VOA标准英语2011--Gadhafi Forces Bomb Oil Tanks in Besiege

Gadhafi Forces Bomb Oil Tanks in Besieged¹ Misrata

Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi pounded oil tanks in the besieged city of Misrata Saturday, setting off gigantic fires that poured black smoke into the air.
Witnesses say pro-Gadhafi forces used helicopters and rockets to attack fuel storage tanks in the rebel-held port city, causing them to explode and burn. Rebel sources say the explosions have wiped out fuel reserves needed to withstand the lengthy² siege of Misrata, which is the last city in western Libya under rebel control.
Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told journalists Friday in the capital Tripoli that government forces would not stop trying to close Misrata's port, accusing the rebels of using it to "bring arms to the city and evacuate³ some criminals."
Also in Tripoli, a tribal⁴ organization loyal to the government called for a general amnesty, but continued to call for the "liberation" of rebel-held territory. Rebel leaders, for their part, claimed that Colonel Gadhafi is "giving out money to encourage rebel fighters to change sides."
Pro-Gadhafi forces continued to shell areas along the Tunisian border. Witnesses say a number of shells fell inside Tunisia. Libyan government forces are besieging⁵ the towns of Zintan, Nalout and Yfran in the mostly Berber mountainous plateau near the border.
In the main rebel-held city of Benghazi, in eastern Libya, the head of the opposition⁶ Transitional National Council, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, repeated his plea to Western and Arab states to help the rebels with modern weapons to help them combat pro-Gadhafi forces.
He says the rebels are capable of ground combat if they receive just a small amount of modern weapons, which would even the playing field. He stresses that weapons are the only major issue, since the allies are providing enough help from the air.
Meanwhile, the Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat quoted a government source in Tripoli as saying that "matters appear to be moving towards the opening of a political dialogue to resolve the crisis." The paper said a rebel source in Benghazi confirmed the possibility of opening a dialogue. Rebel spokesmen, however, have long insisted that Colonel Gadhafi step down first.
Protests in Yemen
Elsewhere, protests continued for another day in towns and cities across Yemen, as the mostly young protesters kept up their demands for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.
Opposition leader Saleh Mohsen told journalists that the street protests, rather than a stalled Gulf⁷ Cooperation Council plan, will ultimately bring about Saleh's resignation.
He says that the revolution in the streets and squares, driven by the many people who have stood steadfastly⁸ night and day for three months, will ultimately bring about the fall of the regime.
Deputy Information Minister Abdou Jundy, an ally of Saleh, told Al Jazeera TV Saturday that the president still supports the GCC plan. He refused, however, to indicate if Saleh is ready to step down, which is the main condition of the plan.

1 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

2 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 besieging   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They constituted a near-insuperable obstacle to the besieging infantry. 它们就会形成围城步兵几乎不可逾越的障碍。
• He concentrated the sun's rays on the Roman ships besieging the city and burned them. 他把集中的阳光照到攻城的罗马船上，把它们焚毁。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 steadfastly   

adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝

参考例句：

• So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work. 他就像这样坐着，停止了工作，直勾勾地瞪着眼。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Defarge and his wife looked steadfastly at one another. 德伐日和他的妻子彼此凝视了一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记