VOA常速英语2019--叙利亚冲突已持续8年之久

After more than eight years of brutal¹ conflict in Syria, the humanitarian² needs of the Syrian people are dire³ and ongoing⁴, said Carol O’Connell, U.S. Acting⁵ Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration⁶ in a recent interview.

在叙利亚发生了长达8年多的残暴冲突后，叙利亚人民目前的人道主义需求十分迫切，卡罗尔如是说道。他是美国的代理助理国务卿，负责人口、难民和移民事务。这是他在最近接受的采访中所说的。

When we look at Syria, it’s really a catastrophic crisis. Eight years into the crisis we still have displaced persons inside Syria…who every day are still looking for basic needs for their families, for food, for shelter, for water, for healthcare. They’re trying to find safety and protection.

我们审视叙利亚的时候，会觉得这里遭遇了灾难性的危机。8年的危机之后，叙利亚依然有无家可归的人……这些人每一天都在为家人寻求满足基本需求的途径，寻找食物、避难所、水源和医疗服务。他们在努力寻找安全和保护。

Acting Assistant Secretary O’Connell said the United States is committed to continuing its support for those 6.2 million internally displaced people as well as for the 5.6 million refugees that had to flee the country, in many cases, leaving everything behind.

代理助理国务卿卡罗尔还表示，美国致力于继续支持这620万无家可归的叙利亚人民，以及560万逃离叙利亚的难民（很多人抛下了家乡的一切）。

To date, the United States is the largest single donor⁷ for the Syria response, providing more than $9.5 billion in humanitarian assistance for those affected⁸ by the conflict inside Syria and throughout the region since the start of the conflict. In conjunction with key international and non-governmental partners, the United States’ funding supports emergency food and nutrition assistance, shelter, safe drinking water, medical care, improved sanitation⁹, and humanitarian protection activities.

目前为止，美国是响应叙利亚的国家中赞助资金最多的，提供了95亿美元的人道主义援助金，给那些叙利亚内以及整个地区中受到冲突影响的人，且是从冲突发生以来就一直受到影响的。在重要国际伙伴和非政府伙伴的齐心协力下，美国提供的资金支持了应急食物和营养援助、避难所、安全饮用水、医疗服务、卫生改善、人道主义保护活动。

The United States has provided humanitarian assistance to international organizations that are providing these crucial services throughout Syria, including in camps for displaced persons in the northeast. U.S. funding also helps support communities in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt that are generously hosting Syrian refugees.

美国提供人道主义援助给一些国际组织，这些国际组织正在叙利亚全境提供关键服务，包括给东北部无家可归的人提供营地。美国提供的资金也助力支持了许多社群，他们分布在黎巴嫩、约旦、土耳其、伊拉克、埃及，这些社群也慷慨地接收了许多叙利亚难民。

The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011 when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad violently attacked peaceful pro-democratic protesters, has resulted in what has been called the worst humanitarian crisis in our lifetime. The United States will continue to lead the international community in efforts to alleviate¹⁰ the suffering of the Syrian people inside their country and throughout the region.

叙利亚的冲突始于2011年，那时候，叙利亚总统阿萨德通过暴力途径袭击了支持民主的和平抗议者，这场冲突造成人类史上最惨绝人寰的人道主义危机。美国将继续引领国际社群努力缓解叙利亚人民以及整个地区人民的疾苦。

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 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。

3 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。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

7 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

10 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。