VOA标准英语2012--Syria Conflict Reaches Far Beyond Its Borders

Syria Conflict Reaches Far Beyond Its Borders

From some angles, this road looks like it could be anywhere in the Middle East. 

But it’s not. It is Edgware Road in central London, a meeting point for some of the city’s hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern residents.

At a restaurant promising¹ Syrian home cooking, the manager, Damascus native Firas Abdin, says the crisis back home is never far from the minds of his customers, and it made an activist² out of him.

“In the beginning, I was not against regime. We thought that Bashar Assad will fix everything, he will punish the people who did that. When he did nothing," Abdin said. "That’s where the revolution started. When his father died, we thought everything will change. And what happened? We discovered that we were very wrong.”

Abdin says before the Syrian revolution started, he and his friends would play cards and go to parties. Now, he says, no one is in the mood to do that. Meanwhile, his family back home cannot speak freely on the telephone, and he can’t visit them because of what he has been doing for the last year.

“When there is any march against the Syrian regime, when there is any demonstration³ against them near the Syrian embassy, I always go,” Abdin stated.

The international community is trying to end the violence, even appointing the former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a special envoy⁴ and convening⁵ the first of a series of international meetings. But the second meeting has already been postponed, 

Experts, including Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, do not expect a breakthrough any time soon.

“There’s no clear solution ahead. So, I think we’re in for a protracted⁶ civil conflict,” he said.

One problem is disunity in the Syrian opposition⁷. Although the United States and other countries are trying to help the Syrian National Council become the umbrella group, other exiled activists⁸ are resisting. 

Among them is Paris-based journalist Samir Aita of the Syria Democratic Forum⁹.

“There is a general difficulty of, let’s say, the political opposition. They have a lot of egos¹⁰. They have a lot of problems between them because there was no real political life in Syria," he noted¹¹. "But if you look at the real differences between them, they are not so big.”

At the restaurant, Firas Abdin is frustrated¹² by the lack of a clear alternative to President Assad. But, like many activists, he rejects any suggestion that Mr. Assad might stay in office.

“The people, they will never accept. Not now. Maybe in the first one, two, three months, maybe. But now it’s too late," Abdin said. "No one will accept that. No return. No way back.”

The conflict in Syria is 3,500 kilometers away from Edgware Road, but for many who come here to eat or shop, it feels much closer. 

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 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。

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 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

5 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

6 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 egos   

自我，自尊，自负( ego的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their egos are so easily bruised. 他们的自尊心很容易受到伤害。
• The belief in it issues from the puerile egos of inferior men. 这种信仰是下等人幼稚的自私意识中产生的。

11 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。

12 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》