VOA标准英语2014--对于乌克兰西部城市 冲突远在天边却近在眼前

 

For West Ukraine City, Conflict Far Away Yet Near 对于乌克兰西部城市 冲突远在天边却近在眼前

LVIV—

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv prides itself on being both physically¹ and culturally close to Western Europe.  The Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country are 1,200 kilometers away, and seemingly even farther away in their world view.  Still, the war is having an impact in the city.

Lviv has an Old World charm to it, with cobblestone streets around the old City Hall, where local wedding parties cross paths with Ukrainian and foreign tourists in a year-round street market.  It’s a place where people have come from as far away as the conflict zone for a bit of respite².

But Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, whose office balcony overlooks the market, says the turmoil³ is never far from their minds.

“We all are Ukraine. We all are Ukrainians. Today, we have a disaster in the east.  This disaster is reflected in the hearts of every Lviv citizen.…We are really worried… but we have to understand that our good work is also part of the success of our country,” says Sadovyi.

Conversations with people in the market reflect the mayor’s sentiments.

Ira, a bookkeeper, says she’s shaken by events in the east.

“I’m really sad right now about what’s going on in the country.  I wouldn’t wish any country would go through what we’re going through right now,” says she.

Mykola, a doctor, agrees.

“We’re nervous and worried.  So of course we cannot help but feel pain about the events that are happening in the country,” said he.

Still, amid the classic architecture and old churches of Lviv, it’s hard to believe towns have been destroyed in another part of the country.  And that does lead to a certain level of detachment, admits Taras Voznyak, who has been publishing “I” magazine since Soviet⁴ times and is now running for parliament.

“We are not completely isolated⁵ from what’s happening in the east, but we realize that the people in Donbas, in the east of Ukraine, have to decide for themselves whether they want to participate in the construction of a new Ukrainian political nation, or whether they will leave it,” says Voznyak.

That decision has been complicated by Russia’s intervention⁶, but here in Lviv most people leave little doubt about which way they want their city, and their country, to go.

“West? East? I would say to the West.  I don’t know what the West will bring us, but I would like it if we had more freedom.  That’s the first thing,” says Ludmilla, a retired⁷ accountant.

Marko, an entrepreneur, concurs⁸.

“West, only West.  We had enough of the East already.”

In Lviv, it’s easy to imagine Ukraine as part of the European Union, as the protesters who toppled the country’s government in February envisioned.  Many of them were from this area.  But the intervening months have proved that won’t be as fast, smooth or easy as they had dreamed.

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

3 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 concurs   

同意（concur的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Gilardi concurs that the newly compiled data is a powerful tool. 吉拉迪认同新汇集的数据是一个强有力的工具。
• Curtin concurs that it's been a blessing and a reward. 柯廷也同意这是一种祝福和奖励。