玻利维亚劳工领袖荣获高曼环境奖

19 玻利维亚劳工领袖荣获高曼环境奖

Labor¹ Organizer from Bolivia Wins Goldman Environmental Prize
Rosanne Skirble
Washington
13 Jun 2001 09:26 UTC

Oscar Olivera believes that clean, affordable² water is a basic universal right. The 46-year old shoe factory worker got involved with the issue in the mid-1990s when the Bolivian government was under pressure from international financial institutions to 1)privatize Bolivia's water supply.
So it wasn't surprising when the water system of Cochabamba, Bolivia's third largest city, and Mr. Olivera's hometown, was sold to a private company with 2)ties to the United States and to Spain. Immediately water 3)rates went up. Prices were so high nearly one third of a family's income that workers were hard-pressed to afford water for their daily needs.
Oscar Olivera found the situation 4)intolerable. As an experienced³ labor leader, he organized a group that demanded changes in the nation's laws to put water back in public hands. University professor Gabriel Herbas has worked 5)alongside Oscar Olivera and represented the Goldman Environmental Prizewinner at 6)ceremonies in the United States.
He says Oscar Olivera has inspired men and women, the young, the old and the poor of Cochabamba to take up the struggle for water rights. Mr. Herbas says the people of Cochabamba began to look at access to natural resources the water, the air, the land as basic rights for which they were willing to fight. Tens of thousands of demonstrators joined Oscar Olivera in the streets of Cochabamba to protest⁴ water privatization. In 7)confrontations with the army, thousands were injured and one killed.
Mr. Herbas says Oscar Olivera played a critical role in 8)diffusing the situation with the Bolivian government. Following a period of martial⁵ law, Mr. Olivera was asked to take part in 9)negotiations on water rights. Those discussions⁶ led to a change in laws and to local management of the water system. Gabriel Herbas says that the environmental prize recognizes that Oscar Olivera, as an advocate for human rights, is also an 10)advocate for the environment. Mr. Herbas says the men, women, children and the elderly of Cochabama clearly demonstrated⁷ to the country and to the world that it is possible to overcome fear and to organize to make their voices heard
That, he says, is the work to which Oscar Olivera has 11)dedicated his life.

(1) privatize vt 使归私有，使私人化
(2) ties n.结v.绑,连结
(3) rate[reIt]n.价格, 费用
(4) intolerable[In5tRlErEb(E)l]adj.无法忍受的, 难耐的
(5) alongside[ElRN5saId; (?@) ElC:N5saId]adv.在旁
(6) ceremony[5serImEnI]n.典礼, 仪式, 礼节, 报幕员
(7) confrontation[9kCnfrQn`teIFEn]n.面对, 面对面, 对质
(8) diffuse[dI5fju:s]v.散播,扩散adj.散开的, 弥漫的
(9) negotiation[nI^EJFI5eIF(E)n]n.商议, 谈判, 流通
(10) advocate[5AdvEkEt]n.提倡者, 鼓吹者vt.提倡, 鼓吹
(11) dedicate[5dedIkeIt]vt.献(身), 致力

 

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

3 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

4 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

5 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

6 discussions   

n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 )；商讨；详述；论述

参考例句：

• Discussions are held on an informal basis within the department. 讨论限于在本部门内非正式地进行。
• Her specialist input to the discussions has been very useful. 她在这些讨论中提供的专家建议很有助益。

7 demonstrated   

举行示威游行（或集会）( demonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )； 示范。展示； 显示； 论证

参考例句：

• All of those demonstrated the correctness of his analysis. 这一切都证明了他分析的正确性。
• The fireman demonstrated great courage in saving the child. 那位消防队员在抢救孩子的过程中，表现了极大的勇气。