VOA标准英语2012--Mounting Syrian Death Toll Prompts Intervention Calls in US

 

Mounting Syrian Death Toll¹ Prompts Intervention² Calls in US

 

The near-daily slaughter³ in Syria is provoking widespread condemnation⁴ of the Assad government.

For months, Republican Senator John McCain has pressed the Obama administration to consider air strikes against Syrian forces and to arm government opponents.

"This administration has a feckless foreign policy which abandons American leadership," said McCain.

The Obama administration says the United States will not act unilaterally in Syria, and that a firm but cautious approach is warranted.

"From every angle, the situation in Syria is enormously complex. There is no silver bullet," said Defense⁵ Secretary Leon Panetta.

Last year, NATO air strikes helped unseat another dictator, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. But Syria's high population density⁶ would make a similar air campaign far more challenging, according to Middle East analyst⁷ Aram Nerguizian.

"There is a very real risk of collateral⁸ damage, fatalities⁹ that would run in the thousands, deepening an already severe internally-displaced persons crisis," noted¹⁰ Nerguizian.

Nerguizan adds that arming anti-Assad fighters carries risks, as well.

"We do not know whether these are players that can reliably be armed so that these weapons do not become a proliferation risk," Nerguizian explained. "You have enormous risks of these weapons falling into the hands of players that are anything but favorable to U.S. interests in the region."

But with a mounting death toll in Syria, calls for a more-assertive international response are growing.

"How many more have to die? 10,000 more, 20,000 more? How many more," asked McCain.

For now, U.S. officials will only say that military options are being developed.

"The Defense Department - as we always do - is reviewing and is continuing to review plans for a wide variety of possible scenarios¹¹ should the president determine that further steps are necessary," Panetta explained.

And analyst Aram Nerguizian approves of the current U.S. approach.

"There needs to be some degree of patience," Nerguizian added.

Meanwhile, the international community's patience is being tested as the slaughter in Syria continues. 

 

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

3 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。

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 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。

6 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

7 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。

8 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

9 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓