VOA标准英语2014--Separatists Hold Ukrainian Cities; Local Defense in Kyiv Stands Firm

 

Separatists Hold Ukrainian Cities; Local Defense¹ in Kyiv Stands Firm

KYIV — In eastern Ukraine, separatists continue to seize and occupy government buildings, while in Kyiv, the capital, protesters continue their occupation of Maidan Square.  Despite an agreement made in Geneva requiring all groups to disarm², there's no end in sight to the standoff.    

Crowds hit the streets in Kyiv for a rally celebrating May Day, but protester Marina Pryluky says this demonstration³ is a symbol of unity⁴ far removed from the separatist violence in the east.

“We are not afraid of provocative⁵ actions.  We are here in peace.  It would be inappropriate for provocateurs to change that.  We have police here for that reason," said Pryluky.

In Kyiv, paramilitary forces have camped in the area surrounding Maidan Square for months.  Activists like Gregoriy say they're there to protect the people of Ukraine.

“We are here for the truth.  We are here for our country, for Ukraine.  The fact that Russians have come to this land is unjust.  That they have made this tragedy real and killed a lot of innocent people... that is also unjust," said Gregoriy.

An agreement reached last month in Geneva between the U.S., Russia, Ukraine and the EU called for the disarming⁶ of illegal groups in Ukraine.  

Kyiv sees separatist groups as violators of the agreement. Moscow says Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary groups like Right Sector⁷ should be forced to disband, but they say their actions are in defense of Ukraine while separatists violate the constitution. 

“The Geneva agreement does not concern Pravy Sektor [Right Sector].  It concerns only the separatists acting⁸ in the eastern parts of Ukraine," spokesman Artjom Skorpatsky said.

Even if the Ukrainian government had the will to disarm the paramilitary groups, it may not have the muscle. 

“Now, the Ukrainian government is not in control of the situation," said analyst⁹ Sergey Slobodchuk.  "They simply cannot disarm all the military groups."

Political leaders say the only way to move forward in Kyiv is to reestablish peace in the east. 

“There's pressure from Russia, and that's certainly a negative," said union leader Mikhailo Volynets. "We're able to mobilize.  And, when everything is organized in a peaceful way, it will be possible to resolve all these questions without force."

The Ukrainian military recently started nighttime drills in Kyiv.  And separatists keep encroaching in the east.  Tensions continue rising, just weeks before a presidential election in Ukraine.

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 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

6 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 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。