VOA慢速英语2016 世卫称溺水是儿童死亡的主要原因之一

WHO: Drowning Among Top Causes of Death in Children 世卫称溺水是儿童死亡的主要原因之一

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活频道。

The World Health Organization (WHO) says drowning is among the top five causes of death for children under the age of 15.

世界卫生组织称溺水是15岁以下儿童五大死因之一。

The United Nations agency² also found that boys and girls living near open water sources, such as ponds and irrigation ditches³, are especially at risk.

该机构还发现住所周围有池塘或灌溉水渠等开放水域的儿童尤其危险。

How serious is the problem in Asia?

亚洲的溺水问题有多严重？

Other studies have shown that, on average, drownings kill at least one child every 15 minutes somewhere in Asia.

研究发现：亚洲地区平均每十五分钟就有一个孩子因溺水死亡。

Children in Asia are especially at risk in extreme heat during the summer and during the monsoon⁴ or rainy season.

每逢夏季及雨季，炎热的环境导致亚洲儿童溺水的危险倍增。

Monsoon rains have already begun in western Asia. Heavy rains in Pakistan recently were blamed for killing⁵ around 100 people, including women and children.

西亚地区已迎来季风雨。近日，巴基斯坦的强降雨已造成100多人死亡，其中多数为妇女和儿童。

The Asia-based group Alliance⁶ for Safe Children says drowning rates in developing countries are 10 to 20 times higher than those in developed countries.

总部位于亚洲的儿童安全联盟表示，发展中国家儿童溺水率是发达国家的10-20倍。

The Alliance’s survey found that Bangladesh has the highest rates of child drownings: almost 17,000 a year.

联盟公布的报告显示，孟加拉国是儿童溺水率最高的国家，每年有17000名儿童溺水死亡。

Vietnam followed Bangladesh with more than 11,500 child drownings a year. In Thailand, about 2,600 children drown each year.

其次是越南，每年超11500名儿童溺水死亡。而泰国每年儿童溺亡数量为2600。

Thailand's Disease⁷ Control Department recently reported that more than 10,000 children drowned from 2006 to 2015. That number represents a rate of 10 drownings a day.

泰国疾病控制部门最近报道称，2006年到2015年共有1万名儿童溺水死亡。该数据意味着平均每天有10名儿童因溺水死亡。

In China, information for most provinces is not available. But in Jiangxi province alone, the Alliance discovered evidence of more than 4,600 child drownings a year. That is also a rate of 10 deaths every day.

而在中国，多数省份的相关信息并不齐全。江西省每年有4600名儿童溺亡。相当于每天有10名儿童溺水而死。

What can help?

如何解决这一问题？

Bill Kirby of Australia won a gold medal as a swimmer in the 2000 Olympics. He now leads swimming classes and training programs in Asia, mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia.

澳大利亚的Bill Kirby在2000年奥运会上夺得游泳比赛金牌。他现在在印尼、马来西亚开设了游泳班及训练项目。

Kirby told VOA that governments and swimming organizations can work together to campaign for improved water safety.

Kirby在接受VOA采访时表示，政府和游泳机构可以携手改善水域方面的安全。

"One of the first steps is actually to create a national body that looks after water safety, whether it be like [Australia's] Royal Life Saving⁸ or a Swim Australia or whatever it is -- that can actually get a lot of stakeholders together, get some government funding and promote water safety.”

Kirby adds that swimming associations¹⁰ in Asia need to be better organized.

他还补充说，亚洲游泳机构的组织协调性尚待提高。

"I think, one of the things with the  Asian countries, they’re still yet to be as organized as the swimming associations or swimming bodies are like in the Western world, which probably had more time to be organized and have had government funding and they see the importance of it.”

He adds that this is especially important in areas that experience what he calls “massive¹¹” flooding. He uses the word downpour to mean heavy rainfall.

"Massive flooding whether it's in Pakistan at the moment or I know in [the Indonesian capital of] Jakarta every year or every two years, they have such big floodings where all the waste goes into the waterways and they have a massive downpour and it floods, creating more opportunity for kids to drown.”

Officials in Thailand have called on parents to teach children how to swim. They are also asking parents to keep a close watch on their children, especially during what they call the "risky¹²" period: between the middle of the day and sunset.

泰国政府呼吁父母教孩子学游泳。同时要求父母随时注意孩子动向，尤其是“危险”高发时段：中午到傍晚。

The World Health Organization and others are urging countries to push for water safety and survival¹³ skills.

世界卫生组织及其他公益组织呼吁各国加强水域安全防护，提高生存技能。

The WHO says measures should include

世界卫生组织提出以下几点：

making barriers to control access to water;

在水域周围设置护栏；

providing safe childcare for very young children away from water sources;

安全看护低龄儿童，避免其靠近水源；

teaching¹⁴ water safety and rescue skills.

教授水域安全知识和急救相关技能。

The WHO adds that governments need to guarantee safe boating and rules for passenger boat services. It warns that governments also need to improve flood risk management.

世界卫生组织称，政府需保证船只航行安全，完善船只行驶的相关规定。同时，政府需提升管理洪水风险的能力。

Words in This Story

stakeholder – n. one who is involved in or affected¹⁵ by a course of action

association⁹ – n. an organized group of people who have the same interest, job, etc.

massive – adj. large in amount or degree : very severe

downpour – n. a sudden heavy rain

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 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。

3 ditches   

n.沟，渠( ditch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fields are crisscrossed by irrigation canals and ditches. 田野上沟渠纵横。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We moved through fields and over ditches. 我们穿过田野，跨过沟渠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 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。

7 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。

8 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

9 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

10 associations   

n.协会( association的名词复数 )；联合；联系；（思想、感觉、记忆等的）联想

参考例句：

• Do you belong to any professional or trade associations? 你参加了专业学会或行业协会没有？
• Colleges may be accredited by regional associations. 学会是否合格可由地区各协会作出鉴定。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

12 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

13 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

14 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

15 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。