VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-05-01African Elephants, The Information Revolution and Nigeria's Safe Water

 

AS IT IS 2013-05-01African Elephants, The Information Revolution and Nigeria's Safe Water

From VOA LEARNING ENGLISH, welcome to As It Is!

Hello, I’m Steve Ember.

Today on our program: African elephants facing their worst crisis¹ in years…a revolution in information and communication technology for mobile telephone users in Cameroon…and in Nigeria, clean water to drink is resulting in environmental issues, endangering public health.

The United Nations Environmental Protection Agency and other conservation groups say elephants are now facing their worst crisis in years. In the race to satisfy the demand in Asia for ivory² objects and carvings³, elephant poachers have found easy hunting grounds in Mozambique. Bob Doughty⁴ has more.

Five years ago, 15,000 elephants lived in the large Niassa Reserve in the northernmost part of the country. But those numbers are decreasing quickly.

The Rovuma River forms a natural border between the park and Tanzania. All the poachers need to do is cross the water by boat to reach the elephants. Then they attack the animals with high-powered weapons.

The Wildlife Conservation Society recently joined the government of Mozambique in an effort to manage the reserve. Carlos Lopes-Pareira is the organization’s technical advisor⁵. He says poachers can shoot as many as five elephants at a time.

“They go after the matriarch. They create a temporary state of confusion⁶. While the other elephants are looking for guidance, which is given by the matriarch, they are shot.”

Officials say poachers kill an average of three elephants a day. That is more than one thousand a year. Mister Lopes-Pareira predicts a sad future for elephants.

“The destruction is such that in probably eight years we will have very few elephants, or what we could call a not-viable population of elephants.” Wildlife officials, called rangers⁷, try to stop the poachers, but it is difficult.

There are only 40 rangers to guard the park, which is the size of the country of Norway.

Even if the rangers manage to catch a poacher, the chances of sending him to prison appear small. Mozambique’s legal system dates from colonial⁸ times when the country was ruled by Portugal. Mr. Lopes – Pareira says the law does not recognize poaching as a crime.

“It is like a traffic violation⁹, not a crime.”

Now, the Niassa Reserve hopes to train 100 rangers by the end of the year.

Also, more severe anti-poaching legislation¹⁰ will soon go to Mozambique’s Parliament.

You are listening to AS IT IS from VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

Big changes are taking place in Africa. It’s a revolution in information and communication technology, ICT for short. The World Bank and the African Development Bank say there are about 700 million mobile telephone users in Africa. That makes the African mobile phone market larger than either the European Union or the United States.

Today we visit Dzekwa, a community in northwest Cameroon. Villagers there recently marked the second anniversary of the availability of mobile phones and the Internet.

It was only two years ago that the government opened a Community Telecenter in Dzekwa. Most people there -- uneducated farmers -- say the difference is revolutionary.

“Now, I take pictures and even images of my cattle with information on the weight and send to buyers through this center. Before now, I covered long distances with my cattle to the market and had to return with the unsold cattle. Now I take to the market only what my customers want.”

“A long time ago it was difficult to send money to my children. At times, people even removed the money from the envelope. But see now, I have just been told by my son that he received money, five minutes after I sent it to him.”

In the past, most farmers depended on people who took a lot of money for their services as middle men to buyers. The farmers never knew the prices their produce or animals really brought in distant markets. Today, through the telecenter, they can communicate with buyers directly and set prices.

A group of Americans, called Connect Africa, came to Dzekwa after learning about the telecenter on the Internet. Connect Africa head Maxine Muffet says her group wants to help the villagers escape poverty. She tells about the possibilities for users of the center.

“You may have a woman that maybe sells earrings¹¹ or she makes furniture and she may find a person in Switzerland, for example, who may possible buy her products.”

The community telecenter does not just provide communication technology. It also provides Internet services on education, training in business and health. The villagers pay between one and two American dollars each day they use the services.

From VOA Learning English, you’re listening to AS IT IS. I’m Steve Ember.

Most homes in Nigeria do not have running water, or at least not water that is clean enough to drink. As a result, people drink water from small plastic bags sold in markets or on streets. Environmental experts say the bags are now blocking pipes that carry off water. They say these blockages¹² are a threat to public health and are causing diseases. Mario Ritter has the story.

A boy about six years old is selling water. He is balancing a bucket filled with clear plastic bags on his head. Each one holds about a half liter of water. He calls out for people to buy his water.

The product he is selling is known as “pure water.” For a little more than 10 cents, buyers tear off an end of the bag with their teeth and drink the water. It is a simple, low-cost way to keep enough fluid in the body. And it provides a much needed chance for young people to earn money in a country where most people are poor.

But experts say the bags are becoming a problem. Cletus Bebefagha directs operations for the Delta¹³ State Waste Management Board. He says most people drop the bags on the street when they are finished drinking. He says this is harmful to the environment.

“Plastic is a problem because they don’t decompose¹⁴ and by the time they get into any drain, that drain is plugged and causes flooding.”

In his opinion, the only other supply of clean water for most people is bottled water. Yet bottled water is also considered a threat to the environment. But Cletus Bebefagha says bottles can be reused. He says they are easier to control and less damaging over a shorter period than bags.

Still, he notes, not everyone has the money to buy bottled water.

He says his agency is attempting to persuade people to throw the bags in waste cans, and is providing containers to do that. The agency is also working with pure-water producers to find a way to recycle the bags – to treat them so the plastic can be used again. I’m Mario Ritter.

And, finally, on this date in 1938, a Hollywood film was released with a cartoon rabbit later known as “Bugs¹⁵ Bunny.” Over time, the movie-star rabbit who loves to eat carrots and get into mischief¹⁶ became a world-famous star. Bugs hops¹⁷ in today to close our program with one of his favorite expressions: “What’s Up, Doc?

Let’s give that man a carrot. And that’s our program for today. Remember - for the latest world news, join us at the top of the hour Universal Time for VOA News on radio and here on our web site. I’m Steve Ember. Thanks for joining us.

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

3 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

5 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

6 confusion   

n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。
• His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

7 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

8 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

9 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

10 legislation   

n.立法，法律的制定；法规，法律

参考例句：

• They began to draft legislation.他们开始起草法规。
• The liberals band together against the new legislation.自由党员联合一致反对新的立法。

11 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

13 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

14 decompose   

vi.分解；vt.（使）腐败，（使）腐烂

参考例句：

• The eggs began to decompose after a day in the sun.鸡蛋在太阳下放了一天后开始变坏。
• Most animals decompose very quickly after death.大多数动物死后很快腐烂。

15 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

17 hops   

跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• The sparrow crossed the lawn in a series of hops. 那麻雀一蹦一跳地穿过草坪。
• It is brewed from malt and hops. 它用麦精和蛇麻草酿成。