VOA标准英语2014--International Community Struggles to Ease Syrian Suffering 国际社会努力缓解叙利亚的局势

 

International Community Struggles to Ease Syrian Suffering 国际社会努力缓解叙利亚的局势

WASHINGTON — As each day passes and the death toll¹ rises, millions of Syrians are increasingly worried about their fate in a war with no end in sight. Experts who gathered in Washington recently wondered how long the international community will be able to support the humanitarian² needs of the victims -- and Syria's neighbors will be willing to take them in.

Almost three years after the Syrian war broke out, there is no sign of it ending. While fighting continues, millions of civilians⁴ caught in the crossfire⁵ have been internally displaced or have taken refuge in neighboring countries. 

Although some thought the recent meeting in Geneva between the warring factions⁶ ended with little progress, U.N. mediator⁷ Lakhdar Brahimi said it laid a foundation for talks scheduled for February 10.   

“Progress is very slow indeed, but the sides have engaged in an acceptable manner,” said Brahimi.

However, while the peace talks were taking place in Geneva, U.N. Undersecretary General Jeffrey Feltman was discouraged.

"We are sobered by the reality that probably not a single civilian³ was saved this week through the talks in Geneva,” he said.

Feltman said he will start believing in these talks once they have an impact on the suffering.

"Unfortunately I must acknowledge that 10 days after Montreuil, we are still not there yet,” he said.

The U.S. State Department estimates more than nine million people are in need of assistance in Syria, with more than six million internally displaced and about 2.5 million refugees in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey. 

USAID administrator⁸ Rajiv Shah, who just returned from Lebanon and Jordan, testified to the enormity of the situation.

"In Lebanon one out of every five people is from Syria… In Jordan, the influx⁹ has been so significant, it is as if the entire population of Canada moved into the United States in the last 18 months," Shah said.

Shah said the scale of this crisis is unmatched, and while the United States has led the world in providing nearly $3 billion in humanitarian and developmental assistance, it is time for the war to stop.

"All the programs and humanitarian assistance of the world are not going to change the dynamic.  You are going to need some kind of a political settlement,” he said.

The problem of access also presents a huge challenge for humanitarian workers.

“Without access, money means nothing,” said Encho Gospodinov, the European Commission’s Special Advisor¹⁰.

Gospodinov said it's frustrating¹¹ to sit on trucks full of food and medicine and not be able to deliver it.  He also pointed¹² out that providing education for the Syrian children living in camps is as important as trying to feed them.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 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。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

6 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

7 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

8 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

9 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

11 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。