VOA标准英语2010年-Haitians in Mass Exodus from Capital P

With Haiti still in a state of emergency after last week's terrible earthquake, many residents of Port-au-Prince are leaving the city, trying to get out any way they can.

The exodus¹ from Port-au-Prince has begun.  With food and water scarce, thousands of people are leaving for the provinces in search of better resources.  Earthquake victim Alexi told us he couldn't stand the smell of rotting bodies anymore.

 

"The house collapsed², everybody in the house is dead, and I am terrified to stay," Alexi said.

For more than a decade, this city of some three million people has been growing, with people from the provinces moving to the big city, looking for work and a better life.  Now some officials contend that a permanent exodus from the city would help the country as a whole.  They say the city never had the resources to sustain millions of people.  The government is offering free bus rides to the provinces.  Health Minister Alex Larsen told us those who can find accommodations outside the city should leave.

"If the people have some family members in a city outside Port-au Prince, it is better to go there to their families and help relieve the weight on Port-au-Prince," said Larsen.

But not everyone wants to leave.  We stopped by the national soccer stadium where hundreds of people have been camping out since last week.  Adeline Cassimir told us that Port-au-Prince is the only home he knows.

"I have houses here, I have kids here, I was born here.  There is no way I will leave the capital," he said.

President René Préval says the death toll³ from the quake now stands at 75,000, but officials estimate the death toll will rise to some 200,000 people.

1 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

2 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。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。