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VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-05-16 Conflicts Displace People Around the World

时间:2013-06-05 08:56:48

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AS IT IS 2013-05-16 Conflicts Displace People Around the World

Hello, again!  I’m Jim Tedder1 in Washington.  Today we examine the human side of war, not from a soldier’s point of view, but from that of civilians2 who are forced from their homes by conflict.  Also, some important art objects are being returned to Cambodia from the United States.  Then we’ll hear about a special movie event, a famous actor, and travel back in time to the “big band” era …on this edition of “As It Is.”

The number of people displaced within their own countries by armed conflict, other violence and rights violations3 almost reached 29 million in 2012.  Many of the people who had to leave their homes were in Syria and the eastern Congo.

Clare Spurrell of the Internal Displacement4 Monitoring Center said that last year, a record number of people were forced to move within their own countries.

“This year we saw 28.8 million people who are now internally displaced as a consequence of conflict.  This is an increase of two-point-four-million compared to the previous year.  And much of this dramatic increase is due to the number of people who were newly displaced during the year.  So here we saw six-point-five-million people newly displaced, which is an increase of almost 50-percent as compared to 2011, the previous year.”

Ms. Spurrell says there were differing reasons for people being newly displaced in 2011 compared to 2012.

“In 2012, it was very much of the Arab Spring uprising and the post-election violence in Cote d’Ivor.  This last year we’ve seen the new displacement caused by the escalating5 violence in eastern DRC and of course the ongoing6 conflict in Syria, which caused really the majority of new displacement. “

She described Syria as, in her words, “the fastest evolving internal displacement crisis in the world.”  She said the growing intensity7 of the crisis results partly from the clear lack of front lines of battle.

In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, there were one-million IDP’s in 2012.  But there are many people in the area who have been displaced for some time.  Overall, there are almost three-million internally displaced people there. They include some who have been displaced several times by a number of armed groups.

 Africa below the Sahara Desert has 10-point-four million IDPs.  That is almost one-third of the world total.  Clare Spurrell blames the many armed conflicts in the area. Still, she says, the country with the most IDPs is not in the Middle East or Sub-Saharan Africa.  Instead, she says it is really in South America.  Colombia has between five and five and one half million internally displaced people due to high levels of crime-related violence and armed conflict.

She says Colombia, DRC and now, Syria, are all situations with long-lasting conflicts.  And millions of people are trapped in this extended displacement that depends on aid … often for many years.

Hello.  I’m Caty Weaver8 in Washington.  The United Nations refugee agency reports that more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees have now fled to other countries. The agency expects three times this many people to leave by the end of 2013, if the violence in Syria does not end. 

At least 8,000 people leave Syria every day because of the conflict in that country. They are going to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. Panos Moumtzis is the Syria Regional Refugee Coordinator9. He says the number of refugees has grown rapidly.

“This is a significant increase if you think that today one year ago, 12 months ago, the actual figure was 30,000. So in 12 months, we have gone from 30,000 Syrian refugees to 1.3 million. Three quarters of the refugees who have fled continue to be women and children.”

But the money to help has not kept up with the flow of people.  The UN Refugee Agency says it has received only one third of the $1 billion it needs to care for Syrian refugees until June.  Mr. Moumtzis says western nations have given the amount they promised. But the UN is waiting for money promised by Gulf10 states in the Middle East. He also says the UN aid organizations are still trying to provide more health and education services, food, water and shelter.

“While we have put in place relief services and relief operations on a 24/7 basis, we have relief workers going to work at night as well as the day because the refugees cross borders every day. We fear that we may not be able to continue the operations unless funding comes urgently. We are at a breaking point.”

Mr. Moumtzis says refugee camps are overcrowded and new camps must be built. I’m Caty Weaver.

New York’s Metropolitan11 Museum of Art has announced that it will return two 10th Century statues to Cambodia.  The two stone sculptures are called “Kneeling Attendants.”  They were donated to the museum in the 1980’s and 1990’s.  Steve Ember has been following the story.

The museum’s director, Thomas Campbell, says officials recently found new information about the statues’ ownership.  He says they did not have that information 20 years ago.

The decision for the return reportedly took place after months of private communication between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Cambodian officials.  Reports say the Cambodians showed proof that the statues had been removed from a temple complex about 314 kilometers from Phnom Penh.

Mr. Campbell said the museum promises to learn as much as possible about the ownership of its collection.  I’m Steve Ember.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington.  Thank you for spending some time with us on this Thursday, the 16th day of May.  On this date in 1929, a very important tradition was begun in the United States at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California.  It was the first ever Academy Awards to honor the motion picture industry.  A silent film named “Wings” was the first ever selected as “best picture.” 

And while we are on the subject of movies, today is also the birthdate of American actor Henry Fonda. He was the star of such great films as “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Mr. Roberts.”  The first, based upon the book by John Steinbeck, tells the story of a poor family’s struggle to survive during the American depression.  After seeing “The Grapes of Wrath” you will probably need a laugh.  So get your hands on a copy of “Mr. Roberts.”  It stars a more mature Henry Fonda as a sailor during World War II. 

And finally, today is the 100th birthdate of Woodrow Charles Herman, better known as “Woody.”  Long before rock and roll came into being, Americans looked forward to dressing12 in their best clothes, going out to eat, and then listen to and dance to the music of the “big bands.”  Woody Herman, who played the clarinet, and his band “The Herd” were popular entertainers for over 50 years.  The song you are hearing is “Woodchopper’s Ball,”   Woody Herman’s first hit.  


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
2 civilians 2a8bdc87d05da507ff4534c9c974b785     
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓
参考例句:
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后,至少有300名平民下落不明。
3 violations 403b65677d39097086593415b650ca21     
违反( violation的名词复数 ); 冒犯; 违反(行为、事例); 强奸
参考例句:
  • This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
  • These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。
4 displacement T98yU     
n.移置,取代,位移,排水量
参考例句:
  • They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
  • The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。
5 escalating 1b4e810e65548c7656e9ea468e403ca1     
v.(使)逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 );(使)逐步扩大;(使)更高;(使)更大
参考例句:
  • The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句
6 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
7 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
8 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
9 coordinator Gvazk6     
n.协调人
参考例句:
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下,负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
  • How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室?
10 gulf 1e0xp     
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂
参考例句:
  • The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
  • There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
11 metropolitan mCyxZ     
adj.大城市的,大都会的
参考例句:
  • Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
  • Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。
12 dressing 1uOzJG     
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料
参考例句:
  • Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
  • The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

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