VOA标准英语2013--Syrian Refugees Strain Jordan's Resources

 

Syrian Refugees Strain Jordan's Resources

The scale of human suffering from more than two years of war in Syria is massive.

At least 70,000 people have been killed. The United Nations reports the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries has passed 1.6 million and millions more are internally displaced.

Jordan has taken in nearly half a million Syrians, with some 130,000 finding refuge at the Zaatari camp near the border.

"The camp in Zaatari is the world's second largest refugee camp and it is only going to go one way," said U.N. refugee representative Andrew Harper. "It is only going to get bigger."

Services at the desert haven¹ are overburdened.

One woman tells of trying to get an ambulance to come take her sick grandchild for help the day before. She says she had to ask 10 times.

And it's not just the refugees who are overwhelmed. Jordan's limited resources are straining under the influx².

Analyst³ Oraib al Rantawi, director of the Al Quds Center in Amman, says it's not something Jordan can live with for long.

"Why shouldn't we go for a negotiable solution for the refugees issue?" he said. "Forget about the whole Syrian crisis dimension."

He wants both sides, and their backers, to focus solely⁴ on this humanitarian⁵ issue for now.

"Let us provide an agreed upon areas where the refugees in Syria can live in peace," al Rantawi said. "But not to impose no-fly zones or safe havens⁶ because this is a war declaration."

He believes having both sides agree on a civilian-only area, not to be used for battle, could be a step in solving the larger conflict.

Rantawi concedes it's a matter of political will, and that is a problem those working with refugees have seen all along.

"It is something which humanitarian agencies get impatient with," said the UN's Harper. "It is just the lack of urgency which the international community puts towards resolving the crisis."

Major powers are planning a peace conference but it's not yet clear if either side will show up, even as refugee numbers swell⁷.

1 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

2 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 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

7 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。