VOA标准英语2013--Qusair Fighting Drives More Syrians Into Lebanon

Qusair Fighting Drives More Syrians Into Lebanon

At a refugee camp in Aarsal, a small Lebanese town lying just across the mountains from Syria, most of the people who have arrived in recent days came from Qusair.
They were driven from their homes by heavy fighting between Syrian rebels and government troops reinforced by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. Qusair lies on a strategic highway linking Damascus to the Mediterranean¹ Sea.
Mohamed Ali Diab said he left after his son was wounded by a stray bullet.
"Why did we leave? For two years we've been resisting this corrupt² regime that destroys our houses, the trees, even the children. In the end it joined with Hezbollah to drive us out," said Ali Diab.
Sixty-six year old Hassan al-Hassan said many people left quickly and with few possessions. They need blankets, food and more housing.
"There are two or three families in one tent, one on top of the other. There are no bathrooms, no running water. Soon there will be an outbreak of disease," said al-Hassan.
Aarsal's mayor, Ali Mohamed al-Hujairy, said 24,000 refugees have come to his town of 40,000 inhabitants. The town gets humanitarian³ aid only occasionally from foreign or private Lebanese donors⁴.
"When we have aid we distribute it. When we don't have aid, we don't. The Lebanese government is not helping⁵ at all. Nothing, not even one small thing," said al-Hujairy.
He said tensions sometimes arise because of the congested conditions, but overall the local residents understand the plight⁶ of the refugees.
"The majority of the townspeople are sympathetic. They know they [refugees] have nothing. They've left everything behind," said al-Hujairy.
Seventy-five year old Um Adnan al-Sayed arrived the day before. A widow, she said she came with nothing except the clothes on her back.
"We had to leave. But I have nowhere to go. I am an old woman. What can I do?" she asked.
Most of these people are traumatized by what they have seen. They say that as long as the war rages on the other side of the mountains, they will not return.

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

3 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。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。