VOA标准英语10月-Georgians Return Home to War Ravaged Villages, bu

The war between Georgia and Russia in early August drove more than 130,000 Georgians from their homes as they fled bombing, shelling and looting. Two months later, most of them have been able to return, but tens of thousands are still living in shelters or with relatives because they cannot go home. VOA's Sonja Pace visited some of them in the Georgian town of Gori.
　

Georgian women, who escaped violence, waiting in a shelter

A kindergarten in downtown Gori has been turned into a shelter. Some 170 people call it home - at least for now.

They have all fled the violence of the war in August - the bombing and shelling, the shooting, looting and burnt homes and villages.

In one of the classrooms a half dozen women gather round - some sit on tiny chairs made for the children of the school. That doesn't seem to matter. These women have their stories to tell.

Elene Khaduri, 69, comes from the village of Kurta in South Ossetia and tells a harrowing tale of having to flee with other older people.

"All the Georgian villages in the territory of South Ossetia were destroyed by fire. Then we had to escape. The older couple asked me to take them along and another 63 year old man came also. We were hiding and went through the forest and we slept in the forest," she said.
　

Elene Khaduri says she slept in the forest during journey to safety

She tells of a journey through empty villages, fields and orchards¹ - of taking back ways to avoid armed men along the roads. She says they made it to the buffer² zone, found shelter and were finally rescued by a young relative.

"On the 15th day, he rushed in, in a taxi. He took us through the villages and this is how we came here," she added.

It's one of many stories here in Georgia, where over 130,000 people fled the fighting that broke out between Georgian forces and Russian troops and their separatist allies³ in the breakaway region of South Ossetia. The Russians quickly routed the Georgian army and moved deep into Georgian territory, establishing self-declared buffer zones around South Ossetia and the other breakaway Georgian enclave of Abkhazia in the northwest.

People fled to live with relatives or in shelters. The Russians have now withdrawn⁴ from the buffer zones.
　

Stefano Berti, the head of the Gori office of the UN refugee5 agency, UNHCR

Stefano Berti heads the Gori office of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. He says getting people back home is now the priority⁶.

"The government and international organizations - we are starting rehabilitation⁷ and reconstruction⁸ projects in the buffer zone. So hopefully, their [the displaced⁹ people's] needs will be covered before the winter," he said.

Georgians are returning home, but often to destroyed and burnt out houses. They say they need help to rebuild.

But, some 30,000 have yet to return. And for the women in the Gori kindergarten going back is not an option now. Most come from villages in South Ossetia - where Russian troops are in control and separatists have declared independence from Georgia.
　

Zizilo Terushvili heard from neighbors that her house was burned down

Zizilo Terushvili, 68, says she heard from neighbors that her house was burned down just a day ago. And, she says the local council there set an ultimatum¹⁰ for those wishing to return.

"[They said] whoever lived here, you can come back but you must give up your Georgian passport and take a Russian passport," she said.

The women are adamant¹¹ - why should we do that they say - we're Georgian - South Ossetia was our home.

But for now, this is home - Kindergarten Number 12. They have shelter, bedding, donated clothes and food. They attempt to establish some semblance¹² of normalcy.

For Elene Khaduri and the others going home seems a remote dream.

"I don't know what the government will do. They probably won't leave us in the street," she said.

So for now - they wait and hope.

1 orchards   

（通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They turned the hills into orchards and plains into granaries. 他们把山坡变成了果园，把平地变成了粮仓。
• Some of the new planted apple orchards have also begun to bear. 有些新开的苹果园也开始结苹果了。

2 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

3 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

4 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

5 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

6 priority   

n.优先处理的事，居先，优先（权）

参考例句：

• The development of the national economy is a top priority.发展国民经济是应予以最优先考虑的事。
• Things should be taken up in order of priority.办事应有个先后次序。

7 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

8 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

9 displaced   

移动( displace的过去式和过去分词 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines. 工厂的工人已逐渐被机器取代。
• He was displaced by another young man. 他已被另一个年轻人顶替。

10 ultimatum   

n.最后通牒

参考例句：

• This time the proposal was couched as an ultimatum.这一次该提议是以最后通牒的形式提出来的。
• The cabinet met today to discuss how to respond to the ultimatum.内阁今天开会商量如何应对这道最后通牒。

11 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

12 semblance   

n.外貌，外表

参考例句：

• Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
• Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。