VOA慢速英语--叙利亚停火协议接近崩溃

AS IT IS 2016-04-13 Ceasefire in Syria Close to Collapse¹ 叙利亚停火协议接近崩溃

The ceasefire that began in February in Syria is close to collapsing², say those in the conflict.

Rebel fighters and politicians opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been working together to unseat him. After five years, the United States and Russia negotiated a ceasefire.

But activists³ say government and Russian forces violated the ceasefire at least 66 times during a recent 48-hour period. They say almost 100 people -- including seven children and five women -- were killed in government airstrikes.

The rebels say they expect the government to attack them in the city of Aleppo.

Bassma Kodmani negotiates for the rebels. Peace talks are to begin in Geneva, Switzerland this week. On Sunday, he warned that over the previous 10 days there had been a “serious deterioration⁴ to the point where the ceasefire is about to collapse.”

Both the government and rebels have blamed each other for violating the ceasefire. United Nations officials have said the government has stopped aid to some important towns held by the rebels.

There was a sharp increase in fighting during the weekend. On Monday, Islamic State terrorists took back an important town in northern Syria. The town of al-Rai, close to the border with Turkey, was captured by the militants⁵.

Observers said rebels failed in al-Rai because fighter jets flown by an international coalition⁶ failed to support them.

Since the end of March, rebels have seized 12 villages from Islamic State militants. The villages are near the Syria-Turkey border. IS did not agree to the ceasefire, which took effect February 27.

On Monday, rebel groups launched attacks in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia. The coastal⁷ province of Latakia is controlled by the Alawite sect⁸. Assad is an Alawite.  

If the ceasefire collapses⁹, peace talks may not take place. Little progress was made in earlier talks. The major issue is the future of President Assad. The rebels say he must leave office and not be part of any transition government.

Words in This Story

unseat - v. to remove (someone or something) from a position of power

deterioration – n. the act or process of becoming worse

sect – n. a religious group that is a smaller part of a larger group and whose members all share similar beliefs

transition – adj. a change from one state or condition to another

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 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。

7 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

8 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

9 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。