新奇事件簿 联合国呼吁为也门提供援助

The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise a whopping $4.2 billion in aid to help alleviate¹ the humanitarian² crisis in Yemen. It is the largest ever appeal made by the UN. It comes after the country has been ravaged³ by years of war and is on the brink⁴ of famine. The UN said it needs the money to help over 19 million people in the war-torn nation. It estimates that nearly a quarter of a million Yemenis are suffering from malnutrition⁵ and are close to dying from starvation. The UN said that around 80 per cent of the population needed urgent humanitarian assistance and protection. A UN spokesperson said the suffering of the people in Yemen has reached a scale not seen in living memory.

联合国呼吁筹集巨资—42亿美元—帮助缓和也门人道主义危机。这是联合国有史以来最大一笔援助提议。此前也门饱受多年战争摧残且临近饥荒边缘。联合国表示其需要资金帮助这个饱受战争破坏国家中的1900多万人。其预估近25万也门人营养失调且就快要被饿死了。联合国表示约80%的人需要紧急人道主义救援和保护。一名联合国发言人称也门人的遭遇已经达到了见所未见的规模。

The UN announced it had finally gained access to food stored at warehouses⁶ in the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah. There is enough food stored there to feed around 3.7 million people for a month. The port has been inaccessible⁷ for the past six months because of heavy fighting in the area. The UN was worried because the food was at risk of rotting. The UN said government forces and Houthi rebels could start to withdraw from around the city soon. It added: "It has really been a horrific year for millions and millions of people in Yemen, who are literally⁸ balancing on the edge of famine and starvation. They need massive amounts of aid, water, sanitation⁹, and education for their children."

联合国宣布也门人终于可在荷台达红海港口城市的仓库中获取食物。里边的食物足够约3700万人吃上一个月。由于该地区战争激烈，在过去六个月中该港口是不开放的。联合国担心里边的食物会腐烂。联合国表示政府军队和胡塞叛军可以开始迅速从周边城市撤军。其还表示：“对也门千万人而言，这真的是非常可怕的一年，他们真的是处在饥荒和饿死的边缘。他们需要大数量的救援、水、卫生设施以及儿童教育。”

1 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

4 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

5 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

6 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

7 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。