VOA标准英语2012--Israel Builds Fence Along Sinai Border

Israel Builds Fence Along Sinai Border

Israel's new fence along its border with Egypt has taken on new importance since the popular uprising in Egypt prompted Cairo to withdraw many of its security forces from the Sinai to deal with civil unrest.
Lieutenant¹ Colonel Yoav Tilan, an Israeli border commander, said, “This is a 'hot' border now and terror is on this border like any other border we have in Israel. And [as a result] we are copying and modifying our techniques like in other borders to this border solely² on the motive³ that this is now a terror-threatened border.”
The area has long been a route for smugglers, and Colonel Tilan says terrorists based in the Sinai have links to the militant⁴ Palestinian faction⁵ Hamas in Gaza.
Security concerns reached a peak last August when gunmen crossed from Egypt and attacked Israeli civilians⁶, killing⁷ eight and wounding 30 others. Israeli forces killed three attackers and three Egyptian soldiers died in the cross-fire. The road has been closed to the public ever since.
Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Salah el-Khayeb commands a tracking unit made up mostly of Bedouins, like many of the smugglers themselves. “Every morning there is a patrol along the border and in every patrol there is a tracker whose job is to look for signs or objects and to determine that there was not an infiltration⁸ into Israel," he said.
A senior Israeli commander said infiltrations have declined significantly in areas where the fence is already up. It is only a third complete and when it is finished, it will stretch 260 kilometers from the port of Eilat on the Red Sea to Gaza.
Israeli commanders also expect infiltrators to adapt to the new security measures. As a result, they are working closely with Egyptian security forces who, they say, have the same interest in halting the increasingly menacing traffic.

1 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。

2 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

3 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

4 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。

5 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

6 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。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 infiltration   

n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗

参考例句：

• The police tried to prevent infiltration by drug traffickers. 警方尽力阻止毒品走私分子的潜入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A loss in volume will occur if infiltration takes place. 如果发生了渗润作用，水量就会减少。 来自辞典例句