东非索马里面临饥饿危机

Hunger Crisis in East Africa - Somalia

Some 14.4 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya need humanitarian¹ assistance, according to the United Nations. In some places, acute food insecurity could soon deteriorate² into famine.

“Famines are rare, and we don't use the term lightly. In most cases, people face extreme food insecurity and are in need of emergency food assistance without the situation being categorized as a famine,” said Matthew Nims, Acting³ Director of USAID's Office of Food for Peace, in testimony⁴ before the U.S. House of Representatives. In February, the UN declared famine in South Sudan, while regions of three other countries—Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen—are teetering on the brink⁵.

Next to South Sudan, Somalia is the country of greatest concern. Here, the effects of the latest drought are exacerbated⁶ by conflict, said Mr. Nims. “The below-average rainfall of the 2016 October-to-December season has resulted in a harvest forecasted to be 50 to 70 percent below the five-year average.”

The conditions are similar to 2011, when nearly 260,000 Somalis died in a famine triggered by what was, at the time, the Horn of Africa's worst drought in over 60 years.

But the comparisons stop there. “In February, the governments of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia all publicly committed to regional cooperation and cross-border collaboration⁷ to tackle both this drought and, through longer-term investments, the underlying⁸ fragility that tips vulnerable communities into crisis in recurring⁹ droughts,” said Acting Director Nims.

Over the past several months, working through USAID and its partners, the U.S. government has accelerated assistance to Somalia, providing food and malnutrition¹⁰ treatment, ensuring drinking water is safe, and improving sanitation¹¹ and hygiene¹². And to ensure lasting¹³ impact, assistance in Somalia is sometimes linked to activities such as vocational training, designed to help build the resilience of the Somali people.

“We remain committed to providing humanitarian assistance around the world as both a moral imperative¹⁴ and as a direct benefit to the well-being¹⁵ of the United States,” said Acting Director Nims.

“We do this work not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is in the interest of the American people and promotes global stability.”

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

6 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

8 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

9 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

10 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

11 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

12 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

13 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

14 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

15 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。