英语课程计划-Refugee Day

June 20 is World Refugee Day. The United Nations General Assembly decided¹ to create this day in 2000. It marks the 50th anniversary of the international convention relating to the status of refugees. The day is also Africa Refugee Day. A different theme is chosen each year to raise awareness² of the difficulties refugees face. The United Nations refugee agency is the UNHCR – the United Nations High Commissioner³ for Refugees. It coordinates⁴ events worldwide to protect refugees and improve their lives in their countries of refuge. The UNHCR also provides legal assistance to refugees to try and give them legal status in other countries. Another function of the UNHCR is to help refugees return to their home countries.

A refugee is a person who flees from their home country to escape danger. Some refugees are escaping disasters like war and famine. Others are political refugees, who are in danger of being attacked or killed by their own government. Once a person becomes a refugee, he or she seeks asylum⁵ in their country of refuge. The largest group of refugees are the 4.5 million Palestinians, who live in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank and surrounding areas. Most of the world’s newer refugees come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar and Sudan. The issue of refugee status has become very complex in recent years. Globalization has made it easier for people to cross borders. It is often unclear whether someone is a refugee or an economic migrant.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。