VOA标准英语2013--Syria's Disabled Refugees Lead a Hard Life in Jordan

 

Syria's Disabled Refugees Lead a Hard Life in Jordan

 

Every refugee has a story. For Osama, a 17-year-old from southern Syria, his began when his family tried to flee his government-besieged town.

He related how in the early dawn hours, tanks stormed the local square and immediately started shooting and never stopped.

They made their harrowing trip across the border unharmed, an escape made more difficult by the special needs of several family members.

Now housed in a trailer at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in northern Jordan, Osama noted¹ that his sister has Downs Syndrome², his aunt is mute and his uncle cannot walk. His aging grandmother helps take care of them.

They have found food and shelter in Jordan but, now, they're desperate for a wheelchair.

Osama explained that his uncle can’t even go to the bathroom by himself.

The demands are known all too well. Andrew Harper is the United Nations refugee agency representative in Jordan.

He said, “It's an issue of not only addressing the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people that come across the border seeking protection inside Jordan. It's also looking at the extremely vulnerable population that we have got in the camp.”

Neighboring countries have been generous with contributions, but distribution remains³ a problem. A wheelchair is spied in another part of the camp, but it's being used by a little boy as a make-shift cart.

There is also widespread theft with donated goods showing up in the black markets at the camp.

Colonel Zaher Abu Shehab, Zaatari's director, said,  “This camp now is the fifth largest city in Jordan, and we are facing, like any other society, criminal acts.”

Jordanian guards who police the camp confided⁴ that it is worse than that. Some are scared to venture in areas alone.

Osama's family feels relatively⁵ safe in their trailer, which offers more protection than the tents.

But as grateful as they are, Osama's grandmother finds life here overwhelming and wants to return to Syria. She said it's her homeland and if she could go back tomorrow she would. 

 

1 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。

2 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

3 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。

4 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。