2007年VOA标准英语-Iraqi Homeless Setting Up Ad Hoc Displacement C

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
15 June 2007

U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) officials say camps for internally displaced people are beginning to sprout¹ up across Iraq.  This is happening, officials say, because communities in the country are closing their doors to the displaced.   Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

erected2 for displaced residents of the violent Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, 15 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070628/1349080.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Iraqis move between tents erected for displaced residents of the violent Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, 15 May 2007

The U.N. refugee agency says Iraq was extremely fragile before the war broke out in 2003.  But it says what has happened since is catastrophic: about 2 million people have fled the country, mainly to Syria and Jordan.  And another 2 million have become internally displaced.

The coordinator³ for the UNHCR's Iraq support unit, Andrew Harper, says he fears the recent bombing of the minarets⁴ on the Samarra shrine⁵ might trigger another wave of displacement⁶ within the country.

He says these people will have a difficult time finding a safe haven⁷ as more and more communities are no longer accepting newcomers.  The internally displaced are so desperate, Harper says, that they are creating their own camps.

"This is something which we knew would eventually come, but, we had tried to assist those communities, host communities absorb these people without the establishment of camps because camps are probably one of the worst things you can have," he noted⁸. 

Harper says these ad hoc camps are like slums and do not have proper provisions for sewage, shelter or security.  He describes one such camp in the city of Najaf, about 160 kilometers south of Baghdad. 

"Women going to the toilet in their tent or their huts, because they cannot go out…they cannot leave their huts.  They are not registered for food.  There certainly is no electricity.  It is 50 degrees heat.  The children are not going to go to school.  Security is okay at the moment.  There obviously is no employment possibilities there.  And the most we can provide is some tents and some buckets and some non-food items," he explained. 

U.N. coordinator Harper says so far there are only about 10 of these camps, but he expects to see many more springing up in the future.

1 sprout   

n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条

参考例句：

• When do deer first sprout horns?鹿在多大的时候开始长出角？
• It takes about a week for the seeds to sprout.这些种子大约要一周后才会发芽。

2 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

3 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• 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。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

4 minarets   

n.（清真寺旁由报告祈祷时刻的人使用的）光塔( minaret的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Remind you of a mosque, red baked bricks, the minarets. 红砖和尖塔都会使你联想到伊斯兰教的礼拜寺。 来自互联网
• These purchases usually went along with embellishments such as minarets. 这些购置通常也伴随着注入尖塔等的装饰。 来自互联网

5 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

6 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。

7 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。