VOA慢速英语--美韩举行史上最大规模的军事演习

AS IT IS 2016-02-19 'Largest Ever' US-South Korea Military Drills 美韩举行史上最大规模的军事演习

South Korean defense¹ officials say the yearly military exercises with the United States next month will be the largest ever.

The military drills take place as tensions with North Korea increase over its recent nuclear and long-range missile tests.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Thursday that about 15,000 U.S. troops will take part in the yearly Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises. That is twice the number from last year.

Yonhap news agency said Wednesday the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis will take part in the drills.  

North Korea opposes the exercises on the peninsula. It says they are a preparation for an attack.

Officials say they are talking with the U.S. about deploying² an advanced U.S. missile defense system. China strongly opposes the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, called THAAD. 

South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said: “The official announcement of the possibility of THAAD deployment³ is a defensive⁴ measure to counter increasing nuclear and missile threats by North Korea.”

Opposition⁵ lawmakers say they are concerned about the possible missile deployment. They also say they worry about the closing of the Kaesong jointly⁶ operated industrial center by South Korea.

In related news, South Korean intelligence officials have told South Korean lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered preparations for possible terror attacks on the South.

A member of South Korea's ruling Saenuri party told reporters Thursday the National Intelligence Service believes the attacks could target many groups. These include anti-North Korean activists⁷, defectors and South Korean government officials. 

Subways, shopping centers and power stations were also called potential targets.

President Park Geun-hye has promised a more hardline approach toward North Korea. Her government has taken measures aimed at causing the North to give up its nuclear weapons program or face, in her words, “regime collapse⁸.”

On Wednesday, the U.S. military made an additional show of strength by flying four advanced fighter jets from Japan’s Okinawa island.

Words in This Story

drills –n. exercises or training, especially in the military

peninsula –n. an extension of land with water on three sides

advanced –adj. at a higher level, operating with more abilities

potential –adj. possible, related to the possibility that something might happen

hardline –adj. firm, unwilling to make changes or concessions

1 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。

2 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

3 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

4 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。

5 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。

6 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

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。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。