VOA标准英语2014--乌克兰总统大选前持续骚乱

 

Unrest Continues as Ukraine Preps for Presidential Vote 乌克兰总统大选前持续骚乱

WASHINGTON — One week before Ukraine holds a national election, unrest and separatist fervor¹ remain strong in the country's eastern areas. The Obama administration is stressing the importance of the May 25 vote, even as Ukraine’s full participation² remains³ in doubt.

Explosions signaled the latest clashes between Ukrainian security forces and pro-Russian militants⁴ near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, where self-appointed mayor Vyacheslav Ponomaryov rejected Kyiv’s authority.

“They (Ukrainian authorities) have always been occupiers, and remain so.  Everything we are doing we do not for ourselves but for the people. Let them determine their destiny,” said Ponomaryov.

Elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, signs abound⁵ of a deepening conflict. United Nations human rights monitor Ivan Simonovic says numerous violations⁶ have been reported.

“The human rights monitoring mission has received information that 250 people have been killed, including local residents, national security forces, and armed groups.  Any further arming of protesters and their transformation⁷ into paramilitary groups must immediately stop. Armed groups should be urgently disarmed,” said Simonovic.

In Washington, the White House Spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. continues to look ahead to next Sunday’s presidential election as a critical step to bringing the crisis in Ukraine under control.

“Our focus and the focus of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the Ukrainian government and all of our partners in this effort is on ensuring that those elections are able to go forward.  And the OSCE has reported that the preparations, the technical preparations for the elections are proceeding⁸ well,” said Carney.

The situation in Ukraine is one of several crises that have emboldened⁹ domestic critics of the Obama administration’s handling of foreign policy.  Former Vice¹⁰ President Dick Cheney told Fox News Sunday the president has repeatedly shown he can be “pushed around” by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

1 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。

2 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 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。

5 abound   

vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于

参考例句：

• Oranges abound here all the year round.这里一年到头都有很多橙子。
• But problems abound in the management of State-owned companies.但是在国有企业的管理中仍然存在不少问题。

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

7 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

8 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

9 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。