VOA常速英语2008年-Australia Sets Up Simulated Refugee Camp in Mel

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
25 February 2008

A simulated refugee camp has been set up in Melbourne to show Australians the sort of hardship suffered by millions of people around the world. "Refugee Realities" is the work of the charity Oxfam. The camp is set in an artificial desert, with fake landmines² and security checkpoints. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Visitors to the simulated camp in Melbourne are faced with the realities that confront millions of refugees around the world. How would they cope if they lost their home, their family and their means of finding food and shelter?

The demonstration³ aims to give Australians a greater understanding of those who have been displaced.

"This is a desert and it's also a landmine¹ field," said the project's director Stephanie Cousins. "The idea in this space is to, I guess, give people a sense of how unsettling it would feel fleeing in a dangerous setting where they can't be sure of their footing. It's based on the true stories of former refugees now living in Australia."

Since the end of the Second World War about 675,000 people have been resettled in Australia under official humanitarian⁴ programs.

The government in Canberra accepts about 13,000 refugees every year.

Nyadol Nyuon arrived in Australia in 2004 and is studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was born in Ethiopia and spent 15 years living in a refugee camp in Kenya. She hopes that Oxfam's interactive⁵ program in Melbourne will help the Australian community appreciate the hardship she experienced.

"It actually brings tears to my eyes to realize I've gone through such a life, and now I'm in Australia, it makes me realize that finally you kind of have something that makes you more human," she said. "For the people that come here, I want them to look around and try to understand and try to kind of embrace the strength of refugee people, because it's only through embracing the strength that you can actually respect them."

Studies have found that many Australians have ambivalent⁶ attitudes toward refugees and asylum⁷ seekers. There are, though, many community groups dedicated⁸ to helping⁹ newcomers rebuild their often tattered¹⁰ lives.

Charities estimate that 34 million people are currently displaced because of war and crisis around the world.

1 landmine   

n.地雷

参考例句：

• A landmine is a kind of weapon used in war.地雷是一种运用于战争的武器。
• The treaty bans the use,production and trade of landmine.那条约禁止使用生产和交易雷。

2 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 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。

5 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

6 ambivalent   

adj.含糊不定的；(态度等)矛盾的

参考例句：

• She remained ambivalent about her marriage.她对于自己的婚事仍然拿不定主意。
• Although she professed fear of the Russians,she seemed to have ambivalent feelings toward Philby himself.虽然她承认害怕俄国人，然而她似乎对菲尔比本人有一种矛盾的感情。

7 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。

8 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。

9 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。

10 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。