VOA标准英语2014--Tensions High in Lebanon as US-led Coalition Strikes Syria

 

Tensions High in Lebanon as US-led Coalition¹ Strikes Syria

BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON—

As a U.S.-led coalition begins bombing Islamist militant² targets in Syria, tensions are soaring in neighboring Lebanon. Syrian refugees continue to clamor to get in, fleeing battles and bombings. Violence is crossing the border into Lebanon, along with mistrust and fear.

At this refugee camp in Lebanon, Syrian children jump in front of the camera, repeating what roughly translates to the slogan: “Victory or death.”

More than 1 million Syrian refugees are packed into Lebanon, a country of less than 5 million people.  

At this refugee camp, families crowd into one-room homes they built with plywood and cloth. The camp sheik, and father or grandfather to many of the people who live here, Khader al-Harfoush, said the families had no choice but to run.

He said the families in this camp stayed in Syria until their homes were under attack, and they ran away barefoot, with only the clothes on their backs.

Refugees say while Lebanon’s borders with Syria are technically³ open, many Syrians are not being allowed to cross for security reasons.

Last month, Islamist militias⁴ with Islamic State and the al-Nusra Front came in from Syria and attacked a border town in Lebanon, capturing Lebanese soldiers and killing⁵ others before retreating back into Syria. Militants⁶ later killed three soldiers and threatened more executions.

Two more Lebanese soldiers were killed last week by a roadside bomb.

At the camp, Ghuda Mohammad, her husband, and four children survive solely⁷ off aid vouchers⁸ worth less than $200 a month. She said the recent killings⁹ have caused authorities and regular Lebanese people to suspect that some Syrians support militant groups.

She said she feels like an outsider here, constantly watched with fear.  

Other refugees joke that security forces think all Syrians support the Islamic State. But the jokes draw more sighs than laughter.  

By the end of the year, officials expect there will be 1.5 million Syrians in Lebanon. U.N. High Commissioner¹⁰ for Refugees Antonio Guterres said for the Lebanese, the war is affecting every aspect of their lives.

"The impact on the daily life of the Lebanese, on their salaries, on their rents, the impact on their school system, the health system, the infrastructure¹¹, water, electricity, all this requires massive solidarity¹² from the international community,” he said.

The United Nations said the hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid is not enough to support the 3 million Syrians who have fled to other countries.

In less than a week more than 100,000 Syrians fled to Turkey, as Islamic State fighters continue to capture lands.

But as al-Harfoush, the grandfather-sheik, passes around a single cup of coffee, a tradition symbolic¹⁴ of friendship and unity¹³, he said no amount of aid will be enough for the people who can not go home.

He insisted people often forget refugees are people, too. "They just want to go home," he said, "and live their lives like they did before the war, when they were happy and their children were safe."

UNHCR contingency¹⁵ plan for Syrian Kurd refugees

Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it was making contingency plans for all 400,000 inhabitants of the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani to flee into Turkey to escape advancing Islamic State militants.

Some 138,000 Syrian Kurdish refugees have entered Turkey in an exodus¹⁶ that began last week, and two border crossing points remain open, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.

"We are preparing for the whole population fleeing into Turkey. The population of Kobani is 400,000,'' UNHCR chief spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva.

"We don't know, but we are preparing for that contingency.''

Syrian Kurds battled to defend a key border town from an Islamic State advance on Monday as Kurdish youths from Turkey rushed to their aid.

"Our biggest worry would be if Kobani itself fell,'' Rupert Colville, U.N. human rights spokesman, told the briefing.

At least 105 villages around Kobani have been captured by Islamic State forces since Sept. 15, including at least 85 over the weekend, he said. The U.N. rights office had reports that an additional 100 villages had been abandoned or evacuated¹⁷ for fear of being captured, he added.

The Kobani region is also host to between 200,000 and 400,000 Syrians displaced from other parts of the country including Raqqa, Aleppo and Homs, Colville said.

Fleming called for support for the government of Turkey and other neighboring countries hosting more than 3 million Syrian refugees: "The 138,000 who just arrived in Turkey represents the number that all of Europe has taken in three years of the Syria war.''

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

4 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

8 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

9 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

10 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

13 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

14 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

15 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

16 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

17 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。