VOA标准英语2012--Wounded Syrian Refugees Strain Jordan's Health Services

Wounded Syrian Refugees Strain Jordan's Health Services

Khalaf Rshaidat and Khaled Ghizawi have lived in this apartment provided by a Jordanian benefactor¹ for the past two months. They say they fled Syria after being wounded by government troops and asked that their identities be hidden.

Rshaidat - not his real name - was an interior decorator in Daraa, southern Syria. He says he was shot during an anti-government demonstration² and then, in a hospital, authorities tortured him.

"They wanted me to confess that I was part of a terrorist organization, related to al-Qaida, and to say that the people who tortured us were terrorists from al-Qaida. And this is not true," he said.

The conflict in Syria began a year ago with peaceful protests, but has become increasingly violent. Rshaidat says he slipped into Jordan after a doctor helped him to escape from the hospital.

Khaled Ghizawi says he lost his hand and sight in one eye when soldiers threw a grenade at him in front of his vegetable shop. He says he secretly received emergency treatment in Syria, but has been unable to follow up in Jordan.

"My arm is still in pain," he said. "We have not seen anything of the [Syrian] opposition³. We have had no aid at all. And as you see I should be in a hospital, not here."

The most seriously wounded refugees are being treated in Jordanian government hospitals. Others have to pay out of pocket.

Dr. Wasfi al-Rashda heads the privately-owned Irbid Specialty⁴ Hospital. He says private health facilities can only do so much.

"In this hospital, I can take care of one, two, three, four patients for free but the number of refugees is so big and this hospital is not supported by the government," he said. "So it's important that humanitarian⁵ groups, local or international, help out like in any humanitarian emergency."

Qusai Zu'bi is a mechanic who arrived last week with a gunshot wound to his thigh⁶. He says government brutality⁷ in Syria is getting worse.

"They are shooting people just because of Bashar al-Assad, because of Iran," he said. "They were slaughtering⁸ us. They were shooting in all directions, children, women, men, unarmed people, from their cars, from their motorcycles."

These people would like to go home. But they say Syrian forces consider wounded civilians⁹ to be traitors¹⁰ and as a result they will be killed if they return. 

1 benefactor   

n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人

参考例句：

• The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。
• The first thing I did, was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain. 我所做的第一件事, 就是报答我那最初的恩人, 那位好心的老船长。

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 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。

4 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

5 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。

6 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

7 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

8 slaughtering   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 traitors   

卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人

参考例句：

• Traitors are held in infamy. 叛徒为人所不齿。
• Traitors have always been treated with contempt. 叛徒永被人们唾弃。