VOA标准英语2014--炮击发送顿涅茨克居民到斯大林时代的住房

 

Shelling Sends Donetsk Residents into Stalin-era Shelter 炮击发送顿涅茨克居民到斯大林时代的住房

WASHINGTON— 

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has sent some residents fleeing to bomb shelters from previous wars. Despite a cease-fire reached in September, clashes between the government and pro-Russian separatists continue as the two sides fight for control of Donetsk airport. Some civilians¹ are getting caught in the crossfire². 

Kievskiy district in Donetsk is caught in the battle for Donetsk airport. Many shops and residences have been destroyed by shelling in recent days. A group of people who lost their homes have taken refuge in a Stalin-era shelter under an abandoned hospital.

"There was an explosion early this morning. We live in a bomb shelter 10 meters deep, built in the times of Stalin, and even there the ceiling was shaking. I thought, 'Oh my God, something was hit!'… I had to go and get food, because humanitarian³ help doesn't arrive here anymore. I am now on my way back, but as I get closer to the place, I am scared, as if my soul were saying goodbye to my body," said Valentina Tumanova, a bomb shelter resident.

The government reached a nominal⁴ cease-fire with pro-Russian separatists last month, but violations⁵ occur almost daily. The fighting has created a shortage of basic amenities⁶, such as food and heating oil, at a time when days are getting shorter and the weather colder.  

"There is no light. It has been already a month since we've lived like that. We pour some sunflower oil on the plate and burn it. We are helping⁷ each other to walk," said Galina Ivanovna, another woman living in the bomb shelter.

The fighting in eastern Ukraine began after Russia annexed⁸ the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March, and has killed more than 3,600 people.

The government is fighting to maintain control over Donetsk airport, its last outpost in the areas controlled by the local armed forces supported by Moscow. In addition to the conflict over eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has had a long-standing dispute with Moscow over Russian gas supplies. Moscow has twice suspended gas supplies to Ukraine, demanding payment of gas bills.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Tuesday warned Ukrainians to be prepared for a new gas crisis this winter.

"I think Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't want to sign any agreement, and his goal is to freeze Ukraine. And we must be ready for the most difficult scenario⁹. At the moment, we have 17 billion cubic meters of gas. If the European Union additionally opens for us reverse flows of gas - and we are already receiving 60 percent of gas by reverse - then it will hugely ease the way we survive winter," said Yatsenyuk.

But Russian gas for the rest of Europe also flows through Ukraine, so the European Union is not immune to the crisis.  EU leaders will discuss the issue at a summit later this week in Brussels.

1 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。

2 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 nominal   

adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的

参考例句：

• The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
• The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。

5 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。

6 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。