VOA标准英语2015--也门叛军宣扬团结却压制反对派

Yemeni Rebels Preach Unity¹ But Stifle² Opposition 也门叛军宣扬团结却压制反对派

WASHINGTON—

After months of turmoil³ and the president's resignation last month, Yemen appears to be collapsing⁴ as its various population groups cannot find common ground. Houthi rebels have taken control of the capital, Sana'a, and their leaders say they want to share power with others in Yemen. However, there have been no apparent steps in that direction.

Thousands marched in Sana'a and other Yemeni cities against the Houthi takeover. The leaders of the Houthis, a Shiite faction⁵ which comes from the northern mountains, have moved into the presidential palace and residence.  They have dismantled⁶ the government and are forming a new council to run the country's affairs. They also have supporters in Sana'a.

The head of the Houthi media office told VOA the departure of foreign diplomats⁷ will have no influence over the situation in Yemen.

“The coincidence of the closure of these embassies in Sana'a is that they found out they have no power to control the will of Yemeni people who rejected the foreign intervention,” said Lu’ay al-Shaami.

Houthis have confiscated⁸ U.S. embassy vehicles at the airport in Sana'a. They say they will hand them over to the United Nations.

There is speculation⁹ that Iran is arming the rebels and directing their moves.  A U.S. government spokeswoman Thursday said there is no clear evidence of that.

"The Houthis have concerning relations with Iran, and we are aware of reports of a variety of support provided by Iran to the Houthis, but we've not seen evidence that Iran is exerting command and control over the Houthis' activities in Yemen," said Psaki.

Yemen's president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, resigned last month after the Houthis raided the presidential compound. He is a former military officer who led a unity government and was a U.S. ally in the campaign against terrorism. His departure raises fears that al-Qaida will use the political turmoil to its advantage.

Houthi leaders have said they are eager to share power with rivals and work with Yemen’s traditional allies, including the United States. Meanwhile, their supporters carry posters with anti-American messages. And while they warn against attempts at destabilizing the country, they seem to be doing just that. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Yemen is on the brink¹⁰ of a civil war.

"Yemen is collapsing before our eyes. We cannot stand by and watch.  The country is facing multiple challenges.  A dangerous political crisis continues in Sana'a. President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and the prime minister have fled," said Ban.

Ban called for freedom of movement for Yemen's president, prime minister and cabinet officials who have resigned. He also expressed concern about reports of excessive use of force to disperse¹¹ peaceful demonstrators and arbitrary arrests of civil society activists¹² and journalists.

1 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。

2 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

5 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

6 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

7 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

10 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

11 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

12 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》