VOA常速英语:US Woman's Afghan Experience Inspires Novel

短语讲解：

1. However, instead of a memoir, she opted to write a novel inspired by real people and events.

instead of (用…)代替…, (是…)而不是…
例句：We shall have tea in the garden instead of in the house.
我们将在花园里用茶, 而不在室内用。

2. Some of the incidents are based on real incidents that happened to me.

base on使建立在…基础上,立足
例句：Action should be based on solid facts.
行动应有确凿的事实为依据。
happen to发生在…身上
例句：If anything happens to the machine, please let me know.
要是机器出了毛病, 请告诉我。

3. But I think I was able to be freer to express my opinions sometimes through the voices of my characters.

be able to能,会
例句：Most children are able to walk before they are able to talk.
多数孩子在会说话前就会走路。

4. At the small camp in Mazar-e-Sharif, she receives a cold welcome from the British soldiers and from Rahim, a young interpreter who makes it clear he is not pleased to be working for a woman.

make it clear请说清楚, 解释清楚
例句：Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.
多实验都证实了睡眠剥夺的危险。
work for受雇于
例句：How long have you been working for this firm?
你为这家公司效力多久了?

5. So with his relationship with Angela, I tried to deal with it in that way.

deal with应付, 处理; 对待; 论述, 涉及
例句：There are many difficulties to be dealt with when starting a new business.
开展一项新业务时, 有许多困难需要解决。

6. Then when he begins his romance with Nilofar, he is also dealing with a very Western but Afghan woman.

begin with以…开始, 从…开始
例句：The teacher began his class with a question.
老师以一个问题开始他的讲课。

7. And I was so impressed with what they were doing.

be impressed with对…印象深刻
例句：I was very impressed with her performance.
她的表演给我留下了深刻的印象。

8. I set it up in a village, where we had a meeting.

set up建立，建造, 创立, 竖立
例句：They set up a supervisory institution.
他们设立了监察机构。

9. I poured a liter of water into a pot, put the cooker on the ground, pointed it at the sun and went on to the meeting.

point at (把…)对准, 指向
例句：He pointed the telescope at a deer on the hillside.
他把望远镜对着山坡上的一只小鹿。

10. It disappoints me that our construction is required to follow international building codes, so we’re bringing in cement and cinder blocks and putting up buildings that require generators to run ventilation systems because without those ventilation systems these buildings in the winter are too cold and in the summer are too hot.

put up建立; 竖起
例句：They put up many buildings last year.
去年他们盖了许多高楼。