VOA标准英语2011--More Funds Needed to Fight E. Africa Fam

More Funds Needed to Fight E. Africa Famine

Music super stars such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Justin Bieber are encouraging their fans to donate money for the famine victims in the Horn of Africa region. They're among a list of more than 150 celebrities¹ supporting a new initiative by the humanitarian² group "Save the Children." This comes as some aid agencies say that, without more funding, it will be difficult to continue providing the help the region needs.
The newest fund-raising effort from "Save the Children" is being called the "I'm Gonna Be Your Friend" campaign, echoing a line from singer Bob Marley's 1973 track "High Tide or Low Tide."
The group hopes to raise awareness³ and much-needed funds for the millions of famine victims in the Horn of Africa region. Other agencies are also appealing for more money in order to continue their work in East Africa. Charity Tooze is with the United Nations High Commissioner⁴ for Refugees (UNHCR).
"We are appealing for close to $145 million for the situation in the entire region so far that appeal is only 61 percent met," said Tooze.
Tooze says with the number of refugees skyrocketing on a daily basis, her agency struggles to meet all the needs.
"We are desperately⁵ seeking to increase the amount of funding that we have," added Tooze. "We just distributed about 100,000 emergency packages, which included jerry cans, high energy biscuits, sheets. We are low on tents and those are the most expensive items and obviously the most needed items when so many people are uprooted⁶."
Tooze says it is UNHCR's mandate⁷ to provide humanitarian help. And while there is no fear that aid will run out immediately, she says, there are still some concerns.
"We are going through our reserves very quickly," Tooze explained. "There is some concern that if our appeal is not met over the next couple of months, we won't be able to continue to provide the amount of aid we are now."
Fundraising efforts are taking place in other parts of the globe as well. In a recent visit to South Korea, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated⁸ his commitment to help ease the suffering in east Africa.
"You can count on me and I have a firm commitment that even during my five-year second term, this Africa challenge will continue to be my priority," said Ban.
And in New York, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg told U.N. Security Council members the situation remains⁹ precarious¹⁰.
"By the time I go to bed tonight, 13 people, six of whom will be under five would've died and tomorrow 13 will also die and will continue the day after that unless we can reverse the trend," said Bragg.
So far, the U.N. has received less than 50 percent of the $1 billion it had appealed for, to support its humanitarian relief operation.

1 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

2 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。

3 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

6 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。