DEVELOPMENT REPORT - VITA

40 国际技术援助志愿者

DATE=4-30-01
TITLE=DEVELOPMENT REPORT - VITA
 BYLINE=Gary Garriott

(Start at 1'01")This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
Volunteers are people who do things to help others without being paid.  Some groups are called private (1) voluntary¹ organizations or P-V-Os.  They also use volunteers to perform special activities. One such P-V-O is Volunteers in Technical (2) Assistance² or VITA. 
VITA was established in Nineteen-Fifty-Nine.  It was started by a group of engineers and scientists. They believed information and (3) technology are important for improving the lives of people in developing³ countries.  VITA helps people in developing countries in several ways.  It provides information, (4) strengthens⁴ local communities and develops improved technologies.  It supports new businesses.  And it supports the (5) exchange of technical information among people and groups. 
VITA uses people with important skills and (6) experience, such as engineers, businessmen and farmers.  These people volunteer to solve technical problems in developing countries, especially those in Latin⁵ America, Africa and Asia. 
By using volunteers, VITA is able to do more work than it could if it had to pay everyone. VITA’s volunteers are happy to do this work during their (7) extra time. They usually work at home on weekends or evenings to answer questions from people who have technical problems. 
In the past, people asked questions in letters mailed to VITA. Now many people use computers to send questions by electronic⁶ mail over the Internet. Sometimes VITA volunteers travel to foreign countries to work on projects that began when someone asked a question. VITA has produced publications⁷ from the answers to the most popular questions.
VITA is also using the Internet to find volunteers to answer questions. For example, if someone from Africa writes about a problem, VITA places the question on its Internet Website. Volunteers can provide answers to the questions. This service is free.
VITA has worked with volunteers for a long time. So it can also help others work with volunteers in their own countries. For example, in (8) Ukraine and Moldova, VITA is helping⁸ the (9) Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs train farmers in business skills. Local volunteers in those countries are doing most of the training.
You can get more information on VITA from its Internet address, www.vita.org <https://sproxy.lcs.mit.edu/http,3A//www.vita.org>.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Gary Garriott.

注释：
(1) voluntary[5vRlEntErI; (?@) -terI]adj.自动的, 自愿的
(2) assistance[ E5sistEns ]n.协助, 援助
(3) technology[ tek5nClEdVi ]n.工艺, 科技, 技术
(4) strengthen[ 5streNWEn ]v.加强, 巩固
(5) exchange[ iks5tFeindV ]v.交换, 调换n.交换, 调换
(6) experience[ iks5piEriEns ]n.经验, 体验
(7) extra[ 5ekstrE ]adj.额外的adv.特别地, 非常
(8) Ukraine [ ju(:)5krein] n. [国名] 乌克兰
(9) citizen[ 5sitizn ]n.市民, 公民

1 voluntary   

adj.自动的，自愿的，故意的，志愿的，非官办的，自发的；n.即兴演奏，志愿者

参考例句：

• She is a voluntary worker at the hospital.她是这家医院的义工。
• At election time the party needs a lot of voluntary helpers.大选时，该党需要许多义务帮忙的人。

2 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。

3 developing   

adj.发展中的

参考例句：

• Transport has always been the key to developing trade.运输一直是发展贸易的关键。
• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。

4 strengthens   

v.加强，巩固( strengthen的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Regular exercise strengthens the heart, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack. 经常锻炼可以增强心脏机能，从而减少心脏病发作的危险。
• The study further strengthens the evidence linking smoking with early death. 这项研究进一步证实了吸烟与早逝之间的联系。 来自辞典例句

5 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

6 electronic   

adj.电子的；n.[-s]电子学，电子设备

参考例句：

• It is an electronic device with many uses.这是一部具有多种用途的电子仪器。
• Father needs a new electronic shaver.爸爸需要一个新的电子剃须刀。

7 publications   

n.发表( publication的名词复数 )；公布；出版；出版物

参考例句：

• The related publications are far too numerous to list individually. 相关出版物太多，没法一一列举。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request. 我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。