VOA标准英语2009年-Israel Bombs Gaza Targets

Israel aircraft have bombed a Palestinian target in Gaza, following Palestinian militant¹ rocket attacks on Israel on Sunday. The Hamas militant group that runs Gaza says Israeli aircraft hit a Palestinian police position. On Sunday, Palestinian militants² fired at least seven rockets and mortar³ shells into Israel, drawing an Israeli threat of a "disproportionate" response.
　
Gaza, Ashkelon and Israel

Israeli police say the projectiles⁴ wounded two people in southern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that Israel will retaliate⁵ severely⁶ for cross-border attacks that he says deprive Israelis of a normal life.

Palestinian militants fired rockets and mortars⁷ at Israel from Gaza, testing a shaky cease-fire. One rocket slammed into a kibbutz collective farm near a kindergarten but failed to explode.
　
Ehud Olmert

The attacks topped the agenda at Israel's weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the end of fighting in Gaza two weeks ago Israel had warned that if Palestinian shooting resumes there would be "disproportionate" retaliation⁸.

"We will not reveal when, where or how we will respond," he said, "but we will respond."

Sporadic⁹ Palestinian rocket, mortar and shooting attacks have violated the Gaza cease-fire during the past week and Israel has responded with air strikes.
　
Palestinians present their identification as they wait to receive food aid at a United Nations distribution center in the Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, Sunday 01 Feb. 2009

The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has not claimed responsibility for the attacks but has not condemned¹⁰ them either.

Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said Israel wants a cease-fire for free, but it would have to pay a price: namely, opening border crossings and lifting the crippling blockade on Gaza. Israel says that will not happen until Hamas releases a captive Israeli soldier held in Gaza for two and a half years.

Egypt is trying to hammer out a long-term cease-fire acceptable to both sides.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 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。

3 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

4 projectiles   

n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器

参考例句：

• These differences are connected with the strong absorption of the composite projectiles. 这些差别与复杂的入射粒子的强烈吸收有关。 来自辞典例句
• Projectiles became more important because cannons could now fire balls over hundreds or yards. 抛射体变得更加重要，因为人们已能用大炮把炮弹射到几百码的距离之外。 来自辞典例句

5 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

7 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

8 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。