2006年VOA标准英语-UN Official: Still Time to Avert Catastrophe in

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
24 May 2006

 
Kjell Magne Bondevik examining drought conditions in eastern, central and the Horn of Africa
  
A senior U.N. official says there is still time to avert¹ a catastrophe² in the Horn of Africa where eight million drought victims are threatened with famine.  The official, who recently visited Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, tells VOA people are in a critical state and are in need of immediate³ assistance. 

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People in the Horn of Africa have suffered from poverty and underdevelopment for years.  On top of that, they have been affected⁴ by drought for four of the past six years, and this has taken a heavy toll⁵.

U.N. Special Envoy⁶ for the Horn of Africa, Kjell Magne Bondevik, says herders have lost thousands of cattle because they had no grass to eat.  He says food and water are scarce.

"There is much malnutrition," he said.  "And, I was in Somalia for instance.  But, also in Djibouti, a small country which very often is forgotten.  I was at the health center there where they came with small children malnourished, but they were saved because they came there.  But, we are worried that many are not coming to such health centers and they are at risk to die." 

The United Nations has appealed for more than $800 million.  It has received 30 percent of that amount.  Bondevik is making the rounds of European capitals to drum up donor⁷ support for the Horn of Africa.

Bondevik, a former Prime Minister of Norway, says this appeal, unlike most emergency appeals is asking for money to support medium and longer-term development projects.  He says the only way to end this perennial⁸ cycle of drought and famine is to implement⁹ programs that can help people cope with the next drought themselves. 

"Increasing their agricultural production is of great importance," he added.  "Secondly¹⁰, we need more bore holes, water holes.  I have met women who had to walk 30 kilometers, spending 11 hours to get some liters of water.  That is a waste of time.  It is possible to drill more bore holes or to make some simple pipelines¹¹ on the ground to reduce their walking distance."

Bondevik says emergency humanitarian¹² relief cannot be ignored.  

But he adds implementing¹³ projects that can help people take care of their own needs will save money and lives in the long run.  For instance, he says building roads will allow people to transport goods to market, building health centers and schools will improve a community's well being.

1 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

2 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

7 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。

8 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

9 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

10 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

11 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

12 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。

13 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句