CNN 2011-03-11

After three weeks of fighting between people who support and oppose Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, other world leaders are calling the situation in Libya a civil war. Rebels have taken control of several cities. The Libyan army has fought to regain¹ some of those cities. Officials estimate more than a thousand people have died in the violence.

There were reports yesterday that Colonel Gadhafi was negotiating with rebel leaders, saying he would step down if they could promise that he'd be able to leave the country safely and that he and his family would not be put on trial. But later on both sides denied these reports. Some rebel leaders said the negotiations² never happened, and a government spokesman called the reports lies.

The international community is trying to find ways to end the violence in Libya. And one suggestion is a no-fly zone over the country. What that would mean is that no military planes could fly over Libya without permission. The United Nations Security Council is talking about it, and the idea has a lot of support from countries in the Middle East. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is already running 'round-the-clock surveillance flights over Libya.

In neighboring Egypt, about a thousand people showed up for a pro-women demonstration³ yesterday. Women were a major part of the protests that forced former President Hosni Mubarak out of power from Egypt last month. But this protest turned into a shouting match when groups of men started yelling anti-feminist chants, like "go home, that's where you belong." There were men on both sides of these protests. The people who organized the women's march said they're demanding "fair and equal opportunity for all Egyptian citizens -- beyond gender⁴, religion or class."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a similar point at an event that commemorated⁵ the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. When referring to the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa we've seen lately, Secretary Clinton said women "have just as much right as the men to remake their governments." She and first lady Michelle Obama honored 10 women with the International Women of Courage Award. Secretary Clinton said the women's courage comes from putting others' well-being⁶ before their own. And Mrs. Obama said the awards send a message to women that "you are never alone in your struggle."

1 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

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 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

6 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。