2006年VOA标准英语-Sri Lankan Military Strikes Against Tamil
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：2006年VOA标准英语（四月）
By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
26 April 2006
Soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the Sri Lankan army headquarters
Sri Lanka's military has launched fresh strikes on Tamil Tiger rebel areas in the country's north, a day after the rebels were blamed for a deadly suicide bombing. European truce 1 monitors are warning the escalating 2 violence is a threat to the ceasefire that halted a bloody 3 ethnic 4 conflict in the country four years ago.
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A military spokesman in Colombo said warplanes fired at rebel bases after the Tamil Tigers attacked naval 5 patrol craft in the eastern port town of Trincomalee.
It was the second straight day that the military attacked the rebels in the northeast. On Tuesday, hours after a suicide bombing blamed on the rebels critically wounded the country's army commander, the military attacked rebel bases with air force planes and mortars 7.
A government spokesman warned of "coordinated 8 retaliation 9 by the armed forces" if the rebels continue to attack.
The strikes are the first official military action since a 2002 cease-fire halted years of fighting, and are widely seen as retaliation for the suicide attack.
The rebels say the military attacks have killed at least 12 civilians 10. The military said at least three civilians were killed in overnight by rebel mortar 6 attacks.
The spokeswoman for the European team monitoring the truce, Helen Olafsdottir, says the 2002 cease-fire is near the breaking point.
"They are on the brink 11, and if they do not stop this violence immediately now, then we could see this country plunging 12 back to war," she said. "There is no doubt about it."
In a televised address to the nation late Tuesday, President Mahinda Rajapakse said he did not want to return to war, but would not be cowed by bomb attacks. He said the government's desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.
The spokeswoman for the European team says both sides appear to be "squaring things up" after a bout 13 of violence that has seen nearly 100 people, including soldiers and Tamil civilians, killed in the last two weeks. She says the future of the battered 14 truce hinges on a lowering of tensions.
"Will they calm down and realize that you cannot square things off in such a way, or are we going to see further escalation 15 in violence?" Olafsdottir asked.
The cease-fire was reached in 2002, but the peace process has been virtually deadlocked 16 for the past three years due to a series of disputes between the two sides. The rebels want an autonomous 17 homeland in the northeast for the country's minority Tamil community, but some in Mr. Rajapakse's coalition 18 say the Tamils have been given too many concessions 19 already.
- The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
- She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。
- The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句
- He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
- He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。
- This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
- The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
- He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
- The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
- The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
- The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。
- They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分
- The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
- The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
- He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- 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。
- 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。
- War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
- That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。
- He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
- The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。
- The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
- Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句
- The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
- The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。
- They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
- This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。
- The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
- Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
- The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
- The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。