VOA标准英语2009年-Humanitarian Situation in Southern Sud

The World Health Organization says the situation in Southern Sudan is far worse than in the conflict-ridden province of Darfur.

Lisa Schlein | Geneva 20 December 2009

 
 
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Southern Sudan is all but forgotten since it signed a peace agreement with the North in January 2005.  That officially ended more than 20 years of civil war.

WHO Middle East Head of Emergencies, Irshae Shaikh calls this a tragic¹ mistake.  He tells VOA Southern Sudan is the world's worst humanitarian² crisis and the world must pay more attention to what is going on there.

"Southern Sudan is faring worse than Darfur at this time," he said.  "And, because of lack of political clout³ or constituency, no one is talking about it.  But, at this time, there is increasing violence over 350,000 people who are displaced and about five million in need of humanitarian assistance." 

Shaikh does not minimize the ongoing⁴ crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur.  He says it is important for the world to remain engaged in that situation.  And, he notes international and private aid agencies are lining⁵ up to provide assistance to the displaced.

However, he notes even agencies that still are working in Southern Sudan are leaving because they have run out of money and the area is increasingly insecure.

He says there is a new trend of violence in the Upper Nile State, which is very different from the inter-tribal violence that used to occur there.

"Now we are seeing more women and children being shot," he added.  "More and more cases that are being seen by MSF and others are more of gunshot cases.   And rather than cattle rustlers, villagers are being attacked.  So, there is a new dynamic and paradigm⁶ of violence and a humanitarian crisis in Southern Sudan for that matter with increasing displacement⁷ and a limited sphere of humanitarian service providers." 

Southern Sudan has some of the grimmest health statistics in the world.  WHO reports mortality is extremely high.  It notes 2,000 out of every 100,000 women die in childbirth and one in seven women die from causes related to childbirth. 

WHO finds Infant mortality runs over 150 per 1,000 births.  It says only one-in-five children is fully⁸ vaccinated⁹ against killer¹⁰ diseases.  Tens of thousands of cases of acute watery¹¹ diarrhea were reported in 2009 and 97 percent of the population has no access to proper sanitation¹².

WHO Emergency Expert Irshae Shaikh says the situation in Darfur merits continued attention and humanitarian support from all governments.  But, so does Southern Sudan.  He appeals to the international community not to forget the millions of people who are in dire¹³ need of help.

1 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

2 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。

3 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

4 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。

5 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

6 paradigm   

n.例子，模范，词形变化表

参考例句：

• He had become the paradigm of the successful man. 他已经成为成功人士的典范。
• Moreover,the results of this research can be the new learning paradigm for digital design studios.除此之外，本研究的研究成果也可以为数位设计课程建立一个新的学习范例。

7 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

10 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

11 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

12 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。

13 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。