VOA标准英语2010年-Book Burning in Ukraine Stokes Controv

Russian nationalists in Crimea have burned Ukrainian history textbooks to protest what they say are distortions of the past by the administration of former President Viktor Yushchenko.  The recent transfer of power in Kyiv has raised hope among Russian nationalists and fear among Ukrainians.

On Sunday, Russian nationalists in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, threw Ukrainian history textbooks into boxes at the foot of a local monument to Russian empress Catherine the Great.  The books were to be turned into pulp¹.

More history texts were burned the following day at another demonstration² in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea. 

Among the participants was Sevastopol city councilman Yevgeniy Dubovik, a member of the pro-Russian and far left Progressive Socialist³ Party of Ukraine.  He agrees with the warning of 19th century German writer Heinrich Heine who wrote, "Where they burn books, they will in the end burn people."

Nonetheless, Dubovik told VOA that Monday's burning of Ukrainian history books was justified⁴.

Dubovik says his group burned literature that promoted fascism in Ukraine, and they will continue to burn and trample⁵ it.  He condemns⁶ the books, saying they seperate people and destroy the mutual⁷ love between Russians and Ukrainians.  Dubovik adds that perhaps even toilet paper will be made out of the books.  He acknowledges the chosen method may be harsh, but thinks it is the right one.

Unlike history texts promoted by former President Viktor Yushchenko, those of the Soviet⁸ era ignored or condemned⁹ Ukrainians who fought against Russian or Soviet imperial rule.  Pro-Russian forces also resent Mr. Yushchenko's campaign to teach the Ukrainian language to schoolchildren in Russian-speaking regions of the country. 

Another bitter point of contention¹⁰ is the former president's decision to have young Ukrainians learn about the so-called Holodomor, a Kremlin-inspired famine more than 75 years ago that was aimed at collectivizing Soviet agriculture.  The tragedy claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainians and other Soviet peoples, including Russians, Belorusyns, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Kazakhs and Jews.  Any mention of the Holodomor was strictly¹¹ forbidden in the USSR. 

Yevgeniy Dubovik says there is no point in dwelling¹² on the past, because everyone knows about the famine anyway and life after collectivization was fine.

Protest organizers in Crimea say they are counting on newly elected President Viktor Yanukovych to downplay Ukrainian history and language and to improve ties with Moscow.

Meanwhile, many Ukrainians, particularly in the western part of the country, fear controversial new Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk will promote pro-Russian policies.  Tabachnyk has raised eyebrows¹³ with statements that suggest western and eastern Ukraine should be separated, or should never have been united in the first place.

In a protest against him on Monday in the city of Lviv, Ukraine's Congress of Young Nationalists collected old Soviet history books to turn them into pulp. 

The organization's local leader, Andriy Ben, rejects broad Soviet-era accusations¹⁴ that western Ukrainians were all Nazi¹⁵ war collaborators.  He told VOA he is willing to discuss ways to discuss the apparent divide over Ukrainian history with opponents in Crimea.

This divide, says Ben, is exacerbated¹⁶ on purpose by politicians who play political games.  The activist¹⁷ believes there is actually no gap among ordinary people.  As for Tabachnyk, Ben says petition drives are being held against him, not just in western Ukraine, but also in Kyiv and such eastern and southern cities as Kharkiv, Kherson, and even Odesa. 

Mr. Tabachnyk was not available to comment about the controversy¹⁸ surrounding his appointment or the book burning.

The president of the prestigious¹⁹ Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Serhiy Kvit, is among the new Education Minister's prominent critics.  Kvit told VOA the recent destruction of books in Ukraine is not so much a tragedy, as it is a farce²⁰.  He adds that the Tabachnyk controversy is a teachable moment made possible by freedom on speech.

The university president says if anyone tried to eliminate freedom of speech, which Ukrainians enjoy on news programs and talk shows, he would have very big problems.  Kvit says Ukrainians today openly discuss and express everything, which is the main achievement of the [popular 2004 protest known as the] Orange Revolution. 

Kvit adds that most contemporary Ukrainian politicians are heavily influenced by Soviet-style thinking, but even they understand the reality of free speech in Ukraine, which remains²¹ despite changes in government.

Serhiy Kvit and other leading Ukrainian university officials have posted arguments against Tabachnyk on the Internet, where the Minister's critics have also created a special protest page.  More than 800 people have joined a Facebook group that opposes his appointment. 

 

1 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

2 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。

3 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

4 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

5 trample   

vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯

参考例句：

• Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。
• Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。

6 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

8 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

11 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

12 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

13 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

14 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

15 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

16 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

19 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

20 farce   

n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹

参考例句：

• They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
• The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

21 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。