英语博客(A cup of English):Haiti

Beginners.

Haiti, as you all know, has suffered a terrible catastrophe¹ recently. The 12th of January, an earthquake hit the nation. It registered 7.0, and there were many after shocks, about 33. Many countries have given assistance and money to help the Haitian people. The greatest need is to find people in the rubble², and then to give medical assistance and basic food and water to those who are alive. One of the many problems faced by the international help groups is the difficulty of getting to the people who need help. With buildings and roads destroyed, it is hard to transport help and supplies. Another problem is that government and infrastructure³ are almost non-existed. The president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, has already visited Port-au-Prince, the devastated⁴ capital of Haiti, and pledged practical help. People will be evacuated⁶ to the border in order to receive medical attention and vaccines⁷. The Dominican Republic will help to set up supplies of water and electricity, and also it will help to organize all of the international help. Because these two countries share the island of Hispaniola, many Haitians will flee to their neighboring country. The global response to this catastrophe has been enormous, but the needs are even greater.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: catastrophe, assistance, infrastructure, to evacuate⁵.

 1. The flood was a total catastrophe.

2. Further assistance is needed to solve all the problems we face.

3. We need better infrastructure: roads, refrigeration, water, and schools.

4. The Red Cross and other organizations helped to evacuate the people.

Advanced.

The history of Haiti is fascinating. The Taino people were the original inhabitants. In 1492, when Columbus came to the 'New World', he discovered Hispaniola, claiming it for Spain. Spain profited from the gold mined in Hispaniola by natives who had become slaves. In 1592 Spain created a set of laws called the Laws of Burgos which forbade the maltreatment of natives. African slaves were imported for labor⁸. Hispaniola became a popular destination and stop-over for pirates. In 1697, a treaty was signed between the France and Spain, sharing Hispaniola; Spain would own the eastern side, and France the west. Subsequently, about 30,000 people from France emigrated; most of them came from Bordeaux. These settlers set up plantations¹⁰ of sugar, coffee, and indigo¹¹ thanks to the skills of the African slaves. In 1791 the slaves revolted, slavery was abolished, and a long battle ending in 1804 brought about the independence and naming of Haiti. Since independence, Haiti has suffered cruel leaders, an attempt by France to re-take control, 32 coups¹², and international intervention¹³ to either change or help governments. The Haitian people are certainly resilient, and have had a tumultuous history. Their geographical¹⁴ location, and tremendous cultural mix give them the potential to be self sustaining and prosperous. Let us hope and pray that the devastation¹⁵ on Haiti can be quickly healed, and that its people can build a future with hope and peace.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: to claim, to forbid, plantation⁹, resilient, intervention.

1. It was only 150 years ago that men came from the East and claimed land here.

2. He forbade us entry; it was not allowed.

3. We used to live near a coffee plantation.

4. That family is resilient; they have gone through illness, losses, and tragedies, but they are still together and united.

5. She needs medical intervention; her wounds from the accident are quite serious.

 

1 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。

2 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

5 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

6 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

7 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

10 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

11 indigo   

n.靛青，靛蓝

参考例句：

• The sky was indigo blue,and a great many stars were shining.天空一片深蓝，闪烁着点点繁星。
• He slipped into an indigo tank.他滑落到蓝靛桶中。

12 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

13 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

14 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

15 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》