经济学人:乌克兰的前线 渴望平静

 　　Ukraine's front line

　　乌克兰的前线

　　Longing¹ for silence

　　渴望平静

　　Diplomacy² fails the folk on the edge

　　外交政策未能使民众满意

　　A subterranean³ life

　　（住在地下的生活）

　　LYUBA VOEVCHIK lives underground. Her neighbourhood, the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, is close to eastern Ukraine's front line. When shells began landing on her street last summer, she moved to the dank basement of a local cultural centre, where she and her two youngest sons share a narrow bed with faded pink sheets. Frightened and exhausted⁴, Ms Voevchik has not slept at home in nearly a year. The latest ceasefire has provided little solace⁵. “They should hush⁶ up,” Ms Voevchik says with a sigh. “They promised.”

　　LYUBA VOEVCHIK女士住在顿涅茨克的彼得罗夫斯基区的地下室里，邻近乌克兰东部前线。去年夏天，炮弹开始落在她家门口的街道上时，她搬去了当地文化中心潮湿的地下室，在那里，她和她两个年幼的儿子一起睡在一张狭窄的床上，床上铺着褪色了的粉色床单。既惊恐万分又筋疲力尽的VOEVCHIK女士几乎一年没有睡在家里了。最近的停火给她带来了一丝安慰。VOEVCHIK女士叹了口气说道：“他们应该加快速度，他们保证过。”

　　乌克兰的前线.jpg

　　Those promises were the subject of high-level talks between Russia and America last week. John Kerry, America's secretary of state, conferred with Vladimir Putin, Russia's president. Victoria Nuland, another American envoy⁷, shuttled between Kievand Moscow, urging compliance⁸ with the faltering⁹ Minsk peace plan.

　　这些承诺是上周俄罗斯和美国高层谈话的结果。美国国务卿约翰·克里与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京一起商讨此事。另一位美国使者，维多利亚·纽兰，往返于基辅与莫斯科之间，督促他们遵守摇摇欲坠的明斯克和平计划。

　　But as diplomats¹⁰ keep talking, the guns keep sputtering¹¹ and civilians¹³ like Ms Voevchik keep suffering. The United Nations estimates that the war has left 5m people in need of humanitarian¹⁴ help. Of the more than 6,000 killed since last April, most have been civilians. Some 2m people have been displaced, and countless¹⁵ more reduced to lives of basic survival. Worst hit are the sick, the elderly and children.

　　但随着外交官们谈判的继续，双方仍然在交火。像Voevchik女士这样的百姓一直饱受磨难。据联合国预计，战争使得五百万人民需要人道主义援助。去年四月以来，超过六千人死亡，其中大多数都是平民百姓。大约两百万人流离失所，无数的人只能勉强维持基本生存。病人、老人和孩子受到最大的创伤。

　　The woes¹⁶ of front-line residents have mounted as the authorities who are supposed to succour them vanish. Ukraine's government has stopped financing the separatist-held territories (including pension payments and doctors' salaries), and has offered haphazard¹⁷ help to the internally displaced on its side of the lines.

　　原本应该提供帮助的当局消失后，前线居民的痛苦日益增加。乌克兰政府已经停止资助在分裂分子控制领土上的人（包括退休金和医生的薪水），并且只为分界线境内流离失所的人们提供随机帮助。

　　The separatist leadership has proved capable of little more than waging war. Russia's aid to the region has been heavy on guns and light on butter. “It turned out that nobody cares about the people,”says Evgeniy Shibalov, co-founder of Responsible Citizens, a volunteer-run humanitarian aid group in Donetsk.The outside world has ignored the plight¹⁸ of theDonbas region, treating war as a geopolitical rather than a humanitarian problem. Of the $316m the UN requested for aid toUkraine this year, only a quarter has been pledged.

　　分裂分子领导人已被证明只有能力发动战争。俄罗斯为乌克兰提供的救援中，多数为枪支，而不是生活供给。Responsible Citizens，这个由志愿者经营的人道主义援助小组位于顿涅茨克，其共同创始人Evgeniy Shibalov表示：“结果居然没有人关心人民。”世界忽视了顿巴斯地区的困境，把战争看成地理政治问题，而不是人道主义问题。联合国要求今年给乌克兰提供3亿1千6百万美元的救助，而只有四分之一到位。

　　Humanitarian organisations and volunteers have stepped in. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) opened five offices in the area. Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a health charity, has sent dozens of doctors. During the heaviest fighting, Responsible Citizens delivered aid to “red zone” areas which others deemed too dangerous. Pomozhem, a foundation started by Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's richest oligarch and a native of Donetsk, distributes monthly food handouts¹⁹ to over 800,000 people on both sides of the lines. More still sign up every month. The foundation's 12kg package of essentials like salt, sugar, pasta and flour “helps us survive in this nightmare”, says one pensioner²⁰ from Donetsk's Kievskiy district, which borders the city's heavily bombed airport.

　　人道主义组织和志愿者们已经介入。国际红十字会在乌克兰开设了五个办事处。一个健康慈善机构Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF)已经往乌克兰派遣了几十名医生。在战斗最激烈的时候，Responsible Citizens小组给“红色地带”，这个其他人视作危险地区的区域提供救援。Rinat Akhmetov是乌克兰最富有的寡头，也是顿涅茨克本地人，由他创建的Pomozhem基金会，每个月为前线八十多万人提供食品救济，救助人数每个月还在不断增加。Pomozhem基金会用于运送像盐，糖，意大利面和面粉这些生活必需品的十二公斤包裹“帮助我们在噩梦中存活下来”， 一位来自顿涅茨克Kievskiy区的老人如是说。Kievskiy区毗邻被严重轰炸的机场区域。

　　When war was raging, aid workers focused on treating the wounded and evacuating²¹ civilians. Now, as fighting has ebbed²² (though not fully²³ ceased), attention has turned to securing medical and food supplies and rebuilding damaged homes. Ukrainian government restrictions²⁴ have exacerbated²⁵ supply shortages, limited civilian¹² access to aid and deepened resentment²⁶ in separatist-held areas. Pensioners²⁷ can only retrieve²⁸ funds in government-controlled territory, and many are physically²⁹ or economically unable to get there. To cross the lines, residents need a pass from the Kiev authorities; that can take months. The rebel authorities pay pensions sporadically³⁰.

　　战争肆虐时，救援工人专注于治疗伤者并撤出群众。现在，随着战争消退（虽然没有完全停止），注意力已经转向确保医疗和食物供应，以及重建受损的房屋。乌克兰政府已经加重了对供应短缺的限制，限制群众接受救助，加深对分裂分子控制区域的不满。老人只能在政府控制的领土领取退休金，而许多人由于身体或经济原因无法到达那里。要想越过分界线，居民需要一张由基辅当局批准的通行证，而这往往需要等待数月。反叛政府偶尔支付养老金。

　　Other problems will linger long after all fire ceases. “When the conflict stops, it doesn't mean life goes completely back to normal,” says David Nash of MSF in Donetsk. Unexploded ordnance³¹ hides along country roads. Psychological trauma³² haunts daily life. At one school near the front, childish drawings adorn³³ the wall. Subjects include two soldiers running through a field beside two tanks under a receding³⁴ sun, an old woman and a boy huddled³⁵ with their cat and dog in front of a burning home, and two children gripping their mother in candlelight, with the words, “Give us back the quiet!”

　　其他问题将在全面停火后仍然持续存在。来自顿涅茨克的MSF机构的David Nash表示：“冲突停止后，并不意味着生活将完全回归正常。”未爆炸武器藏于国家道路中。心里创伤影响着人们的日常生活。在一所靠近前线的学校里，稚嫩的绘画装饰着墙壁。夕阳西下，两名战士穿过两架坦克旁的一片田野；一位老妇人和一个男孩与猫和狗一起蜷缩于燃烧的房屋前；两名儿童在烛光中紧抓着他们的母亲，嘴里说到：“让我们重回安静的生活！”

　　1.long for 渴望；盼望

　　例句:Senior citizens long for a more predictable and secure future.

　　老年人渴望有一个更稳定、更可预见的未来。

　　2.close to 接近；靠近；亲近

　　例句:Three mortar³⁶ shells had landed close to a crowd of people.

　　3枚迫击炮弹落在人群旁。

　　3.move to 搬到；移动到

　　例句:They are selling their house to move to a smaller one.

　　他们正打算卖掉房子，然后搬到一个小一点的住处。

　　4.reduce to 下降至；减少到

　　例句:I must reduce to get into that fine dress.

　　要想穿上那件好衣服,我就得减肥。

1 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 subterranean   

adj.地下的，地表下的

参考例句：

• London has 9 miles of such subterranean passages.伦敦像这样的地下通道有9英里长。
• We wandered through subterranean passages.我们漫游地下通道。

4 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

5 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

6 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

7 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。

8 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

9 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

10 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 sputtering   

n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花，使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前，唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 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。

14 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。

15 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

16 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

17 haphazard   

adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的

参考例句：

• The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。
• He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

18 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

19 handouts   

救济品( handout的名词复数 )； 施舍物； 印刷品； 讲义

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts. 士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Even after losing his job, he was too proud to accept handouts. 甚至在失去工作后，他仍然很骄傲，不愿接受施舍。

20 pensioner   

n.领养老金的人

参考例句：

• The tax threshold for a single pensioner is$ 445.单身领退休年金者的纳税起点为445英镑。
• It was the pensioner's vote late in the day that influenced the election of Mr.Sweet.最后是领取养老金者的选票影响了斯威特先生的当选。

21 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

22 ebbed   

（指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落

参考例句：

• But the pain had ebbed away and the trembling had stopped. 不过这次痛已减退，寒战也停止了。
• But gradually his interest in good causes ebbed away. 不过后来他对这类事业兴趣也逐渐淡薄了。

23 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

24 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

25 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

27 pensioners   

n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He intends to redistribute income from the middle class to poorer paid employees and pensioners. 他意图把中产阶级到低薪雇员和退休人员的收入做重新分配。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am myself one of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. 我自己就是一个我们的高贵的施主遗留基金的养老金领取者。 来自辞典例句

28 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

29 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

30 sporadically   

adv.偶发地，零星地

参考例句：

• There are some trees sporadically around his house. 他的房子周围零星地有点树木。 来自辞典例句
• As for other aspects, we will sporadically hand out questionnaires. 在其他方面，我们会偶尔发送调查问卷。 来自互联网

31 ordnance   

n.大炮，军械

参考例句：

• She worked in an ordnance factory during the war.战争期间她在一家兵工厂工作。
• Shoes and clothing for the army were scarce,ordnance supplies and drugs were scarcer.军队很缺鞋和衣服，武器供应和药品就更少了。

32 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

33 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

34 receding   

v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远，他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
• Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句

35 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

36 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。