VOA标准英语2011--Libyan Aircraft Attack Rebel-Held Oil To

Insurgents¹ opposed to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi continue to hold two strategic towns along the road to eastern Libya, after unsuccessful attempts by pro-Gadhafi forces to retake them. Libyan warplanes launched new air strikes Thursday against the key eastern oil port of Brega, but the son of embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi says the bombs were only intended to "frighten" rebels there.
Libyan warplanes struck at the rebel-held oil port of Brega on Thursday, a day after anti-government fighters turned back an assault by forces loyal to the country's longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Witnesses say pro-Gadhafi forces tried to advance behind a barrage² of field artillery³, but failed to gain any ground. Both sides held on to their positions along the outskirts⁴ of the towns of Brega and Ajdabiya. Reports conflicted over which side controlled an oil refinery⁵ near Brega.
Al Jazeera TV showed images of people in Brega grieving after the air strike on part of their town. A number of people were reported killed in the raid.
Al Arabiya TV reported that at least one plane bombed a civilian⁶ neighborhood in Ajdabiya, a rebel stronghold closer to the rebel-controlled major city of Benghazi.
Witnesses say anti-government forces captured nearly a dozen mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia after clashes around Brega. The mercenaries are reportedly fighting alongside Gadhafi loyalists.
ICC Warning
In The Hague, the prosecutor⁷ of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, said he is opening an investigation⁸ into possible crimes against humanity by Colonel Gadhafi, some of his sons and close associates.
"We've identified some individuals with de facto or formal authority who have authority on the security forces that allegedly committed the crimes," Ocampo said. "They are Moammar Gadhafi, his inner circle, including some of his sons, who have a de facto authority, but also there are people with some formal authority that should pay attention to the crimes committed by their people, because if they are not preventing, stopping and punishing these crimes, they could be responsible in accordance with the law."
In Cairo, an Arab League spokesman indicated that a peace proposal by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is being considered by Arab foreign ministers. The proposal includes dialogue between Colonel Gadhafi and Libyan insurgents, supported by an Arab League fact-finding mission.
Wednesday, Arab League foreign ministers called for an immediate¹⁰ end to all violence in Libya and condemned¹¹ alleged⁹ crimes against the Libyan people. The ministers blasted possible foreign intervention¹² but said they would consider backing a no-fly zone, in conjunction with the African Union.

1 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

2 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

3 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。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 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。

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 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。

12 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。