UN chief calls for greater awareness of autism

     UNITED NATIONS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday called for greater public awareness¹ of autism, in order to fight the stigma² and discrimination（区别,区分） facing those who suffer from the disorder³.

    The statement came in a message to mark the annual World Autism Awareness Day, observed globally on April 2.

    "Children and persons with autistic conditions face major challenges associated with stigma and discrimination, as well as a lack of access to support," said Ban.

    "Far too many suffer terrible discrimination, abuse and isolation⁴, in violation⁵ of their fundamental human rights," he added.

    Autism is a disorder that affects the brain's development of social and communication skills, and generally appears in the first three years of life.

    "The number of children and people with autistic conditions continues to rise -- in every nation and in every racial, ethnic⁶ and social group," the secretary-general said.

    Ban said it is critical to support parents of children with the disorder and "create jobs for individuals with autism based on their skills and strengths, and improve public education to better meet the needs of students with autism."(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 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。

2 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

3 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

4 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。