Why do India and Pakistan keep fighting over Kashmir?
为何印度与巴基斯坦一直因克什米尔纷争不断？
On Wednesday, Pakistani and Indian fighter jets engaged in a skirmish over Indian-controlled territory in the disputed border state of Jammu and Kashmir. The incursion came just one day after Indian aircraft flew into Pakistan and attacked near the town of Balakot.
周三，在位于两国边界的争议地区——查谟-克什米尔邦的印控领地上空，巴基斯坦和印度的战斗机卷入了一场小规模战斗。而在这场突袭的前一天，印方飞机进入了巴基斯坦，并在巴拉考特镇附近发动了袭击。
Now there are fears that hostilities could escalate between the two countries, which were created by the bloody partition of British India more than 70 years ago and have coexisted uneasily ever since.
现在的局势引发多方担忧，有人认为两国之间的战争行为可能会升级。印巴两国是从 70 多年前的英属印度残忍分裂出来的，自此之后，两国一直在摩擦中共存。
The immediate cause was the Feb. 14 suicide bombing by a young Islamic militant, who blew up a convoy of trucks carrying paramilitary forces in Pulwama in southern Kashmir. It was the deadliest attack in the region in 30 years.
此次冲突的直接原因是 2 月 14 日的自杀式爆炸袭击：在克什米尔南部的普尔瓦马，一名年轻的伊斯兰激进分子引爆了一队载有准军事部队的受护卡车。这是该地区三十年来最致命的一场袭击。
But there are also broader political forces at work. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is up for re-election in May, and he is eager to avenge a bombing that has stirred outrage.
不过，这背后还有更广泛的政治势力在作祟。印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪将在 5 月份争取连任，他渴望为一场引发公愤的爆炸事件复仇。
Pakistan, for its part, has a new prime minister, Imran Khan, who was elected last year with the backing of his country’s powerful military. Khan wants to show that he can stand up to India, even as the country’s economy is so weak that he is seeking bailouts from Saudi Arabia and China.
就巴基斯坦而言，新总理伊姆兰·汗于去年在巴基斯坦强大军队的支持下当选。汗想证明他能够对抗印度，即便他正因巴基斯坦的经济过于贫弱而向沙特阿拉伯和中国寻求援助。
Khan urged India to settle matters through talks. “All big wars have been due to miscalculation,” he said in a televised address. “My question to India is that given the weapons we have, can we afford miscalculation?”
汗敦促印度通过谈判解决问题。“所有大规模的战争都是由于误判，”他在电视讲话中表示道，“我向印度提出的问题是，考虑到双方的武器装备情况，我们可以承受误判吗？”
重点词汇
fighter jet：喷气式战斗机
skirmish/ˈskɜːrmɪʃ/：n. 小冲突，小规模战斗
英文释义：a short fight between small groups of soldiers
incursion/ɪnˈkɜːrʒn/：n. 突袭，袭击
英文释义：a sudden attack
hostilities/hɑːˈstɪlətis/：n. 战争行为
相关词汇：hostility
partition/pɑːrˈtɪʃn/：n. （国家的）分裂，分治
immediate/ɪˈmiːdiət/：adj. 直接的，立即的
英文释义：having a direct effect
militant/ˈmɪlɪtənt/：n. 好斗的人；激进的人
词性拓展：adj. 激进的；好斗的
例句：He is a militant reformer.
convoy/ˈkɑːnvɔɪ/：n. （尤指护卫）舰队，车队
paramilitary force
非官方部队，准军事部队
相关词汇：paramilitary（adj. 准军事的，辅助军事的）
相关词汇：force（n. 武装部队）
at work：影响，起作用
例句：The report suggested that secret influences were at work.
be up for：准备好
例句：Qatar is up for 2022 World Cup.
avenge/əˈvendʒ/：v. 报复，复仇
相关词汇：the Avengers
搭配短语：avenge sth./sb.
例句：I will avenge my friend.
搭配短语：avenge A on B：例句：I will avenge my friend on the enemy.
stir/stɜːr/：v. 激起（尤其指激发强烈的感情）
英文释义：If something stirs you, it makes you react with a strong emotion.
例句：Excitement stirred inside her.
outrage/ˈaʊtreɪdʒ/：n. 愤慨
搭配短语：to provoke public outrage
for one's part：就某物/某人来说
backing/ˈbækɪŋ/：n. 支持；资助
相关词汇：back (v. )
stand up to：抵抗，反抗
bailout/ˈbeɪlaʊt/：n. （从经济上）帮助（某人或机构）脱离困境
相关词汇：bail（n. 保释金）
例句：Three years of huge losses forced the bank to seek a government bailout.
miscalculation/ˌmɪskælkjuˈleɪʃn/：n. 错算，误算
词根词缀：mis-（表示否定或错误）
相关词汇：calculate; calculation
