VOA标准英语2011--Refugee Crisis Mounts in Turkey as Syria

Refugee Crisis Mounts in Turkey as Syrian Violence Escalates¹

As Syrian security forces move in to the besieged² town of Jisr al-Shughour, thousands of refugees are fleeing across the Turkish border. More camps are being set up to house the new arrivals. Many of the refugees are in desperate need of medical help.
The emergency ward³ at Antakya hospital is about to receive its latest casualty from Syria. It is a young girl who has fallen sick and was brought to the Turkish border by her desperate mother, who is also pregnant.
The ambulance driver says the violence in Syria means hospitals there are either full with the injured, or the journey is too hazardous⁴.
The clashes in and around the northern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour have forced thousands to flee. Many of them have recorded the horrifying⁵ scenes on cellphones and cameras.
In the border village of Harabjoz, people have set up tents as they wait to cross into Turkey. One refugee, who did not give his name, described the conditions they are facing. "There is no milk for the children," he says. "We bought some but we have run out. They are targeting homes and yesterday gunmen targeted us. All these people will not survive because they burned all their crops," he says. "Now it's become sectarian for sure," he said.
A spokesman for the United Nations' refugee agency, Metin Corabatir, has warned of a growing crisis. "The latest figures UNHCR received from the border is 5051 who fled from Syria because of violence and persecution⁶ in this country," he said.
Witnesses believe the true figure could be double that number - including those who have crossed undetected.
The refugees are taken to camps like the one in the town of Yayladagi. It's housed in a disused tobacco factory - and heavily protected.
As we tried to speak to refugees through the fence, police quickly stepped in our way. At the entrance, we found Turkish families trying to get inside to see their Syrian relatives. The Turkish authorities refuse to let them enter.
Yasar Selcuk is trying to see his nephews. "My relatives are from the villages around Latakia," he said. "These are poor unarmed people, they are not armed people who would do anything against the government, they are mostly women, children and old people."
Turkey has warned it may need international help to deal with the refugee crisis. As more and more Syrians flee their country, a fuller picture is slowly emerging of the violent chaos⁷ its people are facing.

1 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

2 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

5 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

6 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

7 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。