VOA标准英语2015--‘Angel of the Migrants’ Helps Desperate Syrians Arriving in Europe

‘Angel of the Migrants’ Helps Desperate Syrians Arriving in Europe

CATANIA, ITALY—

Waves of migrants are continuing to arrive on the shores of southern Italy from North Africa. After their dangerous journey across the Mediterranean², they face an unknown future in Europe. In the Sicilian city of Catania there is an activist³ dedicated⁴ to helping⁵ the refugees on their journey. 

Among the crowd of Syrian refugees in Catania station, it is the number of children that is striking. There are babies just a few weeks old. These Syrians have fled civil war - and they’ve just spent up to 20 days at sea in an old fishing boat.

Exhausted⁶, with little money and few belongings⁷, they’re about to start the next leg of their journey north - on the night train to Milan.

They bring with them tales of horror from Syria. Ahmad Anwar Fares describes what forced him to flee his home in Rif Al Sham⁸ near Damascus.

He said they bombed his house, killing⁹ his 4-month-old daughter when a block of ceiling fell on her. Fares said he has two sons whom he immediately picked up and fled.

There is at least a friendly face waiting in Catania. Nawal Soufi is a Moroccan-Italian woman known as the "Angel of the Migrants." She and her friends distribute baby food and clothes, along with words of advice and encouragement.

"I love you all. You are my family," she says. "God bless you and may you achieve your dreams."

Soufi is part of a group of activists¹⁰ working along the migrant trail through Italy - known as "la rete," or the network. Part of their work is helping migrants avoid being exploited by con¹ men, as Soufi explained.

On this particular day, she said, a group of con men offered to drive them to the north for 500 euros each. She explained to the migrants that they have the right to take a train and that the police cannot stop them.

Soufi explained why she is dedicated to helping the migrants.

So she can "feel like a human being" when she gets back home at night, she says. So she does not feel she is a part of the tragedy. So she does not feel she has the blood of these people on her hands.

After setting off from North Africa, migrants often call Soufi from a satellite phone so she can alert the coast guard. It’s earned her the nickname "Lady SOS."

Earlier this month, up to 900 migrants died when their boat sank off Libya. Soufi said Europe’s inaction is an outrage¹¹. "Is it impossible that Europe cannot guarantee a humanitarian¹² corridor from Syria, with each country taking a share of these migrants?" Soufi asked. "Europe is considered a group of democratic countries where everyone knows about human rights - although perhaps now that is only known on paper, because 900 people is more than just a number."

The migrants at Catania have survived that deadly journey. Now they face new fears and challenges.

Nawal Soufi is on the platform to wave them off with the Syrian flag, urging them to be strong. She will return the next day, ready to help another wave of desperate migrants arriving on this corner of Europe’s southern shores.

1 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

2 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

7 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

8 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 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》

11 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

12 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。