VOA标准英语2014--New Waves of Refugees Draw Attention to Long-term Trends

 

New Waves of Refugees Draw Attention to Long-term Trends

WASHINGTON — Conflicts in Iraq, Ukraine and Syria have created waves of refugees, drawing renewed attention to the large number of people who have been displaced for years. As the global community observes World Refugee Day on Friday, the number of displaced people has grown to more than 45 million - the highest level in the past two decades. Armed conflicts remain the dominant¹ cause.

The number of refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq is growing. Iraqis who fled their homes after the 2003 allied² invasion were joined in recent years by Syrians. Large-scale displacement³ has resumed with Sunni insurgent⁴ attacks in Iraq's north. Many ethnic⁵ Turkmen have left the city of Tal Afar.

"We were really afraid. We were afraid that a bomb would hit us or something, that something would happen to us. That's why we left," said one Turkmen fleeing the city.

Members of the Iraqi Turkmen Front say they will fight back.

"The Turkmen are in a difficult situation in Tal Afar. An estimated 150,000 people have fled. They need help. They will never forget what is happening," said the front’s Kasim Kar.

Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon are beginning to lose hope of ever returning home. Some of the children born there have never seen their country of origin. The head of the United Nations refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, visited some of the overcrowded camps this week.

"We have only 20 percent of the Syrian children in Lebanon in formal education, in formal schools where they can get a diploma, where they can use to move ahead in their lives. So, it's very little what we are doing. We need much more support from the international community for Syrian refugees, but also much more support for a country like Lebanon, for Jordan - countries that are facing an enormous challenge," said Guterres.

Countries near conflict zones that host large groups of refugees can find caring for them a significant burden. Guterres has repeatedly called for more donations from developed countries.

"An attitude of compassion⁶ and solidarity⁷ from the international community in relation to the Syrian refugees and to the countries hosting them is needed more than ever. And what the international community is doing is very little compared with the suffering and the needs of the people we met, namely those that we met today," he said.

While donors⁸ have difficulty satisfying the needs of existing refugees, new conflicts create new waves of displaced people. About 90,000 people have fled Pakistan's military offensive against militants⁹ in North Waziristan this month.

"We fled because of the bombardment. When the jets started bombing, and the gunship helicopters started bombing all over the place, we decided¹⁰ to flee," said one resident.

According to the United Nations, during the last year alone, someone was forced to abandon his or her home every four seconds. But figures reveal only one aspect of this human tragedy. Conflict tears apart the lives of thousands of families. Nearly half of all refugees are below the age of 18, and a growing number are fleeing on their own.

1 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

2 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

3 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

4 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

5 ethnic   

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。

6 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

8 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

10 decided   

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。