VOA标准英语2012--Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Anxious as Year-End Looms

 

Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Anxious as Year-End Looms¹

There are more Afghan refugees than any other nationality in the world. Many live in camps or slums on the outskirts² of the Pakistani capital.

Doctor Mohamed Nazar came here from Afghanistan almost 18 years ago.

"There are no facilities for the children, there is no hygiene³, no electricity, there are scorpions⁴ and snakes," said Nazar. "We only have medicine for headaches. For anything else they go to the hospital."

Since 2002, roughly 5.5 million Afghans have returned to their country. But 1.7 million are still registered in Pakistan, scattered⁵ among 80 camps.

There are at least another million undocumented Afghans.

In this unofficial camp, life is precarious⁶. Sana Gul is a community elder here, responsible for 85 households

"Every day police come and ask us for money," said Gul. "Most of us don't have immigrant IDs, and if we refuse to pay them, they take us to the police stations and threaten to deport⁷ us, then we have pay them more."

Despite their situation, Duniya Aslam Khan of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees expects few Afghans will leave anytime soon.

"There's a whole generation who were born in Pakistan and were raised in Pakistan and know of no other country except Pakistan. The remaining ones who don't feel they can go back, cite security as the number one reason for not returning," said Khan.

After 30 years in exile, Ghulum Sarwar has 10 children, three grandchildren and many reasons to stay where he is.

"We have no other choice. We have to live here," said Sarwar. "We know we face a lot of problems here, but in Afghanistan there are more problems, like the Taliban, terrorism."

Pakistan says registered refugees can stay until the end of the year, and is working to extend the stay of some of the most vulnerable as well as students and businessmen.

But Minister of States and Frontier Regions Shaukat Ullah says the government can no longer afford to house so many.

"It's a big burden on our economy, we are facing that problem," said Ullah.

While millions of Afghans have already gone back home, the UNHCR says many often find it hard to reintegrate into the villages they left. Some have now returned to Pakistan. 

1 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

3 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

4 scorpions   

n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You promise me that Black Scorpions will never come back to Lanzhou. 你保证黑蝎子永远不再踏上兰州的土地。 来自电影对白
• You Scorpions are rather secretive about your likes and dislikes. 天蝎：蝎子是如此的神秘，你的喜好很难被别人洞悉。 来自互联网

5 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

6 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

7 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。