53：乌克兰：奥巴马称俄罗斯表现软弱及其他新闻热点Ukraine：Obama says Russia'acting out of weakness'&；other hot topics
27/03/2014
President Obama has warned Mos-cow not to encroach any further on Ukrainian sovereignty or it would face new sanctions. Speaking in The Hague， Mr. Obama said the United States and its European partners were prepared to put in place measures that would hurt entire sectors of the Russian economy. Here's James Robbins.
President Obama said he was con-cerned about the large numbers of troops Russia had massed on its border with Ukraine. While it was Russia's right to do so， he said， it appeared to be an effort at intimidation. Mr. Obama said President Putin had a choice to make. Any further move beyond the annexation of Crimea would trigger far wider sanctions. They would be aimed directly at whole sectors of the Russian economy including energy，finance and trade， even if that meant America and her European allies would be hurt， too.
Spain's Constitutional Court has ruled that a planned referendum in November on Catalonia's independence from the rest of the country is unconstitutional. The court's ruling came after Spain's central government challenged a move by Catalonia's regional parliament， which said the region enjoyed judicial and political sovereignty. Guy Hedgecoe is in Madrid.
Last year the nationalist majority in the Catalan parliament approved a declaration stating that the region's people were politically and legally sovereign. It was a mainly symbolic move， but Spain's Constitutional Court has now ruled that it is unlawful. The decision is likely to heighten tensions between the region and the rest of Spain. The court did also address the referendum， ruling that it is legitimate for Catalans to hold such a vote， as long as it takes place within the framework of the constitution. At the moment， that is not the case.
The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that three air force generals have been arrested for plotting an uprising against his government. It's the latest development in nearly two months of political unrest. More details from Leonardo Rocha：
President Nicolas Maduro said that the three air force generals were arrested on Monday night after the authorities were tipped off by young patriotic officers. The three generals， who have not been named， were plotting a coup and had links with the opposition side Mr. Maduro. It's not clear if this is an isolated incident or if there is a more serious rift in the armed forces， which have provided a valuable support for Venezuela's left-wing governments for more than a decade.
译文：
奥巴马总统警告莫斯科不要进一步侵犯乌克兰主权，否则将面临新的制裁。奥巴马在海牙发表讲话，称美国及其欧洲盟友准备实施将有损整个俄罗斯经济的措施。詹姆斯·鲁本斯报道。
奥巴马总统说大批俄罗斯部队已经驻扎在与乌克兰接壤处，他对此表示担忧。他说尽管俄罗斯有权利这么做，这显然是恐吓行为。奥巴马说普京总统可以做别的选择，吞并克里米亚之外的任何进一步举动都将导致进一步的制裁。这些措施将直接针对俄罗斯各个经济部门，包括能源、财政和贸易，尽管这意味着美国及其欧洲盟国也会受到损害。
西班牙立宪法院判定原计划于11月份就加泰罗尼亚从本国独立的公投为不符合宪法规定。此前西班牙中央政府质疑加泰罗尼亚的地方议会，该地方议会称该地区享有司法和政治主权。Guy Hedgecoe在马德里报道。
去年加泰罗尼亚议会民族主义多数派宣布该地区人民享有政治和法律上的主权，这个举动在很大程度上有象征意味，但西班牙立宪法院现在判定该声明非法。这一决定可能加剧加泰罗尼亚和西班牙其他地区的紧张局面。法院就公投做出判决，称加泰罗尼亚人进行此类投票是合法的，前提是在宪法框架内举行，而目前的情况显然不符合这一前提。
委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗称三名空军将军因阴谋发动政变而被捕，这是近两个月的政治动乱中的最新态势。Leonardo Rocha报道。
总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗称这三名空军将军是周一晚上被捕的，此前当局得到了年轻爱国官员的密报。这三名没有被点名的将军阴谋发动政变，且与反对派有关联。尚不清楚这是独立的事件，还是军队中还有其他更严重的分裂，这在很大程度上助长了委内瑞拉历时10多年的左翼运动。
单词解析Word analysis
1. encroach[?n'kr??t?； en-]v.侵占，侵犯
例句：Bureaucratic power has encroached upon the freedom of the individual.
官僚权利已经侵犯了个人的自由。
2. sovereignty['s?vr?nt?]n.主权
例句：Spain's claim of sovereignty over the territory is unreasonable.
西班牙对这块领地的主权要求是不合理的。
3. intimidation[?n，t?m?'de??n]n.恐吓，威胁
例句：She had endured years of intimidation and violence.
4. unIawfuI[?n'l??f?l； -f(?)l]adj.非法的，违法的
例句：The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
陪审团作出了非法杀人的裁决。
5. patriotic[?pe?tri'?t?k]adj.爱国的，有爱国心的
例句：I'm not very patriotic.
我不是很有爱国情怀。
6. opposition[?p?'z??(?)n]n.反对
例句：Strong opposition resulted in rejection of the bill.
在强烈反对下这项议案遭否决。
7. rift[r?ft]n.分歧，嫌隙
例句：Party officials have denied that there is any rift over public spending.
政党官员否定部长之间不和。
语法知识点Grammar points
1. Speaking in The Hague， Mr Obama said the United States and its European partners were prepared to put in place measures that would hurt entire sectors of the Russian economy.
“Speaking in The Hague”做伴随状语；“prepare to do sth”“准备好了做某事”；“that”后面引导定语从句，修饰“measures”。
2. While it was Russia's right to do so， he said， it appeared to be an effort at intimidation.
“while”引导让步状语从句，表示“尽管”；其他可以引导此类从句的词还包括although， though， even if， even though等。
3. They would be aimed at directly at whole sectors of the Russian economy including energy，finance and trade， even if that meant America and her European allies would be hurt， too.
“aim at”目标定位于，旨在；“even if”引导让步状语从句。
4. The court's ruling came after Spain's central government challenged a move by Catalonia's regional parliament， which said the region enjoyed judicial and political sovereignty.
“after”引导一个时间状语从句，其中谓语是“challenged”；“which”引导非限制性定语从句，修饰前面的“Catalonia's regional parliament”；“said”后面跟的是其宾语从句。
5. The court did also address the referendum， ruling that it is legitimate for Catalans to hold such a vote， as long as it takes place within the framework of the constitution.
“address”（着手）解决，处理某事；“rule”裁定，判定“as long as”引导条件状语从句，表示“只要”。
6. It's not clear if this is an isolated incident or if there is a more serious rift in the armed forces， which have provided a valuable support for Venezuela's left-wing governments for more than a decade.
“It”引导一个主语从句，真正的主语是后面的“if……”，it只是形式主语。“which”引导非限制性定语从句，修饰前面的“the armed forces”。