美国国家公共电台 NPR--Much of Kherson is underwater — Ukraine's president says conditions are dire

Much of Kherson is underwater — Ukraine's president says conditions are dire¹

Transcript²

The Ukrainian city of Kherson was flooded this week after a major dam was destroyed. It is just the latest in a series of blows since Russia's invasion last year.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The Ukrainian city of Kherson has faced a series of blows since Russia's invasion last year - includes the Russian military presence, constant shelling and now devastating³ flooding after a nearby dam was destroyed, leaving much of the city underwater. NPR's Greg Myre has a story from Ukraine.

GREG MYRE, BYLINE⁴: American aid worker David Tagliani has been coming to the aid of Ukrainians in danger since Russia invaded more than a year ago.

DAVID TAGLIANI: We do evacuations.

MYRE: Tagliani works with a Ukrainian group called Stay Safe that's been delivering supplies and performing rescues by land. Now they're doing it by boat in the swollen⁵ waters of the Dnipro River that have flooded Kherson.

TAGLIANI: The way that Kherson is made up, it's a bunch of islands in the middle of the Dnipro River, and all of those islands are now inundated⁶. So anybody that had land or a home there is now homeless.

MYRE: Many are farmers stranded⁷ and isolated⁸. Tagliani's group picks up more every day.

TAGLIANI: Something on the order of 20 people and probably 10 pets, from dogs and cats to, you know, chickens.

MYRE: The city was flooded Tuesday when a major dam was destroyed about 40 miles upriver. Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other, though the Russians were in control of the dam and they've been inflicting⁹ hardship on residents of Kherson since the beginning of the war. First, the Russians seized Kherson in the early days of the fighting last year and maintained strict control, with many residents saying they were detained or even tortured. Last November, Russia withdrew from the city in the face of advancing Ukrainian troops.

OLENA NIKOLOVA: Kherson is liberated¹⁰, and we - we're just so happy. This was the happiest - one of the happiest days of our lives.

MYRE: Olena Nikolova is a journalist in Kherson. She and her family fled the city during the Russian occupation but returned soon after its liberation. However, joy in Kherson was short-lived. The Russians simply retreated to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River and began shelling Kherson almost daily. The bombardment has continued during the flooding. A rabbi was making this video about rescue efforts when a shell crashed nearby.

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UNIDENTIFIED RABBI: To bring people here from over the river, and the Russians - (non-English language spoken).

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UNIDENTIFIED RABBI: (Non-English language spoken).

MYRE: Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited Kherson on Thursday and said conditions were dire, citing the lack of drinking water in particular. Yet conditions are even worse on the east bank of the river, he said, adding that Russian forces had effectively abandoned civilians¹¹ stuck in flooded homes. Some people are still in need of rescue on the Russian-controlled side, says Alexy (ph) Voronin. He runs the aid group Help People.

ALEXY VORONIN: They are sitting on the roof. There are kids. There are elderly people, and they are sitting and waiting because many of them don't know how to swim or too old for doing that.

MYRE: Voronin wants to get them to safety, but he has a couple problems. His small motorboats are not powerful enough to make it across the strong river currents. And there are reports of Russian snipers nearby. But Voronin has a plan which involves getting night vision goggles¹² and a bigger boat in order to make the rescue attempt under cover of darkness.

VORONIN: We are preparing, yeah. We are preparing for this night.

MYRE: Meanwhile, Olena Nikolova says each successive blow against Kherson only strengthens the resolve of residents to stay and rebuild.

NIKOLOVA: This is our homes. They're our families, our dear ones. We just must work for victory. We cannot leave. This is our duty and work.

MYRE: Yet it's a struggle with no end in sight.

Greg Myre, NPR News, Kyiv.

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1 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

6 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

9 inflicting   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。
• It's impossible to do research without inflicting some pain on animals. 搞研究不让动物遭点罪是不可能的。

10 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 goggles   

n.护目镜

参考例句：

• Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.滑雪者都戴上护目镜使眼睛不受阳光伤害。
• My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.我的护目镜一直有水雾，所以我看不见。