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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Lebanon's prime minister, who took office amid accusations1 of misgovernment, now is quitting amid accusations of misgovernment. Hassan Diab says he will leave as soon as lawmakers pick his replacement2. He lost his job after an explosion in Beirut. Officials apparently3 knew for years of a dangerous stockpile of chemicals, which finally blew up. NPR's Ruth Sherlock covers Lebanon, joins us today from the U.K. Hi, Ruth.
黎巴嫩总理在政府被控治理不当的情况下上任,现在又因治理不当的指控而辞职。哈桑·迪亚卜表示,议员选出他的继任者后,他将立刻离职。他因贝鲁特大爆炸而丢掉工作。显然,官员在数年前就知道化学品储存的危险性,这些化学品最终被引燃。NPR新闻的露丝·夏洛克负责报道黎巴嫩的消息,今天她将从英国和我们连线。你好,露丝。
RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE4: Hello.
露丝·夏洛克连线:你好。
INSKEEP: What's the prime minister saying as he promises to quit?
因斯基普:总理承诺辞职时说了什么?
SHERLOCK: Well, he said he was resigning because he was heeding5 the people's demand for change. You know, this comes after days of massive protests in the ruined streets of Beirut. Some of the protesters themselves have seen their homes destroyed in the explosion. And despite the resignation, though, Diab's government is going to remain around for a while as a caretaker government as the parliament decides what to do next.
夏洛克:他说他辞职是为了顺从民众希望变革的要求。总理宣布辞职时,民众已经在破败的贝鲁特街头进行了持续数天的大规模抗议。其中一些抗议者的家园在大爆炸中被毁。尽管迪亚卜宣布了辞职,但在议会决定下一步计划时,他的政府仍将作为看守政府继续留任一段时间。
INSKEEP: OK. So he's quitting, but not quite yet quitting. How are people reacting?
因斯基普:好。他要辞职,但不会马上离任。民众有何反应?
SHERLOCK: Not well, Steve. There is enormous rage on the streets. You know, in the last few days, people have been chasing politicians down the street. A crowd threw water at the justice minister. And remember, this comes just as — you know, this explosion happened just as millions have been driven into poverty by an economic collapse6 largely blamed on corruption7 and the squandering8 of state funds by the political class. So this is seen as being just too little too late.
夏洛克:不太好,史蒂夫。街上的民众怒气冲天。过去几天,人们一直在街上追击政治家。一群人向司法部长泼水。记住,这场大爆炸发生时,数百万人因经济崩盘而陷入贫困,而经济崩盘主要由腐败和政治阶层挥霍国家资金所致。因此,这一举措被认为微不足道,为时过晚。
There were clashes last night after the announcement. And basically, this is because people think this might be window dressing9. Lebanese people have been here before. As you said, you know, last year, the government — protests ousted10 the government, caused the cabinet to resign. But then political leaders took months to decide among themselves who would lead and installed a government that the Lebanese people didn't trust. So far, there is no talk of early elections.
昨晚,总理宣布辞职后爆发了冲突。基本上,这是因为人们认为这可能是弄虚作假。黎巴嫩人此前经历过这种事。如你所说,去年,抗议活动推翻了政府,致使内阁辞职。但之后,政治领袖在数个月后决定了领导人选,并组建了黎巴嫩人不信任的政府。截至目前,还没有提前选举的消息。
INSKEEP: Wow. And when you say economic collapse, we should mention the economic collapse in Lebanon came before the pandemic. It's been a real problem for quite some time. And yet, the elites11 are still there even after all this upheaval12. What makes them so entrenched13?
因斯基普:哇哦。你刚提到了经济崩盘,我们应该指出,黎巴嫩的经济崩盘发生在疫情来袭之前。这在相当长一段时间里一直是真正的问题。然而,在经历了这些动荡之后,精英阶层仍未被撼动。什么令他们的地位如此稳固?
SHERLOCK: Well, you know, the political class has ruled since after the end of the civil war in the 1990s. A system was set up that balanced power between the country's different warring sects14 — the Christians15, the Sunnis, the Shias and so on. And it was a way to make peace. And it did kind of provide a way forward. But Nadim Houry, the executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative, has worked on accountability issues for years. And he explains that this system essentially16 drove power to six main people, whom he calls oligarchs. And he says, these days, the structure is less about balancing sects than it is about dividing the spoils of the state between these people. Here he is.
夏洛克:这个政治阶层自上世纪90年代内战结束后便一直在执政。他们建立了一个体系,在黎巴嫩不同交战派别——基督徒、逊尼派、什叶派等——之间平衡权力。该体系曾是实现和平的方式。也确实提供了一条前进的道路。阿拉伯改革倡议组织的执行主任纳迪姆·霍里多年来一直从事问责制问题研究。他解释称,从本质上说,这个体系将权力赋予六个主要人物,他称这些人为寡头。他说,最近,这一体系与其说是平衡教派,不如说是将国家的战利品分给这些人。下面是他所说。
NADIM HOURY: They happen to belong to different confessions17. But they come together when it suits them. And they divide themselves never over real sectarian interests, but always over financial interests. When you realize that, when you realize you're dealing18 with a kleptocracy, when you're dealing with a mafia-like structure, the country makes sense.
纳迪姆·霍里:他们碰巧来自不同的信仰。但他们会在合适的时候达成一致。他们从未因真正的宗派利益而产生分歧,但总是因经济利益而分裂。当你意识到这点时,当你发现你在应对盗贼政权、在面对黑手党式的体系时,这个国家的情况就可以理解了。
SHERLOCK: So he says, you know, the mafia has essentially taken over and placed its people in all levels of government to steer19 funds to itself. And so people are really frustrated20 because, Steve, they want the removal of the whole political class — not just the government, but the parliament and the president and all these people who've controlled so much of the country for so many years and, you know, essentially driven it to ruin. They recognize that, you know, installing an independent government now and having elections, you know, could be — create a vacuum, which is dangerous. But they say that it's better than keeping this class, which has proven that it can't — this political class, which has proven that it can't bring about change.
夏洛克:他说,这些黑手党基本上已经接管政府并将他们的人安排在各级政府中,引导资金流向自已。因此,史蒂夫,民众真的非常愤怒,他们想让整个政治阶层下台,因为不仅是政府,议会、总统以及多年来一直控制着这个国家大部分地区的这些人,都在令国家走向毁灭。他们意识到,现在组建独立政府并举行选举,可能会造成真空状态,这非常危险。但他们认为这好于保留这个阶层,事实证明这一政治阶级不能带来变革。
INSKEEP: NPR's Ruth Sherlock. Thanks.
因斯基普:以上是NPR新闻的露丝·夏洛克带来的报道。谢谢你。
SHERLOCK: Thank you.
夏洛克:谢谢。
![收听单词发音](/images/play.gif)
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accusations
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n.指责( accusation的名词复数 );指控;控告;(被告发、控告的)罪名 | |
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replacement
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n.取代,替换,交换;替代品,代用品 | |
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apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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byline
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n.署名;v.署名 | |
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heeding
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v.听某人的劝告,听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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collapse
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vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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corruption
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n.腐败,堕落,贪污 | |
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squandering
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v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的现在分词 ) | |
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dressing
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n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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ousted
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驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺 | |
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elites
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精华( elite的名词复数 ); 精锐; 上层集团; (统称)掌权人物 | |
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upheaval
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n.胀起,(地壳)的隆起;剧变,动乱 | |
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entrenched
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adj.确立的,不容易改的(风俗习惯) | |
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sects
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n.宗派,教派( sect的名词复数 ) | |
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Christians
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n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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essentially
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adv.本质上,实质上,基本上 | |
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confessions
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n.承认( confession的名词复数 );自首;声明;(向神父的)忏悔 | |
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dealing
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n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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steer
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vt.驾驶,为…操舵;引导;vi.驾驶 | |
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frustrated
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adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧 | |
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