VOA标准英语2011--Legacy of Suspicion, Betrayal Haunts Lib

Legacy¹ of Suspicion, Betrayal Haunts Libya

One of the defining characteristics of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's era has been the crafty² network of secret police and government informers. Decades of living with the fear of betrayal have taken their toll³ on ordinary citizens. The trouble is not over, even in the rebel-held areas.
Intelligence gathering⁴
A former diplomat⁵ is giving an interview in a semi-public part of a Benghazi hotel. The elevator doors open, a man walks out, stays for a moment, then leaves. A few minutes later, he returns, uses a shoe shine machine in the corner, hovers⁶ for a bit longer, then leaves again.
"This one is - was - working in our intelligence," noted⁷ the ex-diplomat. "I know him. He's my colleague. Our offices were facing each other. So maybe they will write reports. I don't know. To whom I don't know. To this new council, or the old regime, I don't know."
Across the east, where people have thrown off Colonel Gadhafi's government, old habits die hard.
Watch your back
In Ras al Hilal, at a vacation house of Colonel Gadhafi's sons, a worker hesitates over a question. A man standing⁸ next to him asks "Why are you scared? Libya is free now." The worker shakes his head. "You don't know who's with you and who's against you."
In Qasr al Jady, a man from Tripoli grants an interview and, moments later at a checkpoint, a self-styled policeman demands to see the video, suspicious of what a potential spy from the capital might have said.
Amina, 33, a working mother and graduate student in Benghazi, says it has been this way all her life.
"Sometimes if you are talking, sometimes at the university, or at work, if you are talking about Moammar Gadhafi, if you've got real friends they will say, 'Shh. Someone will hear you.' So all of us are afraid," she noted.
Amina says the fear of being caught by the secret police is ever present. The consequences, well documented cases of torture and death, led some to join in the spying rather than risk being the victim.
Psychological toll
The former diplomat says the suspicions and the twisted allegiances forced on nearly everyone have left a high psychological toll.
"This is kind of our sickness, in their brain. We have to refresh the brain and the way how to treat, how to work, how to be clean, to be clear, not to be damaged like before," the ex-diplomat added.
Shaking off the suspicion and the damage is a long process, but it has been done before. South Africa and the former East Germany offer two templates of overcoming trauma⁹. But it takes years, perhaps decades, and in Libya, it would likely only begin in a post-Gadhafi era.
In the meantime, Amina says, people must live with the fact of Gadhafi supporters, and enforcers, remaining in their midst.
"It's hard because there are still some people who believe in Moammar's regime," Amina noted.
Amina recounts how last month a government push to retake Benghazi emboldened¹⁰ Gadhafi supporters in the rebel stronghold. She was coming home around noon with her youngest child in her arms.
"We are going to enter our house - not from the main door, from the back one, but you can see the main street, see the cars," recalled Amina. "So we've been stopping there, trying to enter the house, and the car came and as soon as they saw us they started shooting. Because they've got orders to shoot all civilians¹¹ - women, kids, men - all civilians, whatever. Just shoot. Just kill."
Amina and her family were unharmed, but deeply shaken. She doesn't know who the assailants were, but they could have been anybody - a local shopkeeper, a former policeman, even a neighbor.
Given Libya's past, and the continuing danger, Amina is proud of what many Libyans have done.
"How the revolution happens, I don't know," Amina said. "All of us were saying, 'No, the Libyan people can't do it.' But fortunately it happens."
And, in amazement¹², she laughs.

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 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。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 hovers   

鸟( hover的第三人称单数 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovers in the sky. 一只老鹰在天空盘旋。
• A hen hovers her chicks. 一只母鸡在孵小鸡。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 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。

10 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine, he went over to introduce himself to her. 他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。