美国国家公共电台 NPR--Taiz is a frontline city caught up in the conflict in Yemen

Taiz is a frontline city caught up in the conflict in Yemen

Transcript¹

People in Taiz are struggling to get food and other necessities amid a civil war that's been going on for nearly a decade.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Now a look at a front-line city in the conflict in Yemen. The country's been ravaged² by civil war for nearly a decade since militants³ backed by Iran ousted⁴ the government from the capital. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates then sent troops and planes to back the government, turning Yemen into the site of a regional proxy⁵ war. And it's stolen the lives of thousands of civilians⁷ and created one of the world's worst humanitarian⁸ crises. NPR's Fatma Tanis is in the divided city of Taiz for a rare look inside the country.

Fatma, give us a sense of what it's like there. What are you seeing?

FATMA TANIS, BYLINE⁹: Well, the conditions are really tough here. The city is divided, as you mentioned, and the Iran-backed militia¹⁰ known as the Houthis are in the north and east, where most of the jobs and factories are. The rest, including where I am now, is controlled by the Saudi-backed coalition¹¹. And many Yemenis here are struggling to find food. There are frequent and long power outages. The water isn't clean. There's a risk of cholera¹². Salaries aren't getting paid. We've also heard some shots here, too. And residents say while the worst of the fighting has died down, sniping is still going on in some neighborhoods.

FADEL: I mean, nine years - how are people coping with this ongoing¹³ war?

TANIS: They've been living with fear the whole time. There are berms all around the city that are often the only thing protecting citizens from snipers coming from the Houthi side. There have also been, you know, Saudi airstrikes over the years in the area, and they cause many civilian⁶ deaths. I was in one front-line neighborhood that sees frequent sniper attacks where I met an older woman who was afraid to give her name because she lives so close to the Houthi side. She showed me her foot where she was shot as she was walking to her home a few months ago.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).

TANIS: She has to walk that same path every day in fear, she says, and doesn't feel safe for a moment living here, but has no means to move elsewhere.

FADEL: So is there an end in sight for her? I mean, where does the fighting stand at this moment?

TANIS: Well, there's a stalemate right now, ever since peace talks between the Houthis and the Saudis started last year. But it's not really set in stone yet. So people are very skeptical¹⁵. I spoke¹⁴ with a 26-year-old coalition soldier named Mohammed Fahad al-Shabani (ph) who lost his leg in a Houthi-planted mine. Here's what he said.

MOHAMMED FAHAD AL-SHABANI: (Non-English language spoken).

TANIS: Like many other Yemenis I spoke with, he feels that the negotiating parties are just looking out for themselves and not the people of Yemen and doesn't believe that ending the war will end the suffering of people here.

FADEL: That's NPR's Fatma Tanis in Taiz, Yemen.

Thank you so much, Fatma.

TANIS: Thank you, Leila.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

5 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 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。

8 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。