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六月份第 10 课

US: Syria's Assad Crossed 'Red Line' with Chemical Weapons
美国：叙总统阿萨德跨过使用化武的 “红线”
　　Officials say Washington is moving forward with a plan to provide arms to Syrian rebels, a move that prompted a positive early reaction from U.S. allies in Europe.
美国官员说，华盛顿正在推动一项计划，向叙利亚反政府武装提供武器；此举获得美国在欧洲盟友的积极初步回应。

　　The decision came after White House officials said an intelligence report found conclusive evidence that Damascus used chemical weapons, including deadly sarin gas, on a small scale against Syrian rebels during the past year.
此前，白宫官员说，情报部门的报告发现，在过去的一年里，大马士革曾多次小规模地对叙利亚反政府武装使用了化学武器，包括沙林毒气。

　　In response, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Thursday that President Barack Obama decided to authorize "direct military support" to the opposition.
美国副国家安全事务顾问罗兹星期四说，欧巴马总统已经决定授权向叙利亚反政府武装提供 “直接军事援助”。

　　U.S. officials later acknowledged this support would include weapons and ammunition.
美国官员后来承认，向反政府武装提供的援助项目包括武器和弹药。

　　British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday that London agrees with the U.S. assessment on chemical weapons use, and called for a "strong, determined" response from the international community.
英国外交大臣黑格星期五说，伦敦同意美国对叙利亚使用化学武器的评估，呼吁国际社会做出 “有力、果断的” 回应。

　　NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also welcomed what he called the "clear U.S. statement."
北约秘书长拉斯穆森也欢迎他所说的 “美国明确的声明”。

　　He said the use of chemical weapons is "completely unacceptable" and called on Syria to let the U.N. investigate the reports.
他说，使用化学武器是 “完全不能接受的”；他呼吁叙利亚让联合国对有关报导进行调查。

　　But Russia, Syria's ally, said the evidence provided by the U.S. "does not look convincing."
但是叙利亚的盟友俄罗斯说，美国提供的证据 “看上去并不令人信服”。

　　Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also said the expanded U.S. military aid will hamper efforts to convene a Syria peace conference.
俄罗斯总统普京的助手乌沙科夫还说，美国扩大军事援助将阻碍举行叙利亚和平会议的努力。

　　U.S. intelligence officials have been saying for months they suspect chemical weapons were used by the Syrian government . But Mr. Obama had said he needed to see firm evidence before deciding his next move.
美国情报官员近几个月来一直表示，他们确信叙利亚当局使用了化学武器；但欧巴马曾说，在确定下个步骤之前，他需要得到确凿证据。

UN: Africa to Drive Rise in World Population to 9.6 Bn in 2050
世界人口将於 2050 年达 96 亿
　　A new U.N. report says the world's population is likely to increase by almost one billion in the next 12 years, with most of the growth happening in developing regions such as Africa.
联合国一项新的报告预测，世界人口数量将在未来的 12 年里增长近 10 亿，人口增加的地区大部分在非洲等发展中地区。

　　The report released Thursday by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs projects a rise in the global population from the current level of 7.2 billion to 8.1 billion in 2025. The U.N. says the figure is expected to reach 9.6 billion in 2050, primarily on growth in high-fertility African nations and countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States.
联合国经济和社会事务局在週四发佈的这份报告说，到 2025 年，世界人口将从目前的 72 亿增长到 81 亿，到 2050 年达到 96 亿，主要是因為高生育率的非洲国家以及印度、印尼、巴基斯坦、菲律宾、以及美国这些人口大国人口的增加。

　　In the next 37 years, the population of developed regions is seen remaining largely unchanged at around 1.3 billion.
未来 37 年内，发达地区的人口将维持在目前 13 亿左右的水準。

　　The report says women in 29 African nations with high fertility rates have an average of five or more children.
这份报导称，在 29 个高生育率的非洲国家，妇女每人平均育有 5 名以上子女。

　　The U.N. study says another factor contributing to population growth is longer life spans in the world's least developed countries, many of them affected by HIV/AIDS.
联合国这份研究报告说，推动世界人口增加的另一个因素是最不发达国家人口寿命的延长；其中很多国家受到爱滋病的影响。

　　It says life expectancy is projected to increase in those nations from 58 years in the 2005-2010 period to 70 years in 2045-2050.
联合国预测，这些国家的每人平均寿命将从 2005 – 2010 年间的 58 岁延长到 2045 – 2050 年期间的 70 岁。

　　Another key prediction in the report is that India's population will surpass that of China around 2028, when both countries are expected to have around 1.45 billion people.
这报告中的另一项重要预测是，印度人口将在 2028 年左右超过中国，届时中印两国人口都将达到 14.5 亿左右。