万花筒 2009-08-17&08-19 古巴的厕纸危机

Now for our "What In The World" segment. Here's what got my attention this week - a roll of toilet paper. Certainly not the normal subject for us here at GPS, but this is special toilet paper - Cuban toilet paper. It turns out Cuba may be running out of this stuff. The government has warned its citizens in recent days that they are facing a toilet paper shortage. And they added this paucity¹ of paper could last until the end of the year, when they expect a shipment to come in.

 

So how did this happen? Well, the Cubans blame it on the global financial crisis and the hurricanes that they were hit with last year. Now the financial crisis is hurting everyone, but I had yet to hear shortfalls in toilet paper in other places. What I think is really at the bottom of this toilet paper crisis is Cuba's continuing commitment to its bizarre world of socialistic economics. Just two weeks ago, Raul Castro vowed², yet again, to keep communism alive in Cuba, to make sure capitalism³ doesn't return. In a world of flux⁴, I suppose it is comforting to know that something stays the same.

 

Cuba's disastrous⁵ economy would be a joke where not for the poverty it has perpetuated⁶ among millions of Cubans. The whole country is stagnating⁷. Fifty percent of its arable⁸ fields are going unfarmed. First and second year college students now work one month out of the year in agriculture. Its insane farm policies lead to frequent shortages of fruit, vegetables and other basic food needs, shortages even more serious than toilet paper. And all those programs they've held up for years as successes of the communist revolution - free education for all through college, universal healthcare. Well, Raul Castro just announced that they're gonna have to make cuts in all of these. Meanwhile, the average Cuban still earns the equivalent of less than 20 dollars per month.

 

Now capitalism has its problems as we have all seen, but at least we are not running out of toilet paper.
 

1 paucity   

n.小量，缺乏

参考例句：

• The paucity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果缺乏是由于干旱造成的。
• The results are often unsatisfactory because of the paucity of cells.因细胞稀少，结果常令人不满意。

2 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

3 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

4 flux   

n.流动；不断的改变

参考例句：

• The market is in a constant state of flux.市场行情在不断变化。
• In most reactors,there is a significant flux of fast neutrons.在大部分反应堆中都有一定强度的快中子流。

5 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

6 perpetuated   

vt.使永存（perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• This system perpetuated itself for several centuries. 这一制度维持了几个世纪。
• I never before saw smile caught like that, and perpetuated. 我从来没有看见过谁的笑容陷入这样的窘况，而且持续不变。 来自辞典例句

7 stagnating   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得，干这份工作我没有长进。
• ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时，国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句

8 arable   

adj.可耕的，适合种植的

参考例句：

• The terrain changed quickly from arable land to desert.那个地带很快就从耕地变成了沙漠。
• Do you know how much arable land has been desolated?你知道什么每年有多少土地荒漠化吗？