VOA标准英语2008年-UNHCR Gains Access to Buffer Zone in Georgia

The U.N. refugee agency says it finally has succeeded in entering the so-called "buffer¹ zone" north of the town of Gori in Georgia. Lisa Schlein reports from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva the zone is controlled by Russian military forces and has been out of reach during the past weeks due to the unstable² security situation.
　
A looted shop in Tkviavi, one of four buffer zone villages visited by UNHCR, 16 Sep 2008

The so-called buffer zone is a strip of land that borders Georgia and its breakaway region of South Ossetia. It is under control of the Russian military and during the past few weeks thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes after being attacked by marauding militia³ men, many reportedly from South Ossetia.

The area has been off-limits to the U.N. refugee agency until now. Spokesman William Spindler says aid workers who recently ventured into the area to assess the situation were disturbed by what they saw.

"There is still a great deal of fear among the people currently residing in these villages," he said. "Beatings, looting and arson⁴ by marauding militias⁵ have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity."

"The destruction of buildings and houses is not as widespread as was initially⁶ feared and varies from village to village. In Karaleti, for example, our team counted 29 houses destroyed, out of some 600. In Kitsnisi, only a few buildings have been burned or bombed, while more material and psychological damage has been caused by lootings and destruction inside people's houses," he added.

Spindler says the situation and the needs in the villages north of Gori are similar. He says all of the communities are largely dependent on agriculture for food and income. He says villagers told UNHCR up to 80 percent of this year's harvest is gone.

"This is due to restricted irrigation water coming mostly from South Ossetia and the fact that during the hostilities⁷ heavy military equipment passed through many fields damaging the crops," said Spindler.

"In addition, there are still a lot of mines and unexploded ordnance⁸ littering the fields and gardens, preventing people from collecting the harvest. As the local gas pipeline⁹ is not functioning any longer, the villagers now rely on firewood, both for cooking and heating. As a result, the price of firewood has risen by 50 percent," he continued.

Spindler says the UNHCR plans to conduct regular assessment¹⁰ missions to the buffer zone and to provide aid to the inhabitants. Since the situation has calmed down, he says a number of people who had previously¹¹ fled have now returned to their homes.

Based on first assessments¹², he says returnees to the villages in the buffer zone need rehabilitation¹³ and reconstruction¹⁴ assistance as many of their homes have been burned down or otherwise damaged. He says they also will need supplementary¹⁵ food and firewood.

 

1 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。

2 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

3 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

4 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

5 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

8 ordnance   

n.大炮，军械

参考例句：

• She worked in an ordnance factory during the war.战争期间她在一家兵工厂工作。
• Shoes and clothing for the army were scarce,ordnance supplies and drugs were scarcer.军队很缺鞋和衣服，武器供应和药品就更少了。

9 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

10 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

11 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

12 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

13 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。

14 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。

15 supplementary   

adj.补充的，附加的

参考例句：

• There is a supplementary water supply in case the rain supply fails.万一主水源断了，我们另外有供水的地方。
• A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.附有索引的增补卷已经出版。