2006年VOA标准英语-African Legislators Work for Regional Cooperati

By Efam Dovi
04 August 2006
 
The key to battling HIV/AIDS and poverty, say representatives from 18 African legislative¹ bodies meeting in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, is working together to create stronger political and economic blocs² within the continent.  The legislators say cooperation would not only reduce conflicts in the region, but also create stronger trade relationships.

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The 230 legislators, representing members of parliament and parliamentary speakers from Commonwealth³ Africa countries, have been discussing how to fight HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa.
 
Addressing the delegates, a member of Ghana's parliament, Francis Osafo-Mensah, painted a gloomy picture of the situation in Africa, saying the continent remains⁴ the poorest on the planet.
 
He said the deadly combination of HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa has created a particularly alarming situation. 

Osafo-Mensah says the loss of life through HIV/AIDS is causing massive social problems, with a growing number of orphans⁵ and other children living with HIV/AIDS.
 
According to the Ghanian official, "In 2010 some 20-30 percent of all children under age 15 will be orphaned⁶ in sub-Saharan African countries, even if new infections cease and treatment becomes available to slow down the outbreak of AIDS among those harboring HIV."
 
Discussing ways to strengthen Africa's economies, Hood⁷ Katuramu, a Ugandan parliamentian, says easing restrictions⁸ on travel and financial transfers will help create wealth in the region.

"Once we work on freeing people across borders, freeing capital across borders, then that will allow people to go and seek employment, take services where they are [needed] in a wider region, therefore, that will be one of the avenues to create wealth," he said.  "We can harness our resources together."
 
The Ugandan member of parliament also stressed how important it is for African countries to exchange ideas, experiences and information in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"For instance, we have in East Africa that long road from Mombassa, through Uganda, through Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire. So all along that road we have drivers of trucks who are carrying merchandise and they are many," he noted⁹.  "We want to know who are the carriers of HIV/AIDS, and what should be really the interventions¹⁰ that we should make. If we have sex workers along these roads, what interventions are we making so that there is safer sex along all these roads?"

But Katuramu stressed that if the challenges of marginalized groups such as women, children, and people with disabilities are not properly addressed, the continent's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS and to build stronger economies would not succeed.

1 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

2 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句

3 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

6 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。

7 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网