VOA标准英语2014--在暴力之中寻求和平

 

Searching for Peace amid Violence 在暴力之中寻求和平

AP10ThingsToSee - Kevin, a man accused of being a thief by civil servants at the Work Inspection¹ office, lies in pain after being attacked by a man with a machete and sticks in plain view of others in Bangui, Central African Republic on Friday, April 18, 

AP10ThingsToSee - Kevin, a man accused of being a thief by civil servants at the Work Inspection office, lies in pain after being attacked by a man with a machete and sticks in plain view of others in Bangui, Central African Republic on Friday, April 18,

Despite the ongoing² violence in such places as Central African Republic and South Sudan, one organization said the seeds of peace still exist in those countries. Search for Common Ground said while differences among people are inevitable³, violence is not.

Search for Common Ground said it’s natural that differences in beliefs, values and backgrounds can lead to protracted⁴ and serious disagreements or arguments, which is actually the definition of conflict. But the NGO warns when individuals respond to those disagreements with anger, fear and hatred⁵, then violence can erupt.

It said more than one and a half million people suffer violent deaths every year – with tens of millions of others uprooted⁶ by war.

Africa Senior Program Manager Mike Jobbins defines common ground.

“Ultimately, it’s about understanding what people agree on. What do we have in common with one another, so that we can better build a future together? It’s about understanding our differences, but also understanding where we’re the same. So you start from a point of what you can agree on.”

It’s not the same as compromise.

Jobbins said, “Compromise is one way of solving a problem. But until you can really understand what the other person wants you can’t get to a win-win solution. So, ultimately it’s about not only understanding how you can share the resources that you might have, but how you can also work together and build a better future and to grow the pie, not just how you divide it up.”

Much of the news from the CAR focuses on civilians⁷ being killed by Christian⁸ and Muslim militias⁹ and the displacement¹⁰ of thousands of Muslims.

“The situation that’s going on is absolutely horrible. The tragedy of the loss of life and the displaced is probably one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. But at the same time we have to understand that there are millions of people who wake up every day in the Central African Republic wanting to make a difference. And they want to see a different future for themselves, and they want to bring an end to this crisis. And so we see people working together,” he said.

Peace efforts in CAR involve clergy¹¹ of different faiths and denominations¹² working together – and a peace campaign featuring art by the youth of Bangui.

Jobbins said that campaigns are being planned for South Sudan where fighting between government forces and rebels has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

“I was in South Sudan about a month ago meeting with communities and with the international community to think through how we can use media – and how we can use radio as an opportunity to drive positive discussions – and to drive the way that the conflict is being framed right now and mitigate¹³ some of the risks of increasing violence.”

Search for Common Ground has programs in about 30 countries around the world – most of them in Africa.

“Peace,” he said, “is probably the easiest product in the world sell. Everyone wants it. The question is creating an opportunity for people who do want it to build together.”

That means overcoming differences.

Jobbins said, “The divisions that exist between men and women – between different religions – between different political views – between different regions – those differences are common to every society, not just the ones where we see the violence. And ultimately, it’s not only about ending the negative aspects of conflict, but also recognizing that in those legitimate¹⁴ differences between people – that’s also the only source of progress. So it’s only through discussing our differences that we can hope to have any kind of development.”

Search for Common Ground said that peace is a long-term process that must win the trust of all parties – leading to safe, constructive¹⁵ and creative problem-solving.

1 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

4 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

6 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 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

10 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

11 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

12 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

14 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

15 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。