2007年VOA标准英语-Lebanese Army, Militants Engage in Heavy Clashe

By Margaret Besheer
Beirut
29 May 2007

Sporadic¹ gunfire during the day between Lebanese soldiers and Islamic militants² in a Palestinian refugee camp ended in heavy clashes just before sunset near the northern port city of Tripoli. From the Lebanese capital, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the day's developments.

Lebanese army's armored personnel carrier behind a shattered wall in Tripoli, 29 May 2007

A Lebanese soldier was killed Tuesday when Sunni militants allied³ with Fatah al-Islam fired on a Lebanese Army position outside the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.

The soldier's death raises to 34 the number of Lebanese troops killed since fighting erupted nine days ago.

Sporadic clashes during the day Tuesday gave way to heavy fighting just before sunset, with the Lebanese army firing artillery⁴ to silence the militants' fire.

Several hundred al-Qaida inspired militants are believed to be holed up inside the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp.

Most of the camp's residents have now evacuated⁵ to the nearby Beddawi refugee camp, where displaced Palestinians protested Tuesday against their poor living conditions and to show their desire to return home.

Mohammed Akra, a displaced resident, said Nahr el-Bared residents are demanding to return to their homes in the camp because they are suffering more than anyone can imagine.

Nahr el-Bared has been a no-go zone for journalists and civilians⁶ for the last nine days. Only evacuating⁷ residents have been allowed out after they have been screened by the Lebanese Army to be sure they are not escaping militants or smuggling⁸ weapons.

Lebanon's government has vowed⁹ to root out the militants, while the militants have vowed to fight to the death.

Muslim cleric Walid Abu Haider urged all parties to act quickly to reach a political understanding that would guarantee the displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to their homes.

Meanwhile, in an upscale Christian¹⁰ neighborhood of Beirut, a man suspected of belonging to Fatah al-Islam was arrested Tuesday after police raided the apartment where he was staying.

Police officials said the man had rented the apartment using a forged Lebanese name and passport and had in his possession several other forged foreign passports. Police also confiscated¹¹ several CDs and other material that appeared to be related to the group's work.

1 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

4 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

5 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

8 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

9 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。