha in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia, 10 Aug 2008

Since then, Georgia has pulled back its military units and called for negotiations³. But there has been no response from Moscow, which has been bombing areas outside the perimeters⁴ of the breakaway Georgian province.

Mr. Bush told NBC something has to be done to end the bloodshed. And he made clear he has told Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev the next step is up to Moscow

"I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia, and that we strongly condemn⁵ bombing outside of South Ossetia," he said.

Meanwhile, the White House is using even stronger language in describing a conversation between Vice⁶ President Dick Cheney and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

A spokeswoman says Cheney stressed U.S. solidarity⁷ with Georgia - perhaps its closest ally among the former Soviet⁸ Republics.

She says the vice-president told President Saakashvili that Russian aggression⁹ can not go unanswered. And she says Cheney repeated the warning given earlier by other administration officials - that Russia risks serious damage to its relationship with the United States.

 

1 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

2 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 perimeters   

周边( perimeter的名词复数 )； 周围； 边缘； 周长

参考例句：

• Examples include outdoor perimeters, traffic monitoring, tunnels, and car parks. 例子像户外围墙；交通监视；隧道和停车场。

5 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。