VOA慢速英语2010年-Development Report - Project Seeks to

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced a plan to get cleaner-burning cooking stoves into developing countries. The plan aims to reduce deaths caused by smoke from the traditional use of solid fuels and open fires.

Almost half the world's people breathe smoke from coal and biomass fuels like wood, dung and crop waste. The smoke can lead to lung cancer, heart disease¹, low birth weight and other problems. It also increases the risk of pneumonia², a leading cause of death in young children.

Women and children are most at risk because they spend the most time in the kitchen. Also, in areas of conflict, the search for fuel puts women at increased risk of violence.

The goal of the Global Alliance³ for Clean Cookstoves is one hundred million homes using safer cookstoves and fuels by twenty twenty.

Secretary Clinton said last week in New York that clean stoves could make as big a difference in the world as bed nets or vaccines⁴.

HILLARY CLINTON: "The World Health Organization considers smoke from dirty stoves to be one of the five most serious health risks that face people in poor, developing countries. Nearly two million people die from its effects each year, more than twice the number from malaria⁵. And because the smoke contains greenhouse⁶ gases such as carbon dioxide and methane⁷, as well as black carbon, it contributes to climate change."

Smoke rises as an Indian woman cooks a mid-day meal on a traditional oven⁸ in Calcutta in 2007

Founding partners in the alliance include governments and United Nations agencies⁹, nonprofit groups and the energy company Shell. The alliance hopes to raise at least two hundred fifty million dollars within ten years. The United States has promised to donate more than fifty million dollars over the next five years.

The aim is to create a strong global market for clean cookstoves. The alliance will identify target markets and work to get women involved in business operations. It will also develop indoor air-quality guidelines¹⁰, test clean stoves and fuels and develop "research roadmaps."

The United States Environmental Protection Agency¹¹ has donated six million dollars towards the effort. EPA Administrator¹² Lisa Jackson says the problem of cookstove pollution is really an issue of poverty.

LISA JACKSON: "This is in many ways the ultimate¹³ environmental justice issue. We can't fix everything in their lives immediately but today we're starting a process to help them meet the most basic human need -- cooking a meal in a way that won't cause them harm."

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. You can read and listen to our programs -- and learn more about projects in the developing world -- at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
 

1 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

2 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

3 alliance   

n.同盟，同盟国，结盟，联姻

参考例句：

• China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
• The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

6 greenhouse   

n.花房，温室，玻璃暖房

参考例句：

• Behind the green house was a greenhouse.在那所绿房子后面是一个花房。
• The tomatoes were grown in the greenhouse.这些西红柿是在温室栽培的。

7 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

8 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

9 agencies   

n.代理( agency的名词复数 )；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构；代理（或经销）业务（或关系）

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations. 联合国有许多专门机构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The project is funded by the World Bank and other multilateral agencies. 这项计划由世界银行和其他多国机构资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。

11 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

12 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

13 ultimate   

adj.最远的；最后的；终极的；根源的，基本的

参考例句：

• What was his ultimate goal?他的最终目标是什么？
• The sun is the ultimate store of power.太阳是能量之本。