万花筒 Kaleidoscope 2007-02-10&11, 巴格达硝烟中的一处和平

Once alive with the sounds of children’s laughter --- no more, rides which carried the city’s young to another world--- idle, wearily quiet. This day, little Rtland is the only kid here, her only friend --- her plastic bunny.
“At home, she’s depressed¹. But here, it seems she can breathe.”
Her family comes seeking respite² from the daily violence their child is growing up with, although in Baghdad, respite is hard to find. A gunshot, three-year-old Rtland reacts, she knows what it is.
“Sometimes she gets scared, even when the door slams, she thinks it’s the roadside bomb.”
At an age when children learn nursery rhymes, Rtland is learning the sounds of war.
“She says, Mommy, where did the mortar³ fall? She knows the difference between a mortar and a rocket and a roadside bomb. ”
We walk around and find life being planted in a place surrounded by death.
“When you are coming here, you forget. You feel more secure, you forget what’s happening outside.”
It may seem a vain effort in a city that is fertile ground for violence. But park employee Ali Eblahim is determined⁴ to keep this place alive ---- planting flowers to fight those who plant bombs.
For now, only a handful of people come here: couple sneaking⁵ cherished moments; students taking a break.
The girls are telling me that they are here for a change of atmosphere, for the opportunity to be able to laugh ---- even if only for a little.
The Teacups starts up for one ride as if to defy those who keep the crowds away. Rtland's family say they will defy the violence too --- keeping coming back to allow their child to get away from the city’s realities. But they can never truly get away.

More gunshots, Rtland doesn’t even flinch⁶.
R Damen, CNN, Baghdad.

1 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

2 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

3 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 sneaking   

a.秘密的，不公开的

参考例句：

• She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
• She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。

6 flinch   

v.畏缩，退缩

参考例句：

• She won't flinch from speaking her mind.她不会讳言自己的想法。
• We will never flinch from difficulties.我们面对困难决不退缩。