(单词翻译:单击)
中英文本
The continuing search for a solution to Syria
继续寻求叙利亚问题的出路
Syrian, Iranian and Turkish delegates arrived in the southern Russian city of Sochi on Jan. 30 for a two-day peace conference on bringing the Syrian war to a close,
叙利亚，伊朗和土耳其代表于1月30日抵达俄罗斯南部城市索契，开始为期两天的和平会议，商讨如何结束叙利亚战争。
but behind-the-scenes conflict has left experts with low expectations for the Russian-sponsored talks.
然而，幕后的冲突使得专家们对俄罗斯发起的这次谈判并不抱太大期望。
NO SHOW
大会没戏
Moscow, an ally to the Syrian government, invited 1,600 delegates to Sochi in a bid to create a road map for ending the war.
莫斯科，叙利亚政府的盟友，邀请了1600名代表前往索契，制定结束战争的路线图。
But the Syrian Negotiation Commission, the country’s main opposition group, boycotted the event.
但该国主要的反对派组织“叙利亚谈判委员会”抵制这一事件。
They argued that the talks will only benefit Syria’s President Bashar Assad,
他们认为，能从谈判中获利的只有叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德，
who has regained the upper hand and appears unwilling to step down despite opposition groups’ demands.
他在反对派要求其下台的局面中再次占了上风，也似乎不愿意下台。
NEW FIGHT
新的冲突
Complicating matters is Turkey’s creation of another front in the multi-sided, nearly seven-year conflict.
土耳其在近七年的多边冲突中制造了另一个阵线，那就是搅混水。
Ankara considers Kurdish militias a security threat and on Jan. 20 began an offensive on Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria.
土耳其政府认为库尔德民兵威胁了国家的安全，并于1月20日对叙利亚西北部库尔德飞地阿夫林发起了进攻。
As a result, the Kurds—who control about 25% of Syrian territory and are the main U.S. ally against ISIS—also declined to attend.
结果，控制了约25％叙利亚领土，在反对ISIS一事上成了美国的主要盟友的的库尔德人也拒绝出席本次会议。
NO CHANGE
不会有什么改变
A leaked draft of the final statement of the talks calls for the lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria and for additional Western aid in the region’s reconstruction.
谈判泄露的最后声明的草案要求取消对叙利亚的单方面制裁，请求西方为该地区的重建加大援助力度。
But, just as the summit's credibility had been hurt by the absence of opposition groups, that plan would likewise be compromised.
然而，正如该峰会的信誉因反对派团体的缺席大打折扣，上述计划也会受到连累。
Western nations such as the U.S. and France, who would be key to its implementation, did not attend
作为落实该声明的关键力量，美国、法国等西方国家也没有出席
because they believe the Syrian regime is refusing to engage with the opposition.
因为他们认为叙利亚政府拒绝与反对派进行接触。
Like the nine rounds of U.N. peace talks before it, Sochi might also be in vain.
就像之前联合国发起的九轮和平谈判一样，索契谈判也可能以失败告终。
重点讲解
1. bring sth. to a close 终结……
例句:A domestic robot which can be left indoors to clean carpets could bring to a close nearly a century of manual vacuum cleaning.
一种可留在家里自行清洁地毯的家用机器人的发明或将终结长达百年的手动真空吸尘器的清洁历史。
2. gain an/the upper hand 在……占上风
例句:China made that promise as part of efforts to gain the upper hand in global climate-change negotiations.
中国的这一承诺在一定程度上是为了争取在全球气候变化谈判中占据上风。
3. call for 呼吁
例句:He was one of the first Western politicians to call for an end to apartheid.
他是第一批呼吁终止种族隔离的西方政治家之一。
4. in vain 徒劳
例句:We have tried to solve the problem in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain.
我们已经从每一个可能的角度去尝试解决这个问题了，到头来却都是竹篮打水一场空。
