VOA标准英语2015--乌克兰冲突拆散家庭和朋友

Ukraine Conflict Divides Families, Friends 乌克兰冲突拆散家庭和朋友

KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE—

The conflict in Ukraine may have galvanized those who support a united, independent country, but it has also sewn divisions between them and neighbors, friends and family who lean toward Russia. The political tensions have severed¹ relationships and even led some couples to seek divorce.

Lyudmila and Denis Sakhno married 17 years ago and expected to spend the rest of their lives together. But marital² tensions spiked³ when Russia-backed rebels took advantage of a power vacuum in Kyiv to seize control of their town.

Lyudmila, an ethnic⁴ Ukrainian, said that while she was emotionally torn by the situation, her husband, who is half Russian, saw it differently.

“He thought it would turn into a new country with new possibilities, while my attitude was that it was an occupation and impeding⁵ on my rights,” she said.

Subject is off-limits

Lyudmila, a restaurant manager, said they made a deal not to talk about politics at home. While she followed Ukrainian news online, Denis, a construction worker, received his information from Russian state television.

“I was always indifferent," he said. "If Ukraine, let it be Ukraine.  If Russia, let it be Russia.  We had some discussions and some arguments.”

As the quarrels became a daily occurrence, the couple split up and then filed for divorce.

Kramatorsk Marriage Registration⁶ Office head Yulia Parshina said that during the last year of fighting, many couples became scared and canceled wedding plans. Or, like Lyudmila and Denis, they split because of political differences or when the men joined the rebellion.

“We don't usually ask why people divorce," Parshina said, "but, among my friends, relatives and acquaintances, I can say that a lot of families were broken because some were for a united Ukraine and some supported the DPR [Donetsk People's Republic].”

Views evolve

As the armed men in the streets pushed anti-Ukrainian attitudes and clashed with Ukrainian forces, Denis' views toward the rebels changed.

“It dawned on him what was happening," Lyudmila said.  "He saw the process from inside.  He understood and saw that they were not building something new but just destroying.”

Lyudmila, however, acknowledged that her view of Ukrainian authorities was also somewhat overly enthusiastic.

“We both understood in the wrong way," Denis said. "It was not only about me not understanding correctly.  I have regrets, not only about our relations, but my main regret is that I was fooled.”

Although they agreed to finalize⁷ the divorce on June 16, Denis and Lyudmila are on friendly terms, and Denis still holds out hope of saving their marriage.

Despite the ongoing⁸ conflict between Russia and Ukraine, they both see a better future. This is a war of politics, they agree, not a war of Ukrainians versus⁹ Russians.

1 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

3 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 impeding   

a.(尤指坏事)即将发生的，临近的

参考例句：

• Fallen rock is impeding the progress of rescue workers. 坠落的石头阻滞了救援人员的救援进程。
• Is there sufficient room for the kiosk and kiosk traffic without impeding other user traffic? 该环境下是否有足够的空间来摆放信息亭？信息亭是否会妨碍交通或者行走？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

7 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。