VOA常速英语2018--美国谴责其他安理会成员国没有责任感

The conflict in Syria, which started when peaceful protestors urging reform were met with brutal¹ military force by Bashar al-Assad, has entered its eighth year. The carnage has been unspeakable: hundreds of thousands dead; millions displaced; untold² thousands disappeared into prisons.

叙利亚冲突的导火索是要求进行改革的和平示威者却遭到了阿萨德政权的残酷武力对待，今年已经是叙利亚冲突的第八个年头。大量的杀戮让人难以启齿：无数人死亡、流离失所；无数百姓身陷囹圄。

Yet UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian³ Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator⁴ Mark Lowcock said recently that the last few months have been some of the worst yet for many civilians⁵ inside Syria.

虽然如此，最近，联合国负责人道主义事务的副秘书长兼紧急救援协调员马克 洛科克(Mark Lowcock)表示，过去的几个月对于许多叙利亚百姓来说才是最难熬的日子。

A leading candidate for the location of the “worst yet” is eastern Ghouta, where in February the Syrian government, with Russian air support, launched a large military operation against one of the last remaining rebel-held enclaves, in order to force the residents into submission⁶ and surrender.

其中一个堪称最糟糕的地区就是东古塔地区，因为二月份的时候，叙利亚政府在俄罗斯空军的支持下，对叛军最后几个飞地的其中一个发动了大型军事行动，目的是迫使当地居民顺从屈服。

The assault began in spite of a unanimously adopted Security Council resolution on February 24 that called for a 30-day ceasefire throughout Syria to enable humanitarian aid and medical assistance to reach sick and starving civilians.

这次攻击的展开无视了联合国安理会2月24日一致通过的一项决议，这项决议要求对叙利亚全境范围进行为期30天的停火，以便让人道主义援助和医疗救助能够抵达虚弱不堪、饥肠辘辘的叙利亚百姓。

History will not be kind when it judges the effectiveness of this Council in relieving the suffering of the Syrian people, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Nikki Haley told the Council March 27, noting that since the cease-fire was agreed upon, Seventeen hundred Syrian civilians were killed in just the last month alone.

历史对于安理会缓解叙利亚人民苦难方面的效率是不会满意的，美国驻联合国永久大使妮基 海利(Nikki Haley)3月27日在安理会发表讲话时如是说道。海利表示，自从达成停火协议后，光是上个月就有1700名叙利亚百姓遭到杀害。

A responsible Security Council, she said, would condemn⁷ the Assad regime for deliberately⁸ blocking convoys⁹ of humanitarian aid during their military campaign...A responsible Security Council would express its outrage¹⁰ that at least 1700 civilians were killed during a military campaign that we demanded to come to a halt.

海利表示，如果安理会有责任感，就会谴责阿萨德政权故意通过军事行动来阻断人道主义援助队进入叙利亚……如果安理会有责任感，就会表达愤怒之情，因为虽然我们已经要求阿萨德政权停止军事行动，但还是有至少1700名平民死亡。

But we cannot, she said. We cannot take these actions because Russia will stop at nothing to use its permanent seat on this Council to shield its ally Bashar al-Assad from even the faintest criticism. And we cannot take these actions because instead of calling out how Assad, Russia and Iran made a mockery of our calls for a ceasefire, too many members of this Council wanted to wait.

海利表示，但是我们却无能为力。我们无能为力是因为俄罗斯会不顾一切的通过自己在安理会的永久席位来保护其盟友阿萨德遭受 哪怕最轻微的谴责。我们无能为力还因为太多安理会成员国不但对阿萨德政权、俄罗斯以及伊朗嘲笑我们的方式无动于衷，还想要按兵不动。

Ambassador Haley said, This should be a day of shame for every member of this Council. And it should be a lesson about what happens when we focus on fleeting¹¹ displays of unity¹², instead of on what's right. For those who think otherwise, the people of eastern Ghouta deserve an explanation.

大使海利表示，这一天，所有安理会成员国都应该感到羞耻。这一天应该给我们上了一课，教会我们：如果我们只会假装团结时而不是选择做正确的事情时会发生什么。对于不这样想的成员国，东古塔地区的百姓需要你们的解释。

1 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。

2 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

3 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。

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

7 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

8 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

9 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

10 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

11 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

12 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。