VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - Haitians Face Major Elec

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Haiti holds elections on Sunday for a new president and National Assembly. The nation has struggled with damage from the January earthquake -- and now a deadly outbreak of cholera¹.
This election is seen as one of the most important in years. International donors² are waiting to give billions of dollars in aid money to a new government.
The United States has promised fourteen million dollars in election aid to Haiti. That includes money to help pay for international observers.
Will Haiti finally get the political leadership it needs to bring real change? That is the question on the minds of most Haitians. They live in the poorest country in the Americas. Haiti is also known for widespread corruption³ and wasting international aid.
One voter, Elexcema Okinel, says the country's biggest problem is the tent camps for people displaced⁴ by the quake.
ELEXCEMA OKINEL (TRANSLATED): The first thing I want to see fixed⁵ is for the new government to move people from tents into real homes. There is so much misery⁶ in the tent camps."Some Haitians would like to see the election postponed⁷ because of the cholera outbreak and earthquake damage. But Mathieu Tranquilor says there is no time to wait. Mr. Tranquilor is one of almost twenty candidates running for a senate seat in Port-au-Prince, the capital.
Supporters of presidential candidate Jude Celestin gather in Port-au-Prince,Thursday MATHIEU TRANQUILOR (TRANSLATED): "As far as the election is concerned, we need to have an election. Because constitutionally, on February seventh, the current government will be dissolved. So we need to have an election with the help of the international community."Mr. Tranquilor's campaign manager is a Haitian-born civil engineer, Russel Lacroix. They went to school together. Mr. Lacroix has lived for the past sixteen years in the United States.
But he says he plans to stay in Haiti and run for president in five years. That is how long a candidate must live in the country before seeking the presidency⁸.
RUSSEL LACROIX: "You have to understand, I was born in Haiti. I am one hundred percent Haitian. When I saw everything from the TV, I have to come to my country to see on my own with my own eyes. And to see how I can help my country and rebuild my country with the help of the international community. And that is the main reason why I am here."There are plenty of candidates in Sunday's elections. Because of that, no one expects clear winners without a second ballot⁹. But some officials worry that there might not be enough voters. A low turnout could call the results into question.
Hundreds of thousands of Haitians remain homeless since the January earthquake. Tens of thousands who were displaced are unsure if they will be permitted to vote.
Many in the tent camps are unsure if they will vote on Sunday. Some do not know which voting station to use. Others lost their identity cards in the quake.
Haitians need a national identity card to vote. People have been crowding government offices to try to get one.
But some young Haitians say the lack of greater progress since the disaster in January has turned them against politics. Guerrier Accene says he has no plans to vote.
GUERRIER ACCENE (TRANSLATED): "When the politicians need you, it is only to help them win an election and get into office."Haitian law bars voting by the eight hundred thousand Haitians living in the United States. But several Haitian presidential candidates traveled to Florida for a debate earlier this month. Haitian-Americans are important to Haiti. Last year, they sent nearly two billion dollars to family members back home.
And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

1 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 displaced   

移动( displace的过去式和过去分词 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines. 工厂的工人已逐渐被机器取代。
• He was displaced by another young man. 他已被另一个年轻人顶替。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

7 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。