VOA慢速英语2014 冲突不断和埃博拉病毒的肆虐，对联合国儿童基金会提出更多的要求

 

AS IT IS 2014-08-31 Conflicts, Ebola Put More Demands on UNICEF 冲突不断和埃博拉病毒的肆虐，对联合国儿童基金会提出更多的要求

The United Nations Children’s Fund – UNICEF – says August has been its busiest month for emergency airlifts in the past 10 years. The U.N. agency has been sending

needed supplies on airplanes to humanitarian¹ crises in not one, but several areas. Shanelle Hall is director of UNICEF’s Fund Supply Division.  Her office is in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“For us, there’s been massive need and that’s required a massive response. Many of them have come together at the same time, hitting us in this month of August.”

The airlifts have brought food, medicines and other supplies to eight countries and one territory.

“Central African Republic, Palestine, Liberia, Iraq, South Sudan and Syria, including the neighboring countries where Syrian kids are, so Lebanon and Jordan, as well.”

Ms. Hall says airlifts are much more costly² to operate than transporting supplies by truck.

“Usually we resort to airlifting cargo³ really on the onset⁴ of an increase in need. So we call it our rapid response. When the need to so acute that we need to rapidly get supplies in – when supplies that may be already in-country or were pre-positioned are starting to be exhausted⁵.

As of August 25th, UNICEF had carried out 36 emergency airlifts, carrying over 1,200 metric tons. Some of the supplies going to Syria and Iraq are designed to help children deal with the effects of conflict.

”We’re shipping⁶ what we call early childhood development kits⁷ and recreation kits to give to kids to start, if you will, their psycho-social care. They’re displaced. They’re in camps or other places where they’re settling and they still have some way of expressing themselves through play or through sport.”

UNICEF not only organizes airlifts because of conflict situations.  The U.N. agency has begun airlifting supplies to Liberia for use against the disease Ebola. Shanelle Hall says it is all part of a team effort. She says UNICEF works closely with governments and non-governmental organizations in the affected⁸ areas. 

1 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。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

4 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。