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VOA慢速英语--缅甸年轻人冒着一切危险与军队领导人战斗

时间:2021-11-23 02:30来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Young Burmese Risking All to Fight Military Leaders

Gue Gue used to be a travel guide in Mandalay, Myanmar, an ancient royal city that has moved quickly into the 21st century. Today, it has shiny new shopping centers, well-dressed students and popular eateries.

Gue had never thought of herself as politically active. But that changed earlier this year. Myanmar's military seized power in a coup1 on February 1, overthrowing3 the civilian4 government. In the months that followed, hundreds of protesters were killed by troops on the streets.

Now, Gue is in a hidden rebel training camp.

The members of the resistance say they will fight the "final battle" against military rule.

Today's generation of young people have grown up in a world of smartphones and greater political freedom, unlike their parents. They say they are ready to pay any price in order to overthrow2 a government that threatens to take them back to a dark past.

On an April evening, Gue Gue secretly left her family home. A few weeks later, she was in a rebel training camp in the jungle. There, she had a medical emergency – her appendix was infected and had to be removed. The operation was carried out in a poorly equipped medical center without any medicine to take away the pain. She had to stay awake during the operation.

Since the coup, Gue Gue had seen many of her generation killed by troops on the streets of her hometown as they called for democracy. There was hope that the international community would take action against the military's increasing violence. When no action was taken, thousands like Gue Gue decided5 the only choice was force.

Two faces of the resistance

The army has been the most powerful institution in the country since it became an independent nation in 1948. The military has stood against popular uprisings and civil war for many years. That includes the 1988 uprising that led to the appearance of Aung San Suu Kyi as a human rights leader.

The men and women rebelling against Myanmar's military say they will be the last generation to live under the control of the country's military. In the months since the February coup, university teachers, day laborers6, technology workers, students, artists and others have become guerrilla fighters.

The International Crisis Group reported in October that hundreds of armed groups have begun operating across the country. Many groups call themselves People's Defense7 Forces, or PDFs. Famous people and actors, wanted by the officials for supporting the protests, have appeared on social media holding guns.

Tayzar San is a 32-year-old librarian. He and others like him have been hiding in cities, organizing secret demonstrations8, sending money to striking workers and planning. He lives out of a backpack, moving from place to place. The government has offered a $5,600 reward for his capture. He has not seen his wife and daughter in many months.

The junta9 has promised to hold elections within two years. Speaking in October, army chief and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing said the junta was working on a plan to reach a "true union based on democracy and federalism." He said the leadership was working to "change the country peacefully."

The country of 55 million people once seemed to be on its way to becoming Asia's newest semi-democratic nation. In the 70 years since it won independence from colonial Britain, it has had less than 25 years of civilian governance.

House arrest for Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned10 in her home for 15 years. She was freed to take part in elections and, in 2015, won. In the following years, Suu Kyi drew criticism for standing11 by the military as they carried out what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

But Suu Kyi's government made some steps toward weakening military power and gaining foreign investment. The Myanmar kyat became Asia's best-performing money. The World Bank was predicting economic growth in the country even with the COVID-19 health crisis.

That all came to an end in the early hours of February 1. Suu Kyi and her leadership were arrested. The junta declared a direct return to military rule.

The rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP. says more than 1,200 people have since been killed in attacks by junta troops.

Hundreds have also been killed by the resistance, according to the junta and local media reports. They say newly formed guerrilla groups have killed suspected informers and troops.

The fighting spread across the country.

Longtime activist12 Bo Kyi is a co-founder of the AAPP. He believes the junta can now be defeated. He said the young rebels have creative ideas and good political understanding. They are trying to unite the country's many ethnic13 groups. Smartphones and the internet have made it harder for the military to hide its actions. On social media, reports of acts of violence spread widely in minutes.

The librarian

Three days after the coup, Tayzar San and some friends gathered outside the medical university in Mandalay. They held signs that read "Protect democracy," "People's protest against military rule" and "Respect the people's votes." They left quickly, but minutes later police arrested four of the young men.

Their actions helped set off a wave of protests around the country.

Tayzar San left his family to keep them safe. He began to organize daily protests. On Facebook, he called on people to take to the streets: "Don't look for a leader, don't wait... All the people in the community, please come out."

At home, his daughter has turned two years old and only sees him on television.

The jungle

In April, after the long bus ride from Mandalay, Gue Gue and her friends were led by their contacts to an old school in a village close to the jungle. One of them said Gue Gue was the first woman to go for the training there.

"They told me that they don't accept women, because they haven't prepared anything," Gue Gue said. "‘It will be so tiring,' they said. I told them: ‘I don't care whether it is tiring. I must join.'"

From there, they traveled to the training camp, and several more women arrived. Together, they built up the camp.

Over the phone, Gue Gue said she now understands she had never done anything truly difficult in her life before. She said she "never dreamed" she would be living in the conditions she was in.

After weeks of silence, Gue Gue sent a short message to Reuters reporters in early September. Her group had to move its camp because the military was coming their way.

"I don't want the people to forget about the young people who are sacrificing their lives on the ground," Gue Gue said by phone. "We're still here."

Words in This Story

jungle – n. a tropical forest where plants and trees grow very thickly

institution – n. an established organization

uprising – n. a usually violent effort by many people to change the government or leader of a country

reward – n. money or another kind of payment that is given or received for something that has been done or that is offered for something that might be done

librarian – n. a person who works in a library (a place where many books are kept and may be borrowed)

backpack – n. a bag for carrying things that has two shoulder straps14 and is carried on the back

junta – n. a military group controlling a government after taking control of it by force

according to – prep. as stated, reported, or recorded by (someone or something)

infrastructure15 – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 coup co5z4     
n.政变;突然而成功的行动
参考例句:
  • The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
  • That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。
2 overthrow PKDxo     
v.推翻,打倒,颠覆;n.推翻,瓦解,颠覆
参考例句:
  • After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后,这个国家处于混乱中。
  • The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。
3 overthrowing e8784bd53afd207408e5cfabc4d2e9be     
v.打倒,推翻( overthrow的现在分词 );使终止
参考例句:
  • They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship. 他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I always delight in overthrowing those kinds of schemes. 我一向喜欢戳穿人家的诡计。 来自辞典例句
4 civilian uqbzl     
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的
参考例句:
  • There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
  • He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。
5 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
6 laborers c8c6422086151d6c0ae2a95777108e3c     
n.体力劳动者,工人( laborer的名词复数 );(熟练工人的)辅助工
参考例句:
  • Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
7 defense AxbxB     
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
参考例句:
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
8 demonstrations 0922be6a2a3be4bdbebd28c620ab8f2d     
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威
参考例句:
  • Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
  • The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。
9 junta FaLzO     
n.团体;政务审议会
参考例句:
  • The junta reacted violently to the perceived threat to its authority.军政府感到自身权力受威胁而进行了激烈反击。
  • A military junta took control of the country.一个军政权控制了国家。
10 imprisoned bc7d0bcdd0951055b819cfd008ef0d8d     
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
  • They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
11 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
12 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
13 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
14 straps 1412cf4c15adaea5261be8ae3e7edf8e     
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
  • The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。
15 infrastructure UbBz5     
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施
参考例句:
  • We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
  • We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设,发展各类群众文化。
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TAG标签:   VOA英语  慢速英语
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