VOA标准英语2010年-2 Killed as Militants Attack Russian H

In this image taken from TV Russian NTV channel on 21 Jul 2010, smoke rising from the Russian hydropower station in Kabardino-Balkariya

Militants¹ stormed a hydroelectric plant in southern Russia Wednesday, killing² two security guards and setting off explosives in what is being called a terrorist attack.  The incident underscores a growing threat in the region.

 

Assailants armed with guns and explosives burst into the Baksanskaya power plant around dawn.  They set off a string of bombs that damaged equipment in the machine room and started a fire that authorities rushed to put out.

The company says two turbines were destroyed and the facility has been shut down.  But officials say electricity is still being supplied to the region through nearby power plants.

The attack occurred in Kabardino-Balkaria, a republic in Russia's volatile³ North Caucasus, where authorities have been confronting an Islamist insurgency⁴.

Senior Correspondent Andre de Nesnera discusses Caucasus violence:

 
Militants in the region have been blamed for near-daily attacks in the area as well as suicide bombings in the Moscow subway last March.

Alexander Konovalov head of the Moscow-based Institute for Strategic Assessments⁵ says Wednesday's attack served two purposes.

He says first, it was a strike against the local authorities, who militants see as being too loyal to Moscow.  Second, it attracts attention and shows the groups have the ability to attack a major power station.

Russians were awoken to the threat posed by the destruction of a hydroelectric plant last year, when a major accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya dam in Siberia threatened the lives of millions of people downstream. 

Earlier this month, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced a new strategy to confront the causes of violence in the North Caucasus by focusing on efforts to improve economic conditions in the region.

In the meantime, officials from Kabardino-Balkaria told President Dmitri Medvedev that steps are being taken to tighten⁶ security at other strategic facilities in the republic.

Moscow fought two wars against separatist rebels in neighboring Chechnya in the 1990s.  Militants have long vowed⁷ to target Russia's economic infrastructure⁸, including pipelines⁹ and power stations.
 

1 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。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

5 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

6 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

7 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。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

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。