CNN 美国有线新闻 2014-09-20

 Iceland is where we began today's commercial-free show. I am Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN Student News.Volcanologists are people who study all things volcanic¹. They've been keeping a close eye on a rural area of Eastern Iceland because it's been a hotspot for earthquakes and volcanic activities. It's been going on for nearly a month now. We've talked about the Bardarbunga Volcano. It's the largest volcanic system in Iceland. Here is what it's been doing. Volcanic ash has not been a major problem, yet the volcanologists are warning it could become one.  The immediate² effects are larva fissures³ and gas.  Miles away, children and people with respiratory problems have been told to stay indoors with their windows closed. Sulfur⁴ dioxide from the eruption⁵ is polluting the air and some Icelandic cities. And this isn't limited to the island country of Iceland. Even across the Norwegian Sea, there is a nasty smell in the air. Experts say the stench of sulfur is drifting from Iceland to Norway and Finland.  

The US military has been sending surveillance flights over Syria as it prepares expected air strikes against the ISIS terrorist group. Over the weekend, ISIS murdered a British citizen who's captured in Syria, saying it was for Britain's alliance with the US. President Obama says he will not send US troops into Syria to fight ISIS but critic say his current strategy won't be enough to defeat the terrorists. Congress is debating whether to support President Obama's plan to arm Syria's rebels. They are fighting both ISIS and Syria government in a civil war. It's a complicated situation especially when it comes to Syria. 

 

The Obama Administration is comparing military action against ISIS to other ongoing⁶ operations against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular in Yemen and against Al-Shabaab in Somalia. And there are similarities - both of those campaigns taking place largely from the air, no real US presence on the ground, and also both of those campaigns taking place in largely lawless countries like you are seeing in Syria today. But the planned operations against ISIS have differences. For one, they are more ambitious. Just in the last month in Iraq, the US has carried out more air strikes than it has carried out in years in Yemen or in Somalia. And there are particular problems in Syria that made the campaign against ISIS more difficult. For one, the civil war in Syria is particularly confusing. The enemy is ISIS but ISIS' chief rival, the government of Bashar Al Assad is also an American enemy. What happens even when the battles against ISIS is over? Does US go after Assad then as well? The US also has very difficult allies on the ground. In Syria, the moderate Syrian rebels there have not proven very effective in fighting ISIS on their own. In Iraq, the Iraqi army as well has not made any significant gains against ISIS and has shown problems like running away, dropping their uniforms when ISIS were to advance. Will those allies in both Syria and Iraq prove to be reliable allies going forward? Another challenge here is what is the end game? The president has said his goal is to degrade and destroy ISIS. The US, for instance, in Afghanistan has been going after these groups for 13 years and Al-Qaeda still survives. In Yemen, AQAP still survives. Al-Shabaab in Somalia after years of military action. Will that be the same with ISIS in Iraq and Syria? That's still an open question. 

1 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 fissures   

n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Rising molten rock flows out on the ocean floor and caps the fissures, trapping the water. 上升熔岩流到海底并堵住了裂隙，结果把海水封在里面。 来自辞典例句
• The French have held two colloquia and an international symposium on rock fissures. 法国已经开了两次岩石裂缝方面的报告会和一个国际会议。 来自辞典例句

4 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

5 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。