VOA标准英语2009年-Casualties Mount as Fighting in Gaza Escalates

Fighting escalated¹ in Gaza a day after an Israeli ground offensive into the Palestinian territory. Israel confirms one of its soldiers has been killed and 30 wounded, and medical officials in Gaza say more than 30 Palestinians have been killed since the invasion began. According to tallies² by medical officials in Gaza the Palestinian death toll³ from nine days of Israeli military operations now tops 500, with the number of injured at more than 2,000.
　

Palestinians carry a dead man into the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, killed during the Israeli army operation in Gaza, 04 Jan 2009

Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants⁴ throughout parts of the Gaza Strip as troops fanned out, tanks moved into position and war planes and naval⁵ vessels⁶ continued to bombard their targets.

Much of the action appeared to focus on the northern part of Gaza, amid reports that Israeli troops had encircled Gaza City, had positioned tanks at the former Israeli settlement of Nezarim and had effectively cut the territory in two between north and south.
　

An Israeli army mobile artillery7 piece fires towards targets in the southern Gaza Strip, at a position on the Israel side of the border with Gaza Sunday, 04 Jan. 2009

The Israeli military said its war planes targeted more than 15 sites throughout the day, including rocket-launching areas, armed gunmen, smuggling⁸ tunnels and several specific Hamas militants.

In Gaza City, Palestinian journalist Mohammed Dawwas spends part of his day going out to get food, checking on his own apartment and then joining his family at his father in law's home on the edge of Gaza City, where they hope it is safer to be.

"What you hear is bombs," said Mohammed Dawwas. "We sit here together all night. A lot of people here in one room because it is much better than being alone. It is really very tough. We have no power, no electricity, nothing whatsoever⁹, no gas, no water. It is really crazy here."
　

Palestinian carries a child into the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, wounded during the Israeli army operation in Gaza, 04 Jan 2009

Aid officials continue to warn of a growing humanitarian¹⁰ crisis in Gaza and medical officials say casualty figures are rising, mostly among civilians¹¹.

Israeli Government spokesman Mark Regev says the military operation is not against the people of Gaza, but against Hamas militants who threaten southern Israel.

"Our sole military goal is to safeguard the people of southern Irael so that one million people no longer have to be on the receiving end of Hamas rockets," said Regev.

Israel says it had no choice but to launch military action after talks with Hamas on extending a cease-fire broke down in December and militants stepped up rocket fire against southern Israel. But militants fired more than 30 rockets into southern Israel during the day.

Israel initially¹² launched air strikes just more than a week ago, pounding targets it said were linked to Hamas and its infrastructure¹³ in Gaza.

But, Hamas has remained defiant¹⁴, warning that it would turn Gaza into a graveyard¹⁵ for the Israelis. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has described the Israeli offensive as "brutal¹⁶ aggression¹⁷."

According to tallies by medical officials in Gaza the Palestinian death toll from nine days of Israeli military operations now tops 500, with the number of injured at more than 2,000.

1 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

2 tallies   

n.账( tally的名词复数 )；符合；（计数的）签；标签v.计算，清点( tally的第三人称单数 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合

参考例句：

• Cash on hand tallies with the figure in the accounts. 现款跟账上的数目没有出入。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He tallies his own marks. 他把自己的得分记了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 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。

5 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 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。

8 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

9 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

10 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。

11 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。

12 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

15 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

16 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

17 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。