美国国家公共电台 NPR Civilians Flee As Iraqi Army Battles Remaining ISIS Fighters In Mosul

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Next, we report on the lives of people in a war zone, the city of Mosul, once captured by ISIS, now under attack by Iraqi security forces backed by the U.S. Hundreds of thousands of people still live in that city. And NPR's Alice Fordham reports there's a surge in people fleeing.

ALICE FORDHAM, BYLINE¹: Behind a metal gate on the outskirts² of the flyblown town of Hamam al-Alil are rows of hastily constructed tents. We are a few miles from the frontline of the assault on Mosul. And people who are fleeing the battle are beginning to arrive.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken).

FORDHAM: This family showed up a few hours ago. The grandmother, Amsha Mohammad, tells me they were caught in crossfire³.

AMSHA MOHAMMAD: (Foreign language spoken).

FORDHAM: "It was a hard day," she says. "The army was here. And ISIS was here. And we were stopped for four hours." They are from a village nearby, so I ask if the battle was there.

MOHAMMAD: (Foreign language spoken).

FORDHAM: "No. We were inside Mosul." She says ISIS had forced them out of their village months ago to be human shields. They were sleeping in a vegetable bazaar⁴, eating dirty water mixed with flour to survive. ISIS took Mosul about two and a half years ago. Iraqi security forces retook the eastern half of the city in January. But the fight for the more densely⁵ populated west is only just gearing up.

The United Nations says nearly 30,000 civilians⁶ have fled in less than two weeks, a sharp uptick that could mean many more will follow as the fight moves to the city center. Amsha Mohammad, that grandmother, says everyone will welcome the security forces. People have been living in misery⁷.

MOHAMMAD: (Foreign language spoken).

FORDHAM: "I'll go home without ISIS," she says. She tells me they kill people for having a SIM card, for smoking a cigarette because a woman didn't cover her hands. The tent we're in is purple and green. And as the sunlight filters through, it turns her furious, wrinkled face lurid⁸ colors.

MOHAMMAD: (Foreign language spoken).

FORDHAM: She practically spits as she says, "if I catch anyone from ISIS, I will eat him. I will eat his flesh." Alice Fordham, NPR News, northern Iraq.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

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 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

4 bazaar   

n.集市，商店集中区

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• We bargained for a beautiful rug in the bazaar.我们在集市通过讨价还价买到了一条很漂亮的地毯。

5 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

6 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。

7 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

8 lurid   

adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的

参考例句：

• The paper gave all the lurid details of the murder.这份报纸对这起凶杀案耸人听闻的细节描写得淋漓尽致。
• The lurid sunset puts a red light on their faces.血红一般的夕阳映红了他们的脸。