新概念雙語：伊拉克40年首次選美 姑娘脫黑袍秀嬌容

“Some people out there think we don’t love life，” said Humam al-Obeidi， one of the organisers， as the crowd spilled out of the Baghdad hotel ballroom where the pageant was held。

“外面的一些人覺得我們不熱愛生活”，伊拉克選美比賽組織者Humam al-Obeidi表示，隨著人群涌出舉辦選美比賽的酒店。

The jury chose Shaymaa Abdelrahman， a tall， green-eyed 20-year-old from Iraq’s multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk。

2015年伊拉克的選美冠軍Shaymaa Abdelrahman，20歲，身材高挑，黑發(fā)碧眼，一位來自伊拉克基爾庫克多民族城市的佳麗。

The decision was popular with those in attendance， especially in the back rows， where young men with hipster beards and tight blazers had been standing on their chairs shouting her name。

當宣布冠軍得主時，臺下的觀眾都沸騰了，特別是后排的那些留著時髦小胡子，身穿緊身西裝的年輕小伙子，高站在椅子上呼喊她的名字。

“I’m very happy to see Iraq going forward，” the new beauty queen told AFP as she tried to fend off a scrum of admirers hoping to clinch a selfie。 “This event was huge and put a smile on the faces of the Iraqis。”

“我很高興看到伊拉克在進步，”選美冠軍告訴法新社記者，在躲避崇拜者的合照要求時說道。 “這是項大活動，它把微笑印在了伊拉克人的臉上。”

Wearing her sash and holding her bouquet， Shaymaa Abdelrahman was fast learning her new trade， saying all the right things without ever breaking her smile。

佩戴著冠軍束帶，手握花束，Shaymaa Abdelrahman快速適應了選美小姐的這一身份，一直面帶微笑著完美回答所有的問題。

There was more talking than glamorous strutting during the pageant as the contestants， in high heels and evening dresses that were sleeveless but below the knee。

選美小姐穿著高跟鞋和無袖長款晚禮服，在舞臺上的表演卻不及人們對此的言論。

The pageant was designed to meet enough international criteria to propel its winner to the next Miss Universe contest， but some details， such as the Kalashnikov-toting guard at the door， set the event firmly in Iraq。

此次選美賽事的設計滿足國際標準，旨在推動其冠軍參與到下一屆環(huán)球小姐大賽中，但一些細節(jié)，比如卡拉什尼科夫身背守衛(wèi)在門口，使得此次賽事走不國門。

The winner said she would use her fame to forward educational initiatives， especially among the massive population of people who have been displaced by conflict。

選美冠軍表示，她會用她的名氣來支持教育活動，尤其是促進那些因地方?jīng)_突而流離失所的人的教育問題。

In the week running up to the event， the eight finalists embarked on a string of pre-pageant activities， including the visit of a camp for displaced people in Baghdad。

此次選美比賽持續(xù)一周，在此前一系列預熱活動后，其中包括一次巴格達流離失所者的營地訪問活動，最終共有八名選手入圍決賽。

Iraq is wracked by an ongoing war against the Islamic State， the world’s most brutal jihadist organisation， and plagued by deep sectarian tensions and corruption。

伊拉克飽受世界上最殘酷的伊斯蘭圣戰(zhàn)組織戰(zhàn)爭的肆虐，深受教派沖突和腐敗的困擾。

The last time the Miss Iraq competition was held was in 1972， when the oil-rich country was on an upward track。

上一次舉辦伊拉克小姐選美比賽是在1972年，當時的伊拉克因石油資源豐富正蒸蒸日上。

“We look forward to having a good ambassador for Iraq，” said Senan Kamel， the 2015 pageant’s artistic director， who also organised Iraq’s first fashion show in years last March。

“我們期待伊拉克能有一個美好的大使形象，”此次選美比賽的藝術總監(jiān)塞南·卡邁勒表示，同時他也參與組織了去年三月伊拉克的第一場時裝秀。

“What we’re hoping to accomplish is to make Iraq’s voice heard， show that it is still alive， that its heart is still beating，” he said。

“我們希望做到的是，讓世界聽到伊拉克的聲音，表明伊拉克仍然有活力，它的心臟還在跳動”，他說。