美国有线新闻 CNN 伊拉克拉响收复摩苏尔之战 或将重创ISIS

 

First story centers on a battle that's begun in the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq. You've heard us talk a lot about the ISIS terrorist group. ISIS is an acronym¹ for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and that's what they've been trying to create.

But right now, ISIS is fighting to hold on to the Iraqi city of Mosul, which they took over in 2014. And if ISIS loses Mosul, it could signal the beginning of the end for ISIS in Iraq.

The battle started early Monday morning. Iraq's military says it inflicted² heavy losses of life and equipment on ISIS in an area southeast of the city. Iraqi troops are leading a coalition³ of other groups in trying to push ISIS out. Hundreds of U.S. troops are also involved, though the Pentagon says they're not on the front line. And the forces that are can call in air support when they meet with tough resistance from the terrorist.

One terrorism expert says the major challenge of this battle will be avoiding hurting Mosul's civilians⁴ while overpowering ISIS's defenses.

They've had months to prepare for this. But international officials say there's no doubt the fight is an important one.

CLARISSA WARD⁵, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The battle for Mosul is a really big deal, and here's why.

SUBTITLE⁶: Why Mosul matters.

WARD: Mosul is the second biggest city in Iraq and it's the last remaining ISIS stronghold in the country. It's also the place where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi first declared that he had established an Islamic caliphate or state.

Now, the last time the Iraqi army was in Mosul was back in 2014, ones were fleeing from ISIS fighters. This time, it's hoping to reverse those losses.

Iraqi army forces won't be the only ones on the battlefield, though. Kurdish, Peshmerga forces will be involved and the U.S. military will also be playing a supportive role.

But the battle won't be easy. Officials estimate there are between three and five thousand ISIS fighters still inside the city and they have created an elaborate network of defenses. They fill moats with oil and set it alight, creating these thick black plumes⁷ of choking smoke. Houses are booby trapped, the streets are littered with IEDS.

And then there's the human toll⁸. An estimated 1 million civilians are still leaving in the city of Mosul and the U.N. says that the exodus⁹ that could follow a battle might be one of the biggest manmade displacements¹⁰ in recent times.

Some commanders estimate it could take as much as three months to take the city, and then there's the aftermath to deal with. But if the operation is successful, it will deal a major blow to ISIS.

1 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

2 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• 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。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• 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。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 subtitle   

n.副题（书本中的），说明对白的字幕

参考例句：

• His new book has a subtitle.他的新书有一个副标题。
• Ah!I don't know why they don't subtitle these movies.唉！我不知道这些电影为什么不打字幕。

7 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

8 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

9 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

10 displacements   

n.取代( displacement的名词复数 )；替代；移位；免职

参考例句：

• The laws of physics are symmetrical for translational displacements. 物理定律对平移是对称的。 来自辞典例句
• We encounter only displacements of the first type. 我们只遇到第一类的驱替。 来自辞典例句