VOA标准英语2014--中非食品安全遭受重创

 

CAR Food Security Hard Hit 中非食品安全遭受重创

Violence in Central African Republic has taken a heavy toll¹ on food security. A new U.N. assessment² says crops, livestock³ and fishing have all been affected⁴.

Nearly one million people have been displaced in the CAR conflict and thousands have been killed. Seleka rebels and anti-balaka militias⁵ battle each other, as well as attack civilians⁶. Many who usually grow crops have been unable or too afraid to do so.

The World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization conducted the assessment of how violence has affected food supplies.

WFP’s Frances Kennedy said, “From a crop point of view we know that the insecurity in the Central Africa Republic has had a significant effect. Much less land has been used for cropping. And the production is down something around 58-percent from the average years prior to the crisis that erupted into conflict in the Central African Republic.”

The number of livestock in the country has plummeted⁷.

“This is largely because of cattle rustling⁸, raids, insecurity and violence. So we’ve seen the livestock numbers down by as much as 77-percent. Some of that raiding has even been across the borders from other countries. For these people, who are herders, that’s everything. That’s their livelihood⁹. That’s how they live and survive,” she said.

The supply of fish has fallen by about 40-percent.

Kennedy said, “Even in fisheries on the big rivers in the Central African Republic – that too has suffered because many of the fishing boats and the nets were destroyed. And some areas are not safe enough for people to go fishing.”

To offset¹⁰ damage done to the food sector¹¹, the Food and Agriculture Organization has been supporting nearly 118,000 households. It’s provided seeds and farming tools. The World Food Program is providing rations¹² to ensure people don’t eat the seeds meant for planting.

“So that has, if you want, staved-off and prevented the situation from being even more serious than it is. But much more support and investment [are] needed there, both for the agriculture sector and also ongoing¹³ food support,” she said.

The U.N. assessment found that “food reserves in rural areas are now around 40 to 50 percent lower than average levels.” Family income levels are down sharply. Many have resorted to other means to raise money, like selling wood or charcoal¹⁴.

“The assessment has found quite clearly that families are skipping meals and reducing portions. So, it’s not so much the actual prices of the food in the market – though that has been affected – but it’s people’s capacity to be able to buy the food that they need for their families,” said Kennedy.

In the capital Bangui, prices of staple¹⁵ foods are reported to have risen 30 to 70 percent from March to August. What’s more, surveys of displaced people -- and those in isolated¹⁶ communities – indicate many “are at high risk of malnutrition¹⁷.”

She said, “We do need to keep reminding the international community and donor¹⁸ governments that the people here are still in very poor shape. And action is necessary now to make sure that things don’t degenerate¹⁹ further.”

Aid appeals for CAR total around $260-million this year, but less than half of that has been received.

1 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。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

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 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

6 civilians   

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。

7 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

9 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

10 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

13 ongoing   

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。

14 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

15 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

16 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

17 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。

18 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。

19 degenerate   

v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者

参考例句：

• He didn't let riches and luxury make him degenerate.他不因财富和奢华而自甘堕落。
• Will too much freedom make them degenerate?太多的自由会令他们堕落吗？