VOA标准英语2015--Tutu Lends Support to Age Campaign

Tutu Lends Support to Age Campaign

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is lending his support to a campaign to ensure the rights of older people. The Nobel Laureate wants the issue included in the new U.N. Sustainable Development Goals being finalized¹ late this year

Help Age International estimated there are nearly 900-million people aged² 60 and over, representing 12-percent of the world’s population. Archbishop Tutu, who’s 83, has joined the organization’s Action 2015 campaign.

“As we get older, our bodies change. We lose some of our dexterity³ and physical strength. But our rights do not change. We may have fewer teeth, but we are no less human. We do not and should not become invisible,” he said.

Tutu has released a video-taped message supporting the campaign to influence the Sustainable Development Goals. They will replace the Millennium⁴ Development Goals and be in effect for the next 15 years.

“2015 is an important year for us ‘oldies.’ A pair of United Nations summits tackling the issues of our time – poverty, inequality, the environment and climate change – are platforms that we should embrace and influence. We can show the world who we are – where we fit in – what we hope to see.”

Help Age International said the over 60 demographic is on the rise. By 2030, their projected number will be 1.3-billion and 16-percent of the global population.

Tutu said, “We’d like to tell the world that we count. That older people everywhere count. And that people of all ages should be considered when we set our Sustainable Development Goals.”

 Tutu – one of the leaders in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa – says, “No future development goals can be considered legitimate⁵ or sustainable unless they include people of all ages.”

1 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 dexterity   

n.(手的)灵巧，灵活

参考例句：

• You need manual dexterity to be good at video games.玩好电子游戏手要灵巧。
• I'm your inferior in manual dexterity.论手巧，我不如你。

4 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

5 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。