VOA标准英语2011--Funding Crisis Adds to Ramadan Hardship

Funding Crisis Adds to Ramadan Hardship in Palestinian Territories

Muslims around the world are observing the second week of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting from sun-up to sun-down. The month is difficult anytime for many. This year it is proving especially hard for the faithful in the Palestinian territories because of a crisis in the Palestinian Authority that administers them.
It is a hot afternoon in Ramallah. People are shopping for iftar, the evening meal that will break their day-long fast.
The nightly feasts during Ramadan strain family budgets in any year. But this year Ramadan coincides with the beginning of the school year, which is adding the cost of school supplies to the financial worries of many.
Thirty-year-old Sabah Rajah is shopping for her family.
She says prices are in-between. Some are high. Some are not too high. She hopes they will go down but, she says, that is not likely to happen at this time of the year.
The Palestinian Authority, headquartered here, is short of money. It paid its 150,000 civil servants their salaries this month, but only after they threatened to strike. It still owes them half of their salaries for last month.
Butcher Tamer Marmash says his customers are suffering. Many have loans and the banks are paid first.
He says if a civil servant’s salary is $700, he will not take home more than $100. So what can he do, Marmash says, he will steal from the people. There is no other choice.
The Palestinian Authority says its revenues cover less than half of its budget because it has not received funds from foreign donors¹, mainly Arab and Western governments.
Hani al-Masri heads the Political Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies in Ramallah. He says some donors do not like the Palestinian drive for membership in the United Nations. Al-Masri says another factor in the budget crisis is continuing tension between Hamas and Fatah, the two major Palestinian political groups.
He says the split has paralyzed public institutions. One of the most important is the Legislative² Council, or parliament. It was elected by the people to oversee³ the executive but it is not doing this. He says as a result the executive is not being monitored and this has made corruption⁴ easier and more widespread.
Al-Masri says corruption is also worrying the donors.
He says corruption has to be dealt with but the measures taken by the Palestinian Authority have been limited and usually delayed. We need every dollar we can save, he says. The end result will be more trust in the authorities from the public and from international and regional donors.
Analysts⁵ say a major step forward would be reconciliation⁶ between the rival Palestinian groups. But this has been slow in coming. And in the meantime, ordinary Palestinians struggle even more to meet their obligations during this month of sacrifice.

1 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

3 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。