VOA标准英语2010年-US Marines Arrive in Earthquake Ravage

Thousands of United States Marines and other troops are moving into Haiti to assist with relief efforts one week after the country's deadly earthquake. Also Tuesday, the United Nations authorized³ sending more peacekeepers and police to the devastated⁴ nation to help maintain security. U.S. helicopters landed on the ground of the shattered presidential palace in Port-au-Prince.

Crowds of Haitians cheered as the troops arrived and began to distribute aid.

The deputy commander of the U.S. military effort in Haiti, Army Major General Daniel Allyn, says military units will continue to deliver food, water and other critical supplies. "The delivery of capability⁵ here in Haiti is a balancing act that requires troops on the ground to distribute humanitarian⁶ assistance, the supplies for them to distribute and the mobility⁷ necessary for them to be able to reach the communities that are most stricken," he said.

As paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne provided security for the city's General Hospital, a U.S. Marine¹ Expeditionary Unit landed west of the capital.

The Marines will distribute aid in the area and establish a hub for delivery of relief supplies elsewhere.

While there have been reports of looting, General Allyn says U.N. and Haitian forces continue to have lead responsibility for security, which he says has been good despite extremely difficult circumstances. "We are watching for signs of instability.  At present, there are pockets in areas of Haiti and the U.N. security forces are working with the Haitian national police to address those pockets as they arise," he said.

U.S. commanders say more than 10,000 military personnel will be in Haiti or offshore⁸ within the next few days.

Also Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to authorize² as many as 3,500 new peacekeepers and police for Haiti.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the Council's decision sends the message to the people of Haiti that the world is with them.  "We must do all we can to get these extra forces on the ground as soon as possible, so that they can help maintain order and deliver humanitarian assistance," he said.

Mr. Ban says distribution of tents, medical supplies, food and water is increasing daily. "We distributed daily food rations⁹ yesterday for nearly 200,000 people.  We expect to be reaching approximately one-million people within a week," he said.

Meanwhile, across from the presidential palace, relief workers delivered water to some of the huge number of people left homeless by the quake.

Inoge Laviette is with the aid organization Action Against Hunger and spoke¹⁰ with VOA's Jeff Swicord in Port-au-Prince. "Sometimes when they are desperate; they will drink any water - even dirty water with bacteria - to survive," he said.

Mirland Xavier's house was destroyed and for the past week she and her family have been sleeping under a tree. She says they are running out of food and money and have yet to receive assistance. "No one has distributed anything to us.  Whatever we have, we manage to share," she said.

Thousands of people are still believed to be buried under collapsed¹¹ buildings, while streets continue to be littered with debris¹² and decomposing¹³ bodies.

The desperate circumstances have led some Haitians to flee the capital for the countryside.

Officials estimate the earthquake killed about 200,000 people and affected¹⁴ an estimated 3 million, about a third of Haiti's population.

 

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

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 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

8 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

9 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

12 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

13 decomposing   

腐烂( decompose的现在分词 )； （使）分解； 分解（某物质、光线等）

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation. 空气中充满了令人难以忍受的腐烂植物的恶臭。
• Heat was obtained from decomposing manures and hot air flues. 靠肥料分解和烟道为植物提供热量。

14 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。