VOA常速英语2015--喀布尔市郊小绿洲缓解安全紧张局势

Small Oasis¹ on Kabul's Outskirts² Provides Relief From Security Tensions 喀布尔市郊小绿洲缓解安全紧张局势

KABUL—

When people in Kabul want to get away from the city and relax, many choose Qargha Lake, a small resort on the outskirts of Kabul. 

On Fridays, the traffic stretches for kilometers.  Groups of young men, couples and families make their way to the lake on cars and motorcycles as street vendors⁴ sell their wares⁵.

每到周五车辆就会绵延数公里。成群的年轻人,夫妇和各个家庭驾驶着汽车，骑着摩托车前往这个湖作为街头小贩出售他们的商品。

“In the past, business was bad.  Now it is picking up.  I work here every Friday and go to school the rest of the week,” said one vendor³.

“过去生意不是很好。现在正在好转。我每星期五在这里工作，其他日子就去上学。”

This could be any popular place, anywhere.  Except Qargha Lake is on the outskirts of Kabul, a city that regularly faces deadly violence.  A city where men in uniform with guns are the most common site.  Out here, a policeman directs traffic, carrying a whistle, not an AK-47.

这可以是任何流行的地方,任何地方。除了喀布尔郊外的卡尔加湖外,致命的暴力流血事件经常在这里发生。这座城市中最常见到的是身着军装佩枪的人。这里,一位警官指挥着交通,他带着哨子,而不是AK-47。

Zaminullah is glad to be here with his family.  

萨弥努拉很高兴和家人到这里来。

“There is nowhere for a vacation, for meeting, as you know, because Afghanistan is a war torn country and Afghan people, they lost everything during ... [inaudible] wars,” he said.

“没有地方度假,集会,如你所知,因为阿富汗是一个饱受战争影响的国家，而且阿富汗人民在战争失去了一切。”

Three decades of war coupled with the strict rule of the Taliban destroyed almost all recreational facilities in Afghanistan.  That is why people flock here, despite the dangers.

30年的战争洗礼加上塔利班严苛规定摧毁了阿富汗几乎所有的娱乐设施。这就是为什么尽管危险，人们仍聚在这里的原因。

The glass restaurant had an attack one year ago but today, you would not see it with all the people that are sitting there.  Obviously security is not the only thing on people’s minds.  They do not want to waste any opportunity to have fun.

这间玻璃餐厅曾在1年前遭受攻击,但现在你不会看到里面坐满人的场景。显然安全并不是人们唯一的想法。他们不想浪费任何找乐子的机会。

Boat rides on the lake are popular.  Visitors are sometimes rewarded with unexpected delights.  Like a famous Afghan comedian⁶ performing his act live.

在湖上划船很受欢迎。游客有时会获得意想不到的喜悦。比阿富汗著名喜剧演员进行现场表演。

Out here, one can almost forget this is a war-torn country, unless you pick up on subtle signs.  Afghanistan’s only golf course, once a popular place with foreigners, now stands deserted⁷.

除非你仍然铭记，在这里人们几乎可以忘记这是一个饱受战争摧残的国家。阿富汗唯一的高尔夫球场,曾非常受外国人欢迎的地方,现在却空无一人。

But Afghans still come here to forget about the war, and indulge themselves in the little pleasures of life.

但阿富汗人仍然来到这里试图忘记战争,并且让自己沉迷在生活赋予的小乐子中。

1 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

4 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

6 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

7 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。