The gates of the Green Zone(绿区) in Baghdad are made of five-metre-high armoured(装甲的) steel, reinforced with horizontal girder(大梁)s, and strung between concrete pillars and anti-blast(防爆的) walls. Police water cannon(高压水炮) trucks are stationed nearby, along with armoured personnel carrier(装甲运兵车)s and squads of heavily armed soldiers.
巴格达绿区的大门由五米高的装甲钢制成，横向加固梁支撑，架设在混凝土立柱和防爆墙之间。附近停着警用高压水炮车，还有装甲运兵车和全副武装的士兵小队。
At the first sign of street protests – over failing(短缺的) electricity, unemployment or, more recently, the US-Israeli attacks on Iran – the gates are shut. X-shaped vehicle barriers, made from welded iron beams and mounted on wheels, sit ready at the roadside alongside coils of razor wire; both are slid across the street, sealing off the sprawling neighbourhood, home to the presidential palace, parliament, the prime minister’s office, the massive fortress-like US embassy, and other institutions, including the homes of scores of politicians and members of parliament.(X形车辆路障由焊接铁梁制成、装有轮子，停在路边待命，旁边是成卷的铁丝网；两者被推到街面，封锁这片广阔街区，这里有总统府、议会、总理办公室、堡垒般的美国大使馆等机构，还有数十名政客和议员的宅邸。)
一旦街头出现抗议苗头——无论是因电力短缺、失业，还是最近因美以袭击伊朗——大门就会关闭。用焊接铁梁制成、装有轮子的X形车辆路障，连同成卷的铁丝网，就停在路边待命；两者被推到街面，封锁这片广阔街区。这里有总统府、议会、总理办公室、堡垒般的美国大使馆，以及其他机构，还有数十名政客和议员的宅邸。
When the gates are closed, traffic is diverted(改道), creating monumental(巨大的) jams lasting for hours for most Baghdadis who lack the coveted Green Zone badges(没有令人垂涎的绿区通行证).
大门关闭时，交通改道，对大多数没有绿区通行证的巴格达市民来说，这意味着长达数小时的严重拥堵。
‘Not just something every PM does’
“不是每位总理都会做的事”
Division of the spoils
分赃
The stooge?
傀儡？
‘That chapter must close’
“那一章必须结束”