美国有线新闻 CNN 2012-11-16（在线收听） |
The first thing we are talking about today is the civil war in Syria. Now, there are some signs that the conflict might be changing a bit. The fighting in the Middle Eastern nation has been going on for 20 months now. It started because some Syrians wanted changes to their government. Like for their president to step down. Different rebel groups have been fighting against the government. This weekend, they officially formed a single coalition, and some analysts think that a unified opposition can have a better chance for victory. It`s been estimated that more than 35,000 people have been killed since the Civil War started, more than 400,000 have left their homes because of the fighting. And that includes two brothers that Arwa Damon met for her next report. Teachers, this is a personal account about the war. We suggest that you preview it. The younger brother who is 11 years old, was wounded in a rocket attack. He lost one of his legs, that`s when his older brother, who is 21, made a promise that led them out of their home country. Here is their story. Like many other boys his age, 11-year old Abdurrahman (ph) wanted to be a professional soccer player when he grow up. But like so many others in his homeland of Syria, the violence shattered his dream.
After he woke up as just, we were just saying, I was crying. I cannot (ph) control myself. He said please don`t cry. If you love me, don`t cry.
And that is when Omar made Abdurrahman a promise, that he would walk again.
He started to hang onto that idea. So I`m going out, and he kept saying to me, when are we - when are we leaving? Yeah, because once - every time they are fighting, jets come, he says, when are we leaving? We should leave.
Omar is now an expert at changing his brother`s bandages. He started to save money for a prosthetic, but realized that it was going to take too much time. He began asking around, and a group of visiting Egyptian doctors told him about the Global Medical Relief Fund, a small U.S. NGO, dedicated to helping children badly injured in disaster and war zones.
Its founder Alyssa Montante was quick to respond. But first, the brothers had to get to Turkey. A car drove them as close to the border as it could, the driver`s last words "You are on your own now." Omar`s arms were aching as he carried his brother and their three bags across the muddy field. The brothers eventually made their way to Ankara in Turkey. But the boys don`t have passports. Their visas to the U.S. were denied, and now they are waiting to see if the State Department will grant them humanitarian parole.
The most important thing that he is learning at this time, I think, it`s to be aware of everything, I mean to grow up his mind, I mean. He`s not a child anymore.
Next up, a natural disaster in Venice, Italy. Severe flooding has led to the deaths of several people there, 200 Italians have reportedly been forced out of their homes. Venice is in Northern Italy, it`s a major seaport and a popular tourist destination. It`s famous for its canals. So you might usually think of people riding down the street it boats, but this is anything but usual. Two big weather systems combined together and drenched the city. Earlier this week, 70 percent of Venice was under water. It was the city`s sixth highest water level in 140 years. |
| 原文地址：http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/cnn2012/11/233090.html |