Doctors Without Borders

By Jill Moss¹
Broadcast: July 7, 2003
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Development Report.
When a 1)crisis² develops in the world, Doctors Without Borders is usually there to help. This organization provides 2)emergency care to 3)victims of armed conflict, natural and manmade disasters, and fast-spreading diseases³. The group also assists⁴ people who have no other way to receive health care. It trains local health workers, provides mental health care, and organizes nutrition and other programs.
Doctors Without Borders is also known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres. A group of French doctors started the organization in nineteen-seventy-one. They said they felt strongly that race, religion and political beliefs should not prevent someone from receiving health care. They also said the medical needs of individuals were more important than national borders.
Doctors Without Borders is also working to get medicines to poor people. It is involved in a new drug research organization announced last Thursday in Geneva. The effort is called the Drugs for Neglected⁵ Diseases Initiative⁶. Research centers in Brazil, France, India, Kenya and Malaysia are also involved.
The organizers say drug companies have forgotten about the diseases that affect millions of people in developing countries. Scientists will seek new drugs to treat diseases like sleeping sickness and 4)leishmaniasis. Both are spread by insects. The initiative is to spend about two-hundred-fifty-million dollars over the next ten years to develop new treatments for these and other diseases.
Medical professionals, administrators⁷ and engineers who give their services for free make it possible for Doctors Without Borders to operate. It has offices in eighteen countries, but has provided⁸ aid in more than eighty nations. This is with the help of local workers and more than two-thousand volunteers.
In nineteen-ninety-nine, Doctors Without Borders won the Nobel Peace Prize. The group was recognized for its work in the conflicts in Kosovo and East Timor.
But the kind of work that this 5)humanitarian⁹ aid group and others do is not without cost. Last year, the head of operations for Doctors Without Borders in the Russian republic of Dagestan was kidnapped. Russian and local officials have been working to solve the case.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Steve Ember.

注释：
1) crisis [5kraisis] n. 危机，危险期
2) emergency [i5mE:dVnsi] n.紧急情况，突然事件
3) victim [5viktim] n.受害人，牺牲者
4) leishmaniasis [7liFmE5naiEsis] n（医）利什曼病(尤指黑热病)
5) humanitarian [hju(:)7mAni5tZEriEn] n.人道主义者

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 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。

3 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

4 assists   

n.协助次数v.帮助，促进( assist的第三人称单数 )；为…的助手；为…当帮手；辅助

参考例句：

• This chemical assists in construction of muscle, bone and other tissues. 这种化学物质有助于建造肌肉、骨骼和其它组织。 来自辞典例句
• The congregation assists at divine service. 会众参加圣礼。 来自辞典例句

5 neglected   

a.被忽视的

参考例句：

• neglected children suffering from social deprivation 遭社会遗弃无人照管的孩子
• a neglected area of research 被人忽略了的研究领域

6 initiative   

n.主动性，首创精神，主动权（的行动），倡议

参考例句：

• He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.他主动去看望校长。
• His employer had described him as lacking in initiative and drive.雇主说他缺乏进取心和干劲。

7 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

8 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

9 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。