VOA标准英语2010年-Nepalese Child Soldiers Released

In Nepal, a group of former child soldiers, living in detention¹ in United Nations-supervised camps since a peace deal ended a Maoist insurgency², has been released. The children are the first of nearly 4,000 young boys and girls affiliated³ with former Maoist rebels who are to be rehabilitated⁴ into civilian⁵ life over the coming weeks.

Anjana Pasricha | New Delhi 07 January 2010

Former child soldiers wait for their release at their camp in Dudhauli, Nepal, 7 Jan 2010

"For the first time, in some cases in many years, it means that these young people who have had their lives paralyzed and kept on hold can now enter civilian life," explains UN Children's Fund spokeswoman Sarah Crowe.

After bidding farewell to their friends at a ceremony on Thursday, more than 200 young boys and girls left a U.N. camp at Dudhauli, in central Nepal, with $130 in their pocket and a set of civilian clothes.  

They were recruited by former Maoist rebels as fighters, cooks, porters or support staff during the decade that a civil war raged in the country.   

After the end of the civil war, in 2006, the Maoists entered the political mainstream⁶.  These young recruits, along with other rebel fighters, were confined to U.N. camps. Their release was a key part of the peace deal, but comes almost three years after it was signed.   

U.N. officials calls the children's release a hugely symbolic⁷ moment both for a country emerging from a civilian conflict and for the young people, who are leaving behind their military life. 

U.N. Children's Fund spokeswoman Sarah Crowe says the young boys and girls now have a choice to go to school, take up vocational training or start businesses.

"For the first time, in some cases in many years, it means that these young people who have had their lives paralyzed and kept on hold can now enter civilian life. This is kind of the beginning of the peace dividend⁸ being paid off as it were," she said.

However, many of the young people, who were recruited in their early teens, are ambivalent⁹ about their release and have expressed concerns about coping with a new life they know little about. 

Crowe says rehabilitation¹⁰ may not be easy for many of them, but the United Nations will support them in their efforts.

"We understand there are some concerns among those who are being discharged today," she said. "They have lived a very artificial existence in many ways.  Some of them won't be easily accepted by their communities.  They have been associated with Maoist fighters.  So that will be initially¹¹ quite difficult.  They will need trauma¹² counseling.  They will be need to be monitored."

The rest of the 4,000 young rebel recruits will be released, in stages, by end of February.

However the fate of thousands of other rebel fighters, also living in U.N. camps, remains¹³ uncertain. The army chief has refused to integrate them into the military, as agreed to in the peace deal, setting off a political conflict with the former Maoists, who have quit the government and launched countrywide protests.

1 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

2 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

3 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

4 rehabilitated   

改造（罪犯等）( rehabilitate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使恢复正常生活； 使恢复原状； 修复

参考例句：

• He has been rehabilitated in public esteem. 公众已恢复对他的敬重。
• Young persons need to be, wherever possible, rehabilitated rather than punished. 未成年人需要受到尽可能的矫正而不是惩罚。

5 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。

6 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

7 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

8 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。

9 ambivalent   

adj.含糊不定的；(态度等)矛盾的

参考例句：

• She remained ambivalent about her marriage.她对于自己的婚事仍然拿不定主意。
• Although she professed fear of the Russians,she seemed to have ambivalent feelings toward Philby himself.虽然她承认害怕俄国人，然而她似乎对菲尔比本人有一种矛盾的感情。

10 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

11 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

12 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。

13 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。