VOA标准英语2013--努力保护叙利亚文化

 

 

As War Rages in Syria, Efforts are Made to Save Culture 努力保护叙利亚文化

NEW YORK — As world leaders at the United Nations try to resolve Syria's civil war, a little further uptown international preservationists came together at New York's Metropolitan¹ Museum of Art in a bid to protect Syrian culture.

纽约——世界各国领导人在联合国试图解决叙利亚的内战,有点进一步住宅区国际保护主义者聚集在纽约大都会艺术博物馆,以保护叙利亚文化。

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art draws millions of people each year to see its unparalleled collections, but on Tuesday art enthusiasts² turned into activists³ pleading for the protection of Syria's historical artifacts.

“There should not be a choice between saving lives and saving heritage,” said Irina Bokova, the director general of UNESCO.

More than two years of fighting in Syria has left more than 100,000 people dead. The violence has also left Syrians powerless to prevent the destruction of some of their most ancient and cherished sites.

Now, the International Council of Museums is publicizing an Emergency Red List that highlights Syrian cultural objects that are at risk of being lost forever.

It is hoped that this list will make the global community more aware of the kinds of artifacts that are being destroyed, looted or smuggled⁴ out in the chaos⁵ of war, such as medieval pottery⁶ and metal work.

Anne Richard, a U.S. assistant secretary of state, said the world cannot wait until the war's end before joining the fight to protect Syria’s heritage.

“The value of the artifacts is so great and so important to the people of Syria that we have no choice but to start now,” said Richard.

Cultural leaders agree that saving Syria’s heritage is a humanitarian⁷ necessity. Richard agrees, and points out the important role of culture in quality of life.

“It’s not enough to just save their lives. We have to save their society. We have to save the things that make their lives worth living,” said Richard.

As fighting rages from Damascus to Aleppo and goods and people flee the country, these cultural leaders hope it’s not too late to preserve some of the world’s most ancient wonders. 

 

1 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

2 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

5 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

6 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

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。