VOA标准英语 UN Launches Appeal for Crisis-Ridden Madagascar

The United Nations is launching a $35 million emergency appeal for Madagascar, which is suffering from multiple crises, including cyclones², drought and political instability.
　
An aerial view of a part of Morondava, Madagascar shows floodwaters Thursday 22 Jan 2009

Cyclone¹ Jade³ is the latest crisis to hit the Indian Ocean Island of Madagascar. Aid agencies are scrambling⁴ to assess the damage caused by the storm, which struck on Monday.

But, spokeswoman for the UN Organization for the Coordination⁵ of Humanitarian⁶ Assistance, Elizabeth Byrs, tells VOA the assessment⁷ mission is being hampered⁸ by bad weather conditions.

"It is very difficult, and it is impossible for helicopters to be dispatched to the affected⁹ area," Byrs said. "But, we expect floods because of the heavy rains with this new cyclone. And, those people have not recovered yet from the two January cyclones."

The cyclone season runs from December through April. Byrs says 60,000 people who were affected by the two cyclones that hit the east and west coasts of the island in January still have not recovered.

People in the northern parts of Madagascar say Jade caused considerable damage, with trees uprooted¹⁰ and electricity and water supplies cut off in most areas.

The United Nations estimates nearly 3.5 million people living in the main cities and in the drought-affected south need humanitarian assistance. U.N. aid agencies say food insecurity in the south is expected to worsen, as the lack of rain is likely to delay the next harvest by three months.

Byrs says it is more difficult to help the victims of these natural disasters because of the political instability, which has been gripping the country for several months.

"For instance, the Disaster Management Authority stocks have been burglarized during this period of rioting and social unrest," Byrs said. "That is why we are very concerned because without pre-positioning stocks and food, it will be more than difficult to help the victims of this new cyclone, if there are any, and to address the needs of the more than 60,000 people who are still starting to recover from the previous cyclones."

Byrs says more than 300,000 children under five as well as 145,000 pregnant or nursing women are among those most in need of help. She says they have special nutritional¹¹ and health care requirements.

1 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

2 cyclones   

n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 )；旋风；飓风；暴风

参考例句：

• The pricipal objective in designing cyclones is to create a vortex. 设计旋风除尘器的主要目的在于造成涡旋运动。 来自辞典例句
• Middle-latitude cyclones originate at the popar front. 中纬度地区的气旋发源于极锋。 来自辞典例句

3 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

4 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

6 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。

7 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

8 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

9 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。

10 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。