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VOA慢速英语2013 World Partners Intensify Effort to End Polio

时间:2013-09-15 14:23:00

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World Partners Intensify1 Effort to End Polio 

From VOA Learning English, this is As It Is.

Welcome to the show. I'm Caty Weaver2.

On the program today, we explore the continuing international effort to end polio following an outbreak of the disease in Africa. Then we go to a beautiful national park in Uganda. Security and roads are improving in the area. Ugandan officials hope such change will help attract more visitors.

Polio Outbreak

The international community came very close earlier this year to stopping polio. But four months ago, the polio virus reappeared. It was discovered in the Horn of Africa, first in Somalia. But health workers are not giving up efforts to stop polio permanently3. Jim Tedder4 reports.

Some experts think the Banadir area of Somalia is what they call the "engine" of the Horn of Africa polio outbreak. The area includes this refugee camp in the country's capital, Mogadishu.

In June, three-year-old Mohamed Naasir became sick. His mother told VOA that a short time later, one leg of his legs became permanently disabled.

"My son was fine, but he started having a high fever, which lasted for almost four days. I gave him medicine, but there was no change. The following morning, he said to me, ‘Mom, I can't stand up.'"

The virus has spread at quickly. Major vaccination5 efforts were started immediately.

Earlier in 2013, polio was contained to three countries: Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Health officials have never been able to completely end the polio threat from those countries. But, there were fewer than 100 cases combined.

Since the virus reappeared in eastern Africa, there have been at least 160 polio cases in Somalia alone. It has also spread to Ethiopia and neighboring Kenya.

Genetic6 experts suggest the virus moving through the Horn of Africa is most similar to the version found in Nigeria.

Partners working to end polio permanently include the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Rotary7 International. They say the virus can spread more easily in Somalia, which has the largest group of unvaccinated children. Conflict there has kept vaccination crews from being able to reach the children. But a doctor with Rotary International, John Sever9, says there are other problems, too.

"The problems of being remote, problems of distrust on the part of the families, the problems of communication, the problems of mapping and realizing where these people are and they migrate from one area to another."

Many families are suspicious of foreigners, especially from Europe and North America. So, it is important that vaccination crews work with local government and religious leaders, like Sheikh Abdulkadir Mohamed Soomow, a specialist on Islam.

"We urge the people of Somalia to be vaccinated8. The doctors tell us that polio can kill and it's harmful to both adults and children."

Recently, international partners promised $5.5 billion for a five-year plan to end polio once and for all. Dr. John Sever is hopeful.

"We're getting closer, that's the encouraging part."

He says the polio partners know what to do and still hope to end the health threat from polio by 2015.

I'm Jim Tedder.

You are listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English.

Kidepo National Park

This year broadcaster CNN rated Kidepo National Park as the third best park in Africa. On its website, CNN strongly praised the park for its wildlife and natural beauty. CNN noted10 another reason that Kidepo is great. It said the park has had few visitors.

For years, conflict and insecurity made Kidepo almost impossible to visit. Even now, costly11 flights and poor roads stop all but the bravest visitors. Recently, Ugandan officials announced steps to open up the park to the wider world.

Kidepo National Park is mostly savannah, or grasslands12. The park is far from any city.

It lies just north of Karamoja, an area long considered lawless and violent. To the west is the land terrorized for years by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. The area kept Kidepo mostly cut off from the Ugandan capital, Kampala. But a longtime tour guide, Amos Wekesa, says he used to take people there all the same.

"These were extreme risk-takers. I used to take people there under such circumstances, but we always had to make sure we were in a convoy13. We had security with us. We could gather in Kotido and have 20 cars following each other. It was a very volatile14 environment at that time."

In the past five years, the people of Karamoja have been largely disarmed15. The Lord's Resistance Army has moved to neighboring countries. And now Kidepo is getting some major financing.

Stephen Masaba is with of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. He says the government plans to spend millions of dollars for marketing16 on Kidepo. He says local transportation will also be improved.

"Security has tremendously improved, and that's why we're able to do a lot of these things. We are getting out of the long historical bad days, and we are slowly but surely getting there - putting in place systems that give you access, putting in place gate systems, putting in place systems that can enable you to enjoy. We hope this will turn around the fortunes of Kidepo."

Mr. Wekesa says this represents a change on the part of the government. Until now, he says, it cared more about agricultural development than tourism development.

"They realize that we are earning a lot of money, and we have a treasure. This is one of the greatest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity. But we have not been able to tap into it, and they realize we should tap into it."

But problems remain. Travel to Kidepo is difficult even with improved security. Flights from the capital are costly. And park guide Noel Bayo says some roads are in bad condition. He says it can take two days for travelers just to reach Kidepo's entrance.

"When they get to Kidepo they love the place. But of course, you can understand your frustrations19 when you get stuck on the road and they have to push, and it's muddy. This is where the frustration18 creeps in."

The government says it has plans to improve the roads around the park. And, Amos Wakesa says tourism numbers have been rising although fewer than two percent of Uganda's visitors go to Kidepo.

"The thing is, it was starting from nowhere. So the percentages have been so high - 100 percent, 200 percent. Everyone that goes to Kidepo thinks it's the most beautiful national park they have been to. I'm sure in the next five years it will grow by 1000 percent."

As a result, Kidepo may lose what some visitors love most about it -- the lack of other people. But that is exactly what the Ugandan government is hoping for.

And that's AS IT IS for today. I'm Caty Weaver.

What do you want to hear about on As It Is? Let us know. Send an email to [email protected]. Or go our website at 51voa.com and click on "Contact Us."

And remember for the latest world news on the Voice of America, tune17 in at the beginning of the hour universal time.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 intensify S5Pxe     
vt.加强;变强;加剧
参考例句:
  • We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
  • They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻,保卫我国的领空。
2 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。
3 permanently KluzuU     
adv.永恒地,永久地,固定不变地
参考例句:
  • The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
  • The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
4 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
5 vaccination bKGzM     
n.接种疫苗,种痘
参考例句:
  • Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
  • Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。
6 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
7 rotary fXsxE     
adj.(运动等)旋转的;轮转的;转动的
参考例句:
  • The central unit is a rotary drum.核心设备是一个旋转的滚筒。
  • A rotary table helps to optimize the beam incidence angle.一张旋转的桌子有助于将光线影响之方式角最佳化。
8 vaccinated 8f16717462e6e6db3389d0f736409983     
[医]已接种的,种痘的,接种过疫菌的
参考例句:
  • I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
  • Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗?
9 sever wTXzb     
v.切开,割开;断绝,中断
参考例句:
  • She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
  • We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。
10 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
11 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
12 grasslands 72179cad53224d2f605476ff67a1d94c     
n.草原,牧场( grassland的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Songs were heard ringing loud and clear over the grasslands. 草原上扬起清亮激越的歌声。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat. 草原已经开垦出来,种上了小麦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 convoy do6zu     
vt.护送,护卫,护航;n.护送;护送队
参考例句:
  • The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
  • Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。
14 volatile tLQzQ     
adj.反复无常的,挥发性的,稍纵即逝的,脾气火爆的;n.挥发性物质
参考例句:
  • With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定,投资冒着很大的风险。
  • His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱,喜怒无常。
15 disarmed f147d778a788fe8e4bf22a9bdb60a8ba     
v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 );使息怒
参考例句:
  • Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
  • The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械,并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 marketing Boez7e     
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
参考例句:
  • They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
  • He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。
17 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
18 frustration 4hTxj     
n.挫折,失败,失效,落空
参考例句:
  • He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
19 frustrations 7d9e374b9e145ebadbaa8704f2c615e5     
挫折( frustration的名词复数 ); 失败; 挫败; 失意
参考例句:
  • The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
  • Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬,但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

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