VOA标准英语2010年-Kashmiri Youth Seek to Avoid Conflict

Kashmiri Muslim separatists have been fighting for two decades for independence from India or a merger¹ with Muslim-majority Pakistan. More than 47,000 people have died in the conflict. Yet three years ago, a football coach from Argentina started the International Sports Academy Trust in Srinagar, and his players have achieved great success.  Last year, three of them, including team's captain, even got the chance to train in Brazil.

Celebration does not come easily in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Conflict is more common. But one group has found refuge and an outlet² for their daily stresses in organized football, thanks to Juan Marcos Troia, a football coach from Argentina.  He and his family moved to Srinagar in 2007 to start Kashmir's first football academy.

In just a few years, his team, the International Sports Academy Trust, has climbed to the Super Division, the highest football league in Kashmir.

"We have seen in specific players a big change in their lives in the way they were doing these kinds of activities, to throw stones in the roads," he said.  "And because of football, because of the program, because of the dream to play abroad to get a passport and all of these things there was focus on football."

But in Kashmir, success in football doesn't guarantee success outside the game.  Last year team captain Basharat Bashir Baba and two teammates had the opportunity of a lifetime.  They were selected to train with the Santos Football Club, a world renowned³ team in Brazil. But Baba's family history was a problem.

"When the authorities told me that I could not get a passport, I [asked] my father, 'Why?' and he said, 'Because he was involved in the militancy,'" explained Baba.

Baba was just an infant when his father joined Pakistani militants⁴.  Yet, at age 19, he was suffering the consequences.

It was only due to the intervention⁵ of the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, that Baba eventually got his passport.

"My passport is a life for me now.  It's everything," added Baba.

Baba's father, Bashir Baba, says there are thousands of other young people in Kashmir like his son, waiting for passports.

"60,000 cases like Basha, still pending⁶ in the passport office, waiting for the disposal," said Bashir Baba.  "Nobody gives them the response.  So their future is in dark."

Because of the unavailability of concerned government officials, VOA requests for comments got no response.

As for Juan Marcos Troia, the Argentine coach remains⁷ optimistic about his players' futures⁸.

"So this is the purpose of the program, giving life, giving hope, giving a chance to dream," added Troia.

And Basharat Bashir Baba says he now looks to the future.

"My first dream would be to play for India and then I want to open an academy in Kashmir," said Basharat Bashir Baba.  "That is my dream."

As players like Bashir continue to hone their football skills, they can only hope that things like passport restrictions⁹ don't get in the way.

 

1 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

2 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

3 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

6 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

7 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。

8 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制