VOA慢速英语2009-IN THE NEWS - In Sri Lanka, a 'Final Push' to De

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

The Sri Lankan army has been leading what it called a "final push" against Tamil Tiger rebels. A military spokesman told VOA that the army hoped to free all civilians¹ trapped in rebel territory by Sunday. The military said troops were moving in from the north and the south on the narrow area of coastline still held by the rebels.
　
A Sri Lankan army photograph of Tamil civilians arriving in a government-controlled area after escaping the war zone

On Friday, the United Nations human rights office called for an investigation² of possible war crimes in Sri Lanka. The office said the behavior of the military and the rebels could meet the legal meaning of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

A U.N. spokesman expressed concern about reports that government shelling has killed civilians. He also expressed concern over reports of rebels shooting those trying to flee to safety.

This week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent his top aide to press for an end to the Sri Lankan conflict.

Almost two hundred thousand Tamil civilians in the north have been displaced since fighting intensified³ in January. Some people have been able to escape across the waters of a lagoon⁴ to a government-controlled area. But thousands of civilians reportedly have been killed and many thousands more wounded.

The International Red Cross has described the humanitarian⁵ situation as "unimaginable." The Red Cross has been unable to bring in food or remove the wounded and sick from the area of fighting.

Sri Lanka has been seeking a two billion dollar loan from the International Monetary⁶ Fund to help its economy. American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week that this was, in her words, "not an appropriate time to consider" the loan. But I.M.F. chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Friday that Sri Lanka clearly needs help. Reuters news agency reported that he said the I.M.F. is working to find a solution in the next few weeks.
　
A Defense⁷ Ministry⁸ photo shows army soldiers patrolling Friday in the war zone

Sri Lanka is an island of twenty-one million people in the Indian Ocean. Three-fourths are ethnic⁹ Sinhalese. The conflict began more than twenty-five years ago, when minority Tamils began fighting for an independent homeland.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam once controlled a large area of the north and east. But now, military officials say the area held by the Tamil Tigers has been reduced to just a few square kilometers of beachfront.

The government says the military offensive is also a hostage rescue operation. It says the rebels are hiding among civilians. On Wednesday, President Obama deplored¹⁰ the rebels' use of civilians as human shields. But he also called on the Sri Lankan government to act responsibly.

There have been reports in recent days that shelling killed hundreds of civilians. On Wednesday, artillery¹¹ shells hit the only remaining hospital in the area of fighting.

The government promised last month to end its use of heavy weapons. It says the rebels are the ones killing¹² innocent people. The rebels blame the government.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• 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。

10 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句

11 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。