2006年VOA标准英语- UNICEF: 2006 Make or Break Year for Sudan

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
23 January 2006

The U.N. Children's Fund calls 2006 a make or break year for Sudan.  UNICEF warns war could break out again if millions of refugees and internally displaced people lack jobs and basic health and educational services upon their return to the homes they fled in southern Sudan years ago.

-----------------------------------------------

UNICEF says the importance of rebuilding southern Sudan's shattered infrastructure¹ and economy cannot be underestimated.  The agency's Director of Emergency Programs, Dan Toole, calls this the most important year for Sudan and he says changes for the better must be made.

"People who have come out of war, local populations that want to return home, if they do not see schools, if they do not see health centers, if they do not see visible change in their lives, they will become frustrated², they will become angry, we may risk having war again in Sudan.  We cannot take that risk.  We must fund urgently and on a very large scale this year for Sudan," he said. 

UNICEF is launching an appeal for $805 million to help women and children affected³ by humanitarian⁴ emergencies in 29 countries.  More than one-third of this amount will go for programs in Sudan. 

A year ago, the Sudanese government and rebel Sudan Liberation Army signed a peace agreement ending 21 years of civil war.  U.N. agencies expect up to five million refugees and internally displaced people will want to return to the homes they fled in the south many years ago.  But, they agree these returns will be sustainable only if services such as water, sanitation⁵, and education are provided.

Toole says the face of emergencies has changed in the past 10 years.  He says there are fewer conflicts and more natural disasters.  In some ways, he says this is good because it is easier to get money for natural disasters than for wars that drag on for years without end.

For example, he says it is more difficult to raise money now than it was two years ago for Sudan's conflict-ridden province of Darfur and the hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled to Chad. 

"There is still the need for very urgent, very significant support for the situation and operations in Darfur," he added.  "The security situation particularly in West Darfur has deteriorated⁶ substantially in the last several weeks, therefore access is difficult and therefore we have difficulty in ensuring provision of water, sanitation and health services in those areas.  I expect that throughout 2006, we will have a major humanitarian active operation in Darfur."

UNICEF estimates the survival of one-point-four-million children in Darfur is threatened.  Several other major beneficiaries of UNICEF's appeal include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Uganda. 

The agency also has large operations in Eastern and Southern Africa targeted at alleviating⁷ problems arising from drought, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and widespread malnutrition⁸.

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 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。

5 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

6 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

7 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

8 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。