2007年VOA标准英语-4 Injured After US Helicopter Crashes South of

By Margaret Besheer
Baghdad
05 April 2007

The U.S. military says one of its helicopters went down south of Baghdad, injuring four of the nine persons aboard. From Iraq's capital, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

Iraq

The U.S. military would not give the exact location of the crash, nor would it comment on reports that the helicopter had been shot down, saying the incident is under investigation¹.

"Today, south of Baghdad, a UH-60 Black Hawk² helicopter went down," said U.S. military spokesman, Lieutenant³ Colonel Christopher Garver. "There were nine members on board, including the crew. Four were reported to be injured. Those four have been evacuated⁴ to a medical facility. The other five have been removed from the crash site as well, and the crash site is under investigation at this time."

This is the ninth U.S. military helicopter that has crashed this year.

In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded at a television station owned by the country's main Sunni Arab political party. Officials with the Iraqi Islamic Party said several guards were wounded in the midday attack.

Meanwhile, operations continued in support of the seven-week old Baghdad security plan.

A U.S. military official told VOA that a joint⁵ Iraqi-U.S. operation began Wednesday in western Baghdad's Mansour district.

Colonel J.B. Burton, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the First Infantry⁶ Division, said the mission is in support of the security plan and intends to clear insurgents⁷ from the Mansour area and improve essential services, such as water and electricity, to the population.

"We have put in place effects which deny extremists freedom of action throughout the area of responsibility," he said. "We have hardened checkpoints, and we continue to increase our Joint Security Station postures⁸ throughout the area of responsibility."

Separately, the U.S. military reported the deaths of five American troops since Tuesday. Roadside bomb blasts killed two soldiers south of Baghdad and two others in the capital on Wednesday. A fifth soldier was killed by small arms fire Tuesday in eastern Baghdad.

The British military also reported the deaths of four its troops, as well as a Kuwaiti interpreter, in an ambush⁹ in the southern city of Basra. The patrol hit a roadside bomb and was then hit by small arms fire early Thursday.

1 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。

2 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

3 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

4 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

7 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

8 postures   

姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场

参考例句：

• Modern consciousness has this great need to explode its own postures. 现代意识很有这种摧毁本身姿态的需要。
• They instinctively gathered themselves into more tidy postures. 她们本能地恢复了端庄的姿态。

9 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。