VOA常速英语2017--美国痛斥阿萨德政权不顾民间疾苦

The humanitarian¹ and human rights situation in Aleppo is dire². Secretary of State John Kerry described the situation in Syria as one of "the largest humanitarian disasters since World War II." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has described Aleppo as a slaughterhouse.

阿勒波的人道主义形势以及人权形势岌岌可危。美国国务卿克里将叙利亚的形势描述为“自二战以来最大的人道主义灾难。”联合国秘书长潘基文曾将阿勒波比喻为屠宰场。

"The brutal³ facts," said U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Theodore Allegra, "must shock us still further. Over 275,000 people remain trapped in eastern Aleppo." Russia and the Syrian regime's recent assault have killed 400 people, including 100 children in markets, in bakeries, in schools, at water stations, in mosques⁴, and even in hospitals.

“这些残酷的事实，”美国驻联合国日内瓦办事处副代表希欧多尔爱兰歌娜(Theodore Allegra)说，“必须要给我们的心灵造成更强的冲击才是。现在仍有27.5万人困在阿勒波东部。”俄罗斯和叙利亚政府最近的一次袭击已造成400人死亡，其中包括100名在市场、烘焙店、学校、水站、清真寺甚至医院无辜死亡的儿童。

Thousands are wounded and cannot access medical care. The people are starving and drink contaminated water. The handful of brave doctors and first responders who remain in Aleppo work tirelessly to save lives — even as they face continued assaults. The few remaining hospitals are overwhelmed; people with serious wounds are left on the street in body bags to make room for others who can be treated more quickly.

另有无数受伤的百姓无法获得医疗救助。饿殍遍野，水质污染。但少数勇敢的医生和积极响应者坚守在阿勒波，不知疲倦地抢救生命——即便他们自己也面临着持续不断的攻击。残存的几家医院人满为患；身受重伤的人不得不屈身在大街上的运尸袋里，给其他轻伤的人腾出空间。

"Airstrikes by Russia and the Asad regime are the cause of this devastation⁵, and they are the cause of this suffering," said Deputy Representative Allegra. "And let me emphasize, no pause can be a substitute for a genuine end to the violence and full access for humanitarian aid. So Russia and the regime owe the world much more than excuses. Why do they keep hitting hospitals and medical facilities, and why do they keep targeting children and women?"

“俄罗斯和阿萨德政权发动的空袭是这满目疮痍的源头，是百姓备受苦难的根源，” 爱兰歌娜说。“我想强调的是，任何暂时的停火都无法代替暴力的真正终结，也无法代替人道主义援助的充分送达。因此，俄罗斯和阿萨德政权欠世界太多的解释。他们为什么要攻击医院和医疗设施，又为什么要针对妇女儿童？”

"These shocking acts in Aleppo," he said, "beg for an appropriate investigation⁶ and those who commit them must be held accountable."

“阿勒波所发生的这些惨绝人寰的景象，”他说，“需要合理的调查，而犯罪元凶必须要为此负责。”

The United States reiterates⁷ its call for an immediate⁸ end to all violations⁹ and all abuses. Furthermore, the U.S. calls for accountability for those who perpetrate them — especially the egregious¹⁰, the widespread, and the persistent¹¹ human rights and humanitarian violations committed by the Asad regime against the Syrian people.

美国重申其对一切违反和滥用人权行为迅速终结的呼吁。此外，美国还呼吁行凶者承担责任——尤其是阿萨德政权持续违背叙利亚人民人权和人道主义的弥天大罪。

1 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。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

5 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 reiterates   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The Chinese government reiterates that the question of Taiwan is China's internal affair. 中国政府重申，台湾问题是中国的内政。 来自汉英非文学 - 汉英文件
• Wang Jianzhou reiterates a fact and a viewpoint in Davos. 王建宙在达沃斯重申一个事实和一个观点。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 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。

10 egregious   

adj.非常的，过分的

参考例句：

• When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。
• What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

11 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。