终身难民找到了一个叫做家的地方

AS IT IS 2016-08-15 Lifelong Refugee¹ Finds a Place to Call Home 终身难民找到了一个叫做家的地方

The United Nations estimates that more than 45 million people worldwide are refugees².

For most of his life, Awadh Alsrya was a refugee. He was never a citizen of any country. Now, he finally has a place to call his home.

Alsrya became a citizen of the United States last month on July 4, American Independence Day. It was then that he, his two sons and 80 other people took the oath³ of citizenship⁴ at a ceremony in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Alsrya waited more than half a century before becoming a U.S. citizen.

"When I passed my (citizenship) test, I cried because this was my dream for 58 years. It was a long time. I was waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting."

Awadh Alsrya was born in Iraq. His parents were Palestinian refugees.

Before coming to the United States, Alsrya and his family lived in Baghdad. There, he operated a successful grocery business with an Iraqi partner.

In 2003, the United States and its allies⁵ launched a military campaign to disarm⁶ Iraq. The U.S.-Iraq War was followed by outbreaks of sectarian violence.

"Every day when I open my door, I see dead bodies in the street. When I go to my store, I see dead bodies in the street. This is not life."

When Alsrya’s business partner was shot and killed, and his wife was shot in the shoulder, the family got their belongings⁷ and left Baghdad. 

"I closed everything. I don't need anything. I lost all my money, all my businesses. I only wanted to save my sons and my family to leave because I thought one day, one month, my sons might get killed."

He and his family came to the United States six years ago through the State Department's refugee program. They resettled in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Believe me, the first day when I came to America, I don't know what happened from my body, I just felt this is my country."

Now, Alsrya works in a grocery store, which is similar to his former business in Iraq. His youngest son also has a part-time job there. 

"I like this job. I want to give (back) America because she gave me a citizenship. I want to give her more. Until now for six years, I didn't take a vacation..."

Since becoming U.S. citizens, he and his sons have requested passports for the first time in their lives.

"May my God give me more time to live. I will give back America more, more, more, more because America helped make my dream come true."

Words in This Story

oath – n. a formal and serious promise to do something

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

sectarian – adj. relating to religious or political sects⁸ and the difference between them

grocery – n. food sold at a store

1 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

2 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

3 oath   

n.誓言，誓约，咒骂，诅咒语

参考例句：

• They swore an oath to carry out their duties faithfully.他们宣誓忠实履行自己的职责。
• They swore an oath of loyalty to the country.他们宣誓要报效祖国。

4 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

5 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

6 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

7 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

8 sects   

n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had subdued the religious sects, cleaned up Saigon. 他压服了宗教派别，刷新了西贡的面貌。 来自辞典例句