VOA标准英语2013--Amnesty Report Highlights Refugee Plight

Amnesty Report Highlights Refugee Plight¹

Amnesty International reports that the number of refugees worldwide grew to 15 million last year, with millions more in displaced persons camps in their own countries. The crisis is particularly acute in Africa - in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Sudan and South Sudan.

But aside from the human rights violations² that forced people to flee their homes, Amnesty also criticizes countries that receive refugees, and others around the world, for not doing enough to help.

The group's secretary general, Salil Shetty, spoke³ to VOA.

"National governments prefer to focus and prioritize on their national borders, their national security interests, rather than the interests of human security and human beings.  Unfortunately, the international community, which should rise to protect these people, 12 million of whom are stateless, they are not rising to the occasion," said Shetty.

Amnesty also documented torture and repression⁴ in more than 100 countries, with political prisoners being held in 57.

But the group reports some positive news. It praises the global Arms Trade Treaty, which regulates trade in conventional weapons. And Salil Shetty says the rise of cellular⁵ technology is helping⁶ protect people's rights and expose abuses, partly through amateur videos.

“We have Twitter and all the social media moving at a very rapid pace, almost real-time information sharing. Of course, we have to validate⁷ a lot of the information, we can't take it for granted, but the fact is the rise of mobile phones and citizen activism and citizen journalism⁸, I think, is a game changer," he said.

The use of cell phone cameras is producing more such videos, showing attacks on civilians⁹ in Syria as well as human rights violations elsewhere.

Amnesty International says the amateur reporters who shoot these videos couldn't prevent the attacks, but they can show them to the world in a way that was never possible before, which could deter¹⁰ future abuses. 

1 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

2 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

5 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

8 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

9 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。

10 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。