VOA标准英语2015--乌克兰当局努力去保卫一个分裂的马里乌波尔

Ukrainian Authorities Struggle to Secure a Divided Mariupol 乌克兰当局努力去保卫一个分裂的马里乌波尔

MARIUPOL, UKRAINE—

Since last month's cease-fire went into effect, shelling around the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has decreased, but it is thought pro-Russian separatists remain poised¹ to attack. For the city’s authorities, a major challenge is gaining the trust of residents, while at the same time rooting out informants who are passing sensitive information to the rebels.

Children still play in the squares of central Mariupol, but this city is holding its breath. With the constant threat of separatist invasion, city authorities here acknowledge the population remains² deeply divided.

They estimate just 30 percent support the government while another 30 percent support the rebels. They say the remaining 40 percent are undecided, longing³ only for a return to normality.

For Mariupol’s Civil Defense⁴ Organization, this disunity makes the city even harder to secure. Ukrainian security services monitor mobile phone traffic to stop people from passing information to separatists. And there has been a spate⁵ of arrests in recent weeks as Ukrainian authorities try to root out suspected spies.

“All of these people were taking part in terrorist groups, and the relatives have no idea. What they have done? They transfer information, smuggle⁶ weapons, but mostly it’s sending information,” said Roman Sokolov, chairman of Mariupol Civil Defense Organization.

But this family disputes the official version of events. On Friday, Anna got a terrified phone call from her 14-year-old sister. She said armed men with no official identification papers had pushed their way into the house and beaten their father.

“My sister ran in here. She could see our father’s face had a bruise⁷ from this tool. His face had been beaten, and it looked like they’d beaten his head on the table," said Anna.

Anna said her father was not involved in politics, but the men took him away after beating him. She tried to follow them but she says they threatened to shoot her. Now she has no idea where he is.

“A person in our country is unprotected now; wherever he goes, he doesn’t have any rights. At this moment the political situation in Mariupol is like if you criticize the local administration, you are a separatist,” said Anna.

Perhaps nowhere is Mariupol’s atmosphere of mistrust more evident than in the suburb of Vastochniy. When a rocket attack in January killed 30 people here, Human Rights Watch investigators⁸ said it was highly likely that the rebels were to blame.

But in spite of the evidence, many continue to believe that the government was responsible, though they are too afraid to say so openly.

“The shelling of Vastochniy district, the shelling in Donetsk, when they hit the trolley⁹ bus, the shelling in Volnovaha when they hit the bus, 75 percent of the people here are sure that this was a provocation¹⁰ by the Ukrainian government,” said a man using the name Pasha.

Authorities in the region are facing a classic counterinsurgency dilemma¹¹: how to enforce security without losing the hearts and minds of local people. And as the war continues to send the local economy deeper into the abyss, it seems the government's position here may only get more precarious¹².

1 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

2 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。

3 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

6 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

7 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

8 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 trolley   

n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车

参考例句：

• The waiter had brought the sweet trolley.侍者已经推来了甜食推车。
• In a library,books are moved on a trolley.在图书馆，书籍是放在台车上搬动的。

10 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

11 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

12 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。