VOA标准英语2012--Gazans Face Despair as Economic Crisis Worsens

Gazans Face Despair as Economic Crisis Worsens

During shopping day in Beach Camp, Gaza, market goods are available, but there are few shoppers.
Anwar al-Hadad says this is because people have no money. "In the market, prices are not too high right now. But life is difficult. There are no salaries, or only a few have salaries. Most people are sitting at home and really suffering because of the lack of money," al-Hadad said.
Life has always been hard in Gaza, home to 1.1 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants -- the legacy¹ of a war that led to Israel's formation in 1948. The unemployment rate is 35 percent and three out of every four refugees depend on foreign assistance.
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency gives the neediest refugees $11 every three months and some flour and cooking oil. The agency suspended the distributions at the start of this year due to a lack of funds,
But the European Union has agreed to support the program until June. U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna says such programs are vital to maintain peace and stability in the territory.
"We are keeping people moderate here by telling them that 'You are not forgotten by the international community. The international community cares about you,'" Hasna said,
Palestinians living in the West Bank face similar economic hardships, due partly to the governing Palestinian Authority's massive budget deficit².
A U.N. report this month blames the deficit on a decline in donor³ support because the global economic downturn and opposition⁴ to the Palestinian bid for full membership in the United Nations.
Analyst⁵ Sami Abdel-Shafi says Palestinians are suffering because of politics, the stalled peace talks with Israel and their own internal conflicts.
“Palestinians in Gaza are pressured. The post-government [Hamas] in Gaza is pressured because it is boycotted⁶. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is also pressured because it has gone through a very professional process of institution building and towards the end of this it is facing financial trouble,” Abdel-Shafi said.
Many Palestinians believe that resolving the conflicts would boost people's morale⁷, says U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna.
"Peace in Gaza will give the people hope but here in Gaza today there is no tomorrow. No hope. There is no tomorrow. You cannot talk about what will happen after five minutes here in Gaza," Hasna said.
And as Gazans see no way out, their despair is mounting.

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

7 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。