VOA常速英语2013--早期风暴揭示叙利亚难民另一个艰难的冬天

 

Early Storms Foretell¹ Another Hard Winter for Syria Refugees 早期风暴揭示叙利亚难民另一个艰难的冬天

CAIRO — A winter-worthy storm system pummeling parts of the Middle East has hit Syrian refugees especially hard, and the worst is yet to come.

As if there weren't enough misery² for the millions of Syrians uprooted³ by civil war, winter has come early.

如果成千上万的叙利亚人没有饱尝内战之苦,他们会已经感受到这早早来临的冬天。

In eastern Lebanon, refugees in make-shift camps struggle through recent snows.

在黎巴嫩东部, 最近的一场大雪对于住在临时帐篷里的难民们而言无疑是雪上加霜。

“Believe me, the situation is so bad.

“相信我,情况真是糟糕透顶。

We need diesel⁴, tents.

我们需要柴油,帐篷。

No one offered us any help,” said Omar, a Syrian refugee.

但没有人给我们任何帮助,”叙利亚难民奥马尔说道。

Some are trying.

有些人正在尝试。

But at a U.N. refugee center in Beirut the challenges are clear.

但贝鲁特的联合国难民中心所面临的挑战则显而易见。

Spokeswoman Roberta Russo described the situation.

女发言人罗伯塔·素索说道。

"There are 830,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon and we are especially concerned about the over 120,000 of them who are living currently in tents.

“在黎巴嫩有830000名叙利亚难民,我们尤其关心目前生活在帐篷里的超过120000人。

And obviously there are families, thousands and thousands of children, who are really really affected⁵ by the cold and the weather conditions.

显然有家庭,有成千上万的孩子已经受到严寒和天气条件的影响。

In Jordan, home now to some half a million refugees, conditions are difficult even without snow.

而约旦现在成了大约一百万难民的家园, 即便没有降雪，条件也极其困难。

At the U.N. camp in Zaatari, chill rains turn the ground to mud and water pours into the tents.

在扎塔利的联合国营地,冻雨使地面变得泥泞不堪而且水涌进了帐篷。

“We came from one tragedy to another.

“我们刚逃离战乱，现在又再次面临这种境况。

There is no snow in Zaatari, but the rain and the bitter cold are just as bad.

扎塔利没有雪,但是冻雨和严寒同样糟糕。

We are living in tragic⁶ circumstances,” said Abu Rafaat, one of the camp's residents.

我们在艰苦的条件下过活。”营地居民之一的阿布·拉法特说道。

This will be the refugees' third winter of war, and the prospect⁷ of finding more permanent homes for them is slim.

这将是难民们饱受战争痛苦以来的第三个冬天,对于他们而言找到更多永久庇护所的前景变得十分渺茫。

Amnesty International recently pleaded with European nations to provide safer havens⁸.

大赦国际最近请求欧洲国家承诺提供安全的避风港。

For those left in Syria itself, winter worries mount.

而那些留在叙利亚本身的人也越发担忧冬天的到来。

Many in Damascus have been able to ride out the weather, but express concern for their countrymen.

许多在大马士革的人已经能够安然度过这种天气,但表达关心他们的同胞。

“There are some people who don't find fuel or something like this to be warm. And some people lost their homes,” said Damascus resident Ahmed Abdeen.

“有些人找不到燃料或无法让自己取暖。有些人失去了家园,” 大马士革居民艾哈迈德·阿博登说道。

The World Food Program says it has begun distributing cooking and heating fuel around the capital.

世界粮食计划署表示已经开始为首都分发做饭和取暖燃料。

But in harder hit areas, the war and the weather keep taking their toll⁹.

但在战争受更大影响的地区,战争与天气造成伤害。

Rights groups say young children have begun dying from the cold.

人权组织称已经有孩子死于寒冷天气。

And winter has officially yet to even begin.

甚至冬天还未正式开始。

1 foretell   

v.预言，预告，预示

参考例句：

• Willow trees breaking out into buds foretell the coming of spring.柳枝绽青报春来。
• The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。

2 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。

3 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

5 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。

6 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

7 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

8 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

9 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。