纪念伊拉克战争二周年巴格达居民考虑新的生活方式

Baghdad Residents Ponder New Way of Life

on Second Anniversary of Iraq War

纪念伊拉克战争二周年巴格达居民考虑新的生活方式

 

At least three Iraqi policemen have been killed and seven others wounded by a bomb in the northern city of Kirkuk. The blast came on the second anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, a milestone¹ that passed quietly in Iraq and was not marked by the newly elected Iraqi parliament or U.S.-led forces.

 

The second anniversary of the start of the war that toppled the 35-year regime of Saddam Hussein passed without ceremony inside Iraq. Many Iraqis spent their weekend at home, while parliamentary leaders elected last January haggled³ over the formation of the new government.

 

A barber in the commercial district of central Baghdad, Najamaldin al-Janabi, took a break from shaving a customer to explain that although things are bad, he remains⁴ hopeful.

 

Mr. Najamaldin says the situation is worse than two years ago and Iraqis, especially the poor, are suffering more than ever. He says he remains optimistic, although as yet he does not see any light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Nisreen Nezher, a 28-year-old office worker for a private company, says the situation is better than before, but not as good as she hoped.

 

She says the U.S.-led coalition⁵ that toppled Saddam Hussein promised to improve security, but that has not happened. And in two years the United States -- a superpower, she says -- has failed to restore basic services like reliable electrical power and clean water.

 

The owner of a cosmetics⁶ shop in the middle-class Karaba district, Salah Wali Merza, says the police now patrol his street and as a result he feels safer from the gangsters⁸ that once preyed⁹ upon the neighborhood. But he says business still is bad.

 

Mr. Merza points to the shelves in his store. He says they are almost empty because he does not dare to restock them. Insurgents¹⁰ recently exploded six mortars¹¹ behind his street, and now people are too frightened to come out and shop.

 

Mohammed Hussein owns a restaurant on the banks of the Tigris River that specializes in grilled¹² fish, a Baghdad specialty¹³.

 

Mr. Mohammed says government workers have become the new aristocrats¹⁵ because their salaries have tripled since the fall of Saddam. But his business is suffering, because American forces up the street have blocked access to his restaurant and only his most loyal clients now come by to eat.

 

Many Iraqis acknowledge that they now enjoy more individual liberties, such as freedom of expression and political association. But they also say that after decades of suffering under Saddam Hussein, they expected the war that overthrew¹⁶ him to bring greater peace and prosperity than it has so far.

 

Scott Bobb, VOA news, Baghdad.

 

注释：

Kirkuk [kir5ku:k] n. 基尔库克（伊拉克东北部城市）

parliament [5pB:lEmEnt] n. 国会，议会

topple [5tCpl] v. 倾倒，推翻

regime [rei5Vi:m] n. 政体，政权，政权制度

haggle² [5hA^l] v. 争论不休

barber [5bB:bE] n. 理发员，理发师

gangster⁷ [5^ANstE] n. 歹徒，士匪，强盗

grilled fish 烤鱼

aristocrat¹⁴ [5AristEkrAt] n. 贵族

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 haggle   

vi.讨价还价，争论不休

参考例句：

• In many countries you have to haggle before you buy anything.在许多国家里买东西之前都得讨价还价。
• If you haggle over the price,they might give you discount.你讲讲价，他们可能会把价钱降低。

3 haggled   

v.讨价还价( haggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cook and the grocer haggled over the price of eggs. 厨师和杂货商为蛋价计较个没完。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After they had haggled for some time, the two men decided to close the bargain. 那两个人经过一番讨价还价以后，决定成交。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 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。

6 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

7 gangster   

n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒

参考例句：

• The gangster's friends bought off the police witness.那匪徒的朋友买通了警察方面的证人。
• He is obviously a gangster,but he pretends to be a saint.分明是强盗，却要装圣贤。

8 gangsters   

匪徒，歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
• One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。

9 preyed   

v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生

参考例句：

• Remorse preyed upon his mind. 悔恨使他内心痛苦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He had been unwise and it preyed on his conscience. 他做得不太明智，这一直让他良心不安。 来自辞典例句

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

11 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

12 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

13 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

14 aristocrat   

n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物

参考例句：

• He was the quintessential english aristocrat.他是典型的英国贵族。
• He is an aristocrat to the very marrow of his bones.他是一个道道地地的贵族。

15 aristocrats   

n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many aristocrats were killed in the French Revolution. 许多贵族在法国大革命中被处死。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To the Guillotine all aristocrats! 把全部贵族都送上断头台！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

16 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。