VOA标准英语2009年-Congolese Environmentalist Wins European P

By Selah Hennessy
London
14 October 2009
The four winners of the Swedish award known by many as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize' have been announced, and one of the winners is the Congolese environmentalist Rene Ngongo. Ngongo tells VOA he will use the prize money to continue the fight to protect the rainforest in DRC. 

 
Congolese activist¹ Rene Ngongo, poses for photo outside his home in the city of Kinshasa, 13 Oct 2009
Rene Ngongo is the founder² of the Congolese-based environmental organization known by the acronym³ OCEAN. With the assistance of volunteers throughout Congo, OCEAN works to preserve the country's rainforest - the second-largest tropical forest in the world.

Speaking to VOA on the phone from DRC, Ngongo says his fight to defend the rainforest will continue. The main focus of Ngongo's work is to promote sustainable land use, letting local populations satisfy their needs for food, fuel and an income, but without destroying the rainforest.

He says his love for Congo's forest began early in his life. Growing up on the outskirts⁴ of the forest, he says he wanted to protect the woods and wildlife that lived in it.

But he says defending the forest has been a dangerous job. He says he and his team have suffered ongoing⁵ intimidation⁶ from war-time combatants.

Two of the four winners of this year's Right Livelihood⁷ Award were chosen because of their commitment to the environment.

Executive Director of the award body Ole von Uexkull told VOA the awarding jury wanted to draw the world's attention to the disastrous⁸ impact climate change is having on the world.

"This year's laureates, we feel, give a very important message when it comes to actually questions of survival, which sounds drastic but it is really what we are at," Euxkull said.

He says activists⁹ like Ngongo who work on the ground to save the environment are crucial to meeting the universal challenges of global warming.

"It is very important to have someone who, like Rene Ngongo, who keeps pointing his finger at the many destructive practices that are taking place there, but who is also ready as a biologist to work with companies and with the government on how you can work with the forest in a sustainable way," Euxkull said.

During the wartime years of 1996 to 2002 Ngongo monitored the exploitation of Congo's natural resources by different warring parties. Euxkull says the end of the war in Congo brought new challenges.

"Unfortunately since the war has ended the situation for the forest has become even more dramatic," Uexkull noted¹⁰, "because now the Democratic Republic of Congo is safe for the multinational¹¹ logging and mining companies to operate and they are often unfortunately ruthless in their practices and the capacities of the Congolese government to control and to regulate what they are doing is in large parts of the country almost non-existent."

According to the environmental group Greenpeace two-thirds of Congo's population rely on the country's rainforest. Like all large forest areas, it plays a vital role in regulating climate, both locally and globally.

The other winners of the of the Right Livelihood Award are Canadian Scientist David Suzuki, New Zealand anti-nuclear activist Alyn Ware¹², and Catherine Hamlin, a women's health provider from Ethiopia. The winners share the prize money, which this year is around $150,000.

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

7 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

8 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

12 ware   

n.(常用复数)商品，货物

参考例句：

• The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
• Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。