美国有线新闻 CNN 2012-12-31

 Today is Monday, December 24th, a day after dozens of Syrians are killed, waiting in line for bread. The activists¹ that we spoke² with say that this is the town that harbors a lot of anti-Syrian regime and anti-Bashar al-Assad sentiment. A day to prepare for Christmas Day alone.

 

"If you need to be sad, be sad, if you just need to not have to pretend you're happy, do that."

 

And a day a member of one of the hip-hop's biggest groups recalls how Christmas help to make them famous.

 

"... and we're like, ok, we're going to see how, we kick on Christmas like every year, we're on the stage to make music, that's it."

 

I'm Barbara Hall, and this is CNN radio news day.

 

We begin in Syria where fears are growing, that country's civil war which began nearly two years ago is getting worse. Opposition³ activists say the conflict has already claimed some 40,000 lives. International peace envoy⁴ Lakhdar Brahimi was in Damascus today for meetings with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Afterward⁵, Brahimi told reporters the two men talked about ways to resolve the conflict.

 

"We had exchanged opinions about the possible steps that can be taken in the future. The Syrian president spoke about his view regarding the situation. I also talked about the meetings I have had abroad in several cities with various officials in the region and outside the region. I also talked about what steps which I see appropriate to be taken to help the Syrian people to get out of this crisis."

 

His visit comes on the heels of yet another massacre⁶. Government warplanes bombed a Syrian bakery where dozens of people were killed as they waited for bread. CNN's Muhammad Jamjoom is following developments from Beirut. I spoke with him earlier today.

 

"Muhammad, can you tell us about the attack, what exactly happened?"

 

"Well, the Opposition activists say that around 4.pm on Sunday, that there were hundreds of people lined up outside of a bakery, in Halfaya, in Hama province, waiting to get bread, and that's when a warplane that was going to flying overhead, possibly more than one warplane, shelled the areas, that it shelled the bakery, and because of that, over 100 people were killed, they say that there were men, women and children there. And this is very very worrying situation, they were calling it throughout today a massacre, the details that we were getting hour after hour after the attack. They're from the activists, they're from residents and eyewitnesses⁷, which is horrific and so incredibly gruesomely."

 

"Those Opposition activists, Muhammad say the town was specifically targeted, can you tell us why they think that?"

 

"Well, Barbara, the activists that we spoke with say that this is a town that harbors a lot of anti-Syrian regime and anti-Bashar al-Assad sentiment. They said that in the last week, the rebel Free Syrian Army battalions⁸ came into that town. That they wrestled⁹ and controlled it away from Bashar al-Assad troops, regime force that had been in that town. Activists and residents said, we spoke with, they say that because of, essentially¹⁰ those two factors, and that town was targeted. They told us that they believe the attack yesterday was deliberate, and they said that because this was an area where there was a large gathering¹¹ of people, that perhaps the regime thought it was more of a threat, and that's why they targeted it, that specific bakery in that specific line at that hour. And we should remind of listeners, this certainly is not the first attack on a bakery that we've heard of in Syria. And many times when we reported on these planes the past several months, and the activists would say they believed that because there are dozens of, not hundreds of people lined up outside a bakery, because there have been severe fuel and food shortages in so many towns across Syria, so when there is bread to be served, there is a huge line, they said that they believed the regime whether be warplanes or troops on the grounds, see those gathering of people as threat and they target those gatherings¹²."

 

"So what is the Syrian government saying about this attack, is the regime taking any responsibilities at all?"

 

"Well, they're not, Barbara, in fact they issued a statement today on the Syrian News Agency website, in which they said, that what happened yesterday in Halfaya was the work of terrorists, armed terrorist groups. This is the terminology¹³ that the Syrian regime typically uses to describe armed rebel, soldiers and Opposition fighters in Syria. This is what we hear again and again when they are blaming rebel factions¹⁴. It's very different narrative¹⁵ from the Syrian government that we're hearing today. They Syrian government claiming that yesterday armed terrorist groups, in fact, the last several days there have been an infantry¹⁶ in that town. And that they carried out this massacre yesterday, and they attacked different neighbourhoods there. And they say the residents of that town, in fact, pleaded for the Syrian army to intervene, to come into there with the military mind, and fight off its terrorist. The Syrian regime is claiming that because of those calls for help, they did go into that town and they were able to kill and capture several as they called them terrorists that have been on the side carrying on, in their words, there is a chance."

 

 

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

6 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

7 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

8 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 wrestled   

v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤

参考例句：

• As a boy he had boxed and wrestled. 他小的时候又是打拳又是摔跤。
• Armed guards wrestled with the intruder. 武装警卫和闯入者扭打起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

13 terminology   

n.术语；专有名词

参考例句：

• He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
• The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。

14 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

15 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

16 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。