VOA标准英语2014--Although Peace Proves Elusive, Young Israelis, Palestinians Find Harmony 年轻的以色列人与巴勒斯坦人和谐相处

 

Although Peace Proves Elusive¹, Young Israelis, Palestinians Find Harmony 年轻的以色列人与巴勒斯坦人和谐相处

As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tries to bring Israeli and Palestinian leaders together on a framework peace agreement, a group of young Israelis and Palestinians is already working in harmony. They are the musicians of Heartbeat, a social movement using the power of music to transform conflict.

The young musicians performed at a Congressional office building in Washington to raise awareness² of their vision of a better future for the Middle East.

Since 2007, Heartbeat has brought Palestinian and Israeli high school students and young adults together to talk, listen and make music. The songs they write weave traditional and modern Eastern and Western styles. 

The lyrics³, in Arabic, Hebrew and English, reflect dialogue that takes place among group members and the often tense society they live in.

“We have this song which asks, ‘What’s the Wall good for?'" said Israeli Guy Gefen, 22, who has been with Heartbeat from the start. “I think when people are afraid, they put those walls. They put those physical and psychological walls and it makes it that much easier to be afraid; it makes it that much easier to hate. And I say there’s no need for that. You don’t need to be afraid, you don’t need to hate.”

Moody⁴ Kablawi, a Palestinian hip-hop artist from Haifa, joined Heartbeat in 2011.

“If I go back home and tell the guys ‘I’m working for peace, man, I’m a peace-maker,’ they would probably tell me, ‘Bukra Fil Mishmish,” which is similar to the English expression, ‘When pigs fly,’" he said.

But his friendship with the other Heartbeat musicians inspired Kablawi to change that expression to something more hopeful, in one of the group’s most popular songs.

“So we said, ‘Bukra Fi Mishmish,' without 'L'  which is similar to the expression, ‘Pigs are flying,’" Kablawi said. "So it just shows our hopes and our dreams that we want to make the future now, which is bringing peace now, bringing that trust and understanding.” 

American musician Aaron Shneyer founded Heartbeat with the goal of building trust between young people from both communities, and, he says, to amplify⁵ their voices.

“We believe that the silent majority of Israelis and Palestinians desperately⁶ wants the same thing yet has almost no opportunity to be heard and we understand that music is an incredibly powerful tool to amplify the voices of the silent majority,”  Shneyer said.

 

Heartbeat musicians use that tool in performances at schools, community centers and music venues⁷, and in workshops and camps - presenting living proof that peace and harmony between Israelis and Palestinians is possible.

1 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

4 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

5 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

6 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

7 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网