VOA标准英语2010年-Haitian City of Gonaives Struggles to

Haitian Americans Unhappy With Haitian Government's Response To Earthquake
Hundreds of thousands of people fled the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince after the city was devastated¹ by an earthquake nearly one month ago.  At least 35,000 headed north to the town of Gonaives.  The newcomers have been welcomed, but the influx² is taking a toll³ on the city, which is still recovering from destructive hurricanes.

Gonaives, a three-hour drive north of Port-au-Prince, is important in Haitian history.  It is the place where the nation declared its independence from France in 1804.

Although the city of 300,000 escaped the earthquake, it has faced repeated disasters.  In 2004 and 2008, thousands died in Gonaives when their homes were flooded during hurricanes.  The economy has not yet recovered.

Still, Gonaives Deputy Mayor Jean Francois Adolphe says that after the earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Gonaives officials wanted to help, and went there to arrange an evacuation.

He says many people from Gonaives and surrounding areas who live in Port-au-Prince were brought out.  He holds up a chart that details the evacuation plan.

Many who were injured, including thousands with no ties to this area, also came for medical treatment, food and other help.  Most are staying with local families.  Others are hospitalized.

Adeclef Woodly, a doctor at the local hospital, is a Haitian who was trained in Cuba.  He says his hospital receives patients with the most serious injuries who need orthopedic care, patients who need amputations of arms or hands, or who have hip⁴ injuries with multiple fractures.

Nineteen-year-old patient Logista Floxene was brought here by family members from Port-au-Prince. She says she lost one leg and the other is broken.  It happened after concrete collapsed⁵ on her.

International aid groups, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.N. Development Program and World Food Program, are providing assistance.

But business owner Joseph Mathiado-Gustave says most of the help comes from local people.

He says we, the people of Gonaives, are the ones that are helping⁶ the people from other places with everything from food to health care until they can get back to their own towns.

Some people in Gonaives are able to earn an income.  A fisherman at the beach prepares a net to get ready for the day's catch.  Street vendors⁷ sell their wares⁸ across from city hall.  A cyber café is up and running, and several young men are surfing the web on laptop computers.  But others, like Klebert Celestin, are living hand to mouth and are out of work.

"I don't have no job right now.  I don't have no job," said Celestin.
 
Haitian Senator Youri Latortue, who represents this region, wants a plan to decentralize Haiti's government and business, and to move many people outside Port-au-Prince

"We can't rebuild on the same place," he said. "The government and the parliament and the civil society have to look for a new plan and ask the international community to build a new fund able to finance the new plan."

Thousands of earthquake victims still lie beneath the rubble⁹ in Port-au-Prince.  And Haitians are still burying their dead.  A funeral procession makes its way along the highway to Gonaives.  And as victims recover, they say they are looking for help in rebuilding their country.

 

1 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。

2 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

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。

4 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

5 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。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

9 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。