VOA标准英语2012--South Sudan: SPLA Soldiers Hold Frontline Position

 

South Sudan: SPLA Soldiers Hold Frontline Position

The road to South Sudan’s front line with the north is a rugged¹ one. Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers armed with AK-47's and machine guns line the almost two-hour drive from Bentiu to the town of Panakuac. Since the SPLA fell back from the strategic oil town of Heglig in April, this area is as far north as they control.

SPLA Brigadier General Gabriel Puok says if there is peace his troops are prepared to go back to thebarracks. If there isn’t, he’s prepared to fight.

Puok ties his sneakers as he prepares everyone to patrol the front line. The others grab their sandals and walk to the northernmost point. From there, soldier David Alirdo claims he can see Sudanese trucks operating just one kilometer to the north.

"Because we are on the frontline with them now, this is their defense², they are coming out always," he said.

Alirdo says most South Sudan soldiers feel they should be holding positions farther north. 

"The international community asked us to evacuate³, according to their laws, so we moved from Heglig to here. But it is not our title, our title is [what is up] ahead," he added.

The SPLA says its posture⁴ is defensive⁵ against Sudanese aggression⁶. While Khartoum has denied conducting aerial bombardment of the south, there is evidence of three bombs which fell on Bentiu. One killed a 14-year-old boy.

SPLA spokesman Kernel⁷ Keller says this is about Sudan’s need for oil - most of which went to South Sudan after independence last year.

"For Khartoum, they want land. They don’t want people here," said Keller. "They don’t care about who is going to die and what will happen and so on because their interest is only the land where there is petroleum⁸, minerals, resources, and all of this.”

U.N. and African Union mediators have tried to facilitate talks on border issues and sharing of oil revenues. But all recent attempts have broken down.

South Sudan shut down all oil production in January after accusing the north of stealing oil going through northern pipelines⁹, and charging exorbitant¹⁰ fees.

But South Sudan's Deputy Minister of Information Atem Yak¹¹ Atem says that won’t stop his government from reaching out to its northern neighbor.

"It is in the interest of our two peoples to be good neighbors. To cooperate, and we’ve gone almost to the point of begging them. It is not out of weakness, but it is simply because we need stability within our country, and with our neighbors," he said.

Until diplomats¹² get talks back on track, soldiers like Alirdo will stay put, waiting for their orders to either fall back, or move forward. 

1 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

4 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

5 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

6 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。

7 kernel   

n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心

参考例句：

• The kernel of his problem is lack of money.他的问题的核心是缺钱。
• The nutshell includes the kernel.果壳裹住果仁。

8 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

10 exorbitant   

adj.过分的；过度的

参考例句：

• More competition should help to drive down exorbitant phone charges.更多的竞争有助于降低目前畸高的电话收费。
• The price of food here is exorbitant. 这儿的食物价格太高。

11 yak   

n.牦牛

参考例句：

• The most common materials Tibetan jewelry are Yak bone.藏饰最常见的材料当属牦牛骨。
• We can sell yak skin,meat and wool.我们可以卖牦牛的皮、肉和毛。

12 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》