VOA标准英语2015 Armenian Syrian Remains After Most Fled

Armenian Syrian Remains¹ After Most Fled

TAL ABYAD, SYRIA—

Among the many casualties of the war in Syria is the country's rich ethnic² and religious diversity. One of the few remaining Christians³ in the northern town of Tal Abyad, however, remains to tell the story.

Syrians in Tal Abyad are now free of Islamic State rule. But new, more secular⁴ leadership comes too late for the city's Christians.

Once numbering 6000, only eight are known to remain. Khacho is one of them. He asked VOA not to use his real name or show his face. But he said wants to show what happened at his Armenian church, once a source of international pride.

“In 2011, we held a Festival of the Cross. People from Lebanon, America and France all came to celebrate. After 2011/2012, everything changed,” he said.

First came the rebels and looting. Then came the jihadis and worse.

In 2012,  with the coming of Ahrar Sham⁵, al-Nusra and then Islamic State, this was no longer allowed to be used as a church, a place for Christians to invoke⁶ God's name. It became a prison. Hundreds of people were detained here. Many of them were beheaded.

“This way is the prison. What they made to be a prison. These are the things they did. They put them here," said Khacho.

It's a lonely life, and war is not far away. The church sits largely empty, but it's safe, at least for now.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 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。

3 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

4 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

5 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

6 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。