VOA标准英语2008年-American Girls Rescued From Behind Russian Line

France's ambassador to Tbilisi is being hailed as a hero for his role in rescuing two American children trapped behind enemy lines in a Russian-occupied region of Georgia. VOA's Peter Heinlein in Tbilisi reports diplomats¹ and relief agencies are working to free many other foreigners stranded² when Russian forces streamed across the border and captured large chunks³ of Georgian territory.
　

Joseph Evans (R) and his daughters after being reunited, as U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (L) looks on, in Tbilisi, 21 Aug 2008

Joseph Evans of Howell, New Jersey⁴ was ecstatic Thursday after being reunited with his two small daughters at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi.

"This is no doubt the experience of my life… We got 'em home. God bless America. Vive La France," he said.

Evans and his Georgian-born wife Tea-h were home in New Jersey early this month when they heard the news that Russian troops had taken over South Ossetia where their two daughters were on holiday at a rural family farm with their grandmother.

"On our family vacation every year we go to Georgia," he said. "My wife and I left and the kids stayed behind, and they were scheduled to come back on the 26th with grandma. Then everything blew out on the seventh. So I came home from work Friday night, my wife's on the floor, you can imagine, I instantly thought maybe somebody died, and then it connected, and I went, OK, here we go."

The two girls, seven-year-old Ashley and three-year-old Sophia, were effectively trapped. Evans immediately contacted everyone he thought could help, including his Congressman⁵, New Jersey Republican Chris Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Smith made several phone calls, but soon realized he'd have to be there to be effective, so he jumped on a plane to Tbilisi to find someone who could travel through Russian checkpoints to bring the children and their American uncle to safety. He found French ambassador to Georgia Eric Fournier willing to help.

"American diplomatic personnel are unable to get through the checkpoints, but the French ambassador, Eric Fournier is, so he stepped up to the plate, and we are grateful that he went to their house, put the kids in the car, put the uncle in the car, and drove back from Chirtora," he explained.

The girls' uncle, Beso Tsutskiridze, had earlier flown from his home in the United States in a vain attempt to rescue his nieces. But he encountered a Russian checkpoint at the town of Gori, and fled on foot after Russian soldiers looted his car. He told reporters he had walked 50 kilometers to the farm where the girls were, before being brought to safety by the French ambassador.

"I stuck in Gori, they take everything, clothes money everything, they take everything they like, and say, OK you can go back. So we stuck again there, and they stopped my car, so they start to shoot, and we have to run in the woods and leave car there and take 30 miles to walk through the woods," he said.

Congressman Smith says the happy ending came Thursday at the American Embassy in Tbilisi when the girls were reunited with their father.

"When the French ambassador's car came into the American Embassy, the doors opened up, the kids got out, and did a sprint⁶ to their dad and he likewise did the same to them, and it really was an emotional moment. They couldn't have hugged him any tighter," he said.

Officials says scores of other foreigners, including many Americans, are still trapped behind Russian checkpoints, which effectively cut off access to large parts of northern and western Georgia. The International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian⁷ groups are working to bring others to safety.

One aid agency representative who could not be identified because she is not authorized⁸ to speak publicly said the best hope is that Russia may decide to honor its commitment to withdraw.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。