2006年VOA标准英语-South Lebanon Villagers Use Break in Air Strike

By Challiss McDonough
Aaitit, Lebanon
31 July 2006
 
After talks between the American secretary of state and the Israeli prime minister, Israel has halted air strikes in south Lebanon for 48 hours. Israel says it is working with the United Nations to give civilians¹ a chance to escape before the bombing raids resume. The announcement comes in the wake of international outrage² over a deadly air strike in Qana that killed more than 50 people, more than half of them children. Some people are taking advantage of the temporary calm to try to rescue their families, but not everyone wants to go.

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It is strangely quiet in this small village in the hills above Qana. Hussein Suleiman is making coffee for his father. It is the first time they have seen each other in nearly three weeks.

He has driven his battered³ old station wagon⁴ back to his home in Aaitit to try to convince his father to leave.

"My father, I left him here. He didn't want to come down," he says. "I'm staying in Tyre and I want to bring my father back down, and I'm going to try to convince him to come down to Tyre, where it's a bit safer, and take advantage of this temporary cease-fire.'"

Lebanese Civil Defense⁵ officer holds piece of missile, found in rubble⁶ of demolished⁷ building struck by Israeli missiles in Qana    
  
Late Sunday night, Israel declared a 48-hour halt on air strikes in southern Lebanon to allow investigation⁸ into the killings⁹ in Qana. Israel also said it would work with the United Nations to give civilians 24 hours to flee the region, without fear of being blown off the roads.

But Hussein's father, Mustafa Suleiman, is reluctant to go.

"'It's difficult for me to leave my village, to leave my home and go down," he says. " I am a son of this country and I don't find it easy to leave my home. I'd rather stay here. It's easy for an employee to leave his job, but for me to leave my home? Not easy."

He says he was living in Kuwait during the first Gulf¹⁰ War, and he stayed throughout the fighting. He does not see why he should leave his home now. He points to a stack of canned food on the kitchen counter and says he can make do. 

Lebanese Red Cross volunteer tries to calm down childless widow after she realizes most of family was killed in attack on Qana  
  
Many villagers in the south have been hiding in basements and churches since the fighting began, too afraid of air strikes to venture outside, much less brave the journey by road to safety in the north. Many people have no cars to leave with or no gasoline to fuel them. And, until now, vehicles on the roads have frequently been targeted.

Off in the distance, there is still the sound of shelling, a reminder¹¹ that this is not a total cease-fire.

Hussein Suleiman is still trying to convince his father to go.

"I'm convinced by my father's resolve to stay here, but I'm not convinced that he's safe," he says.

Down the road, Qana is all but deserted¹², a day and a half after the war's single deadliest air strike killed more than 50 people, including many children.

Cows and donkeys wander aimlessly through the rubble of the ruined buildings. Most of the people have already fled. After daybreak, the few who remain began to venture out of their shelters, as news of the break in air strikes spreads. In the port city, Tyre, some people said they did not believe the moratorium¹³ was for real.

Back in Aaitit, Mustafa Suleiman's reluctance¹⁴ to leave his home finally gives way to loneliness. He decides he does not want to stay alone up in the hills. He will join his children in Tyre.

Outside, on the road leading into town, another car is headed up into the hills, carrying two women and an old man. They, too, are using temporary ceasefire to return home, but for a different reason.

"We are going back home," the woman driving says. "If we are going to die, we want to die in our homes."

1 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。

2 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。

3 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

4 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

12 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

13 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

14 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。