VOA双语新闻 Undernourishment Among Burmese Children

A senior U.N. official says there is an alarming rate of malnutrition¹ among Burma's children. The head of the World Food Program is urging the government to change policies that he says are hurting efforts to combat the problem.

一名联合国高级官员表示，缅甸儿童营养不良比例之高令人关注。世界粮食计划署负责人敦促缅甸政府改变政策，他认为这些政策妨碍了解决营养不良问题的工作。

The director of the World Food Program, James Morris, says one-third of Burma's children are chronically² malnourished, and, in some areas, the proportion is as high as two-thirds. And, noting that many mothers are also malnourished, he said the humanitarian³ cost is enormous.

世界粮食计划署负责人莫里斯说，缅甸三分之一的儿童长期营养不良，有些地区的比例甚至高达三分之二。他提到，很多母亲也有营养不良问题，这方面的人道援助耗资巨大。

"When numbers this large of children are at risk, to say nothing of the anemia⁴ condition of so many women in the country, the country's future is severely⁵ at risk," he said.

莫里斯说，“面临危险的孩子数量如此之多，更不用说缅甸还有好多女性贫血，这个国家的未来可以说是岌岌可危。”

Mr. Morris, talking to reporters in Bangkok after a trip through Burma, said Burmese government policies on agriculture, marketing⁶ and the movement of people make it difficult for many Burmese to subsist⁷.

莫里斯此前走访了缅甸各地，他对记者说，缅甸政府在农业、市场以及人民迁徙方面的政策给很多缅甸人造成困难，让他们难以维持生计。

He said the WFP is allowed to operate in Burma with relatively⁸ few restrictions⁹. But he said many humanitarian workers are hampered¹⁰ by complex bureaucratic¹¹ procedures, taxes and market restrictions on staples¹², such as rice.

莫里斯说，世界粮食计划署虽然获准在缅甸开展工作，几乎不受什么限制，但是很多人道工作人员受到困扰，包括繁琐的官僚程序、税收、对主要产品比如稻米的市场限制等等。

"The government needs to be much more thoughtful and committed to addressing these tough issues that I have described," he said.

莫里斯说，“缅甸政府必须考虑得更周全，致力于解决我提到的这些棘手问题。”

The WFP director said he sought to make this point in a meeting Thursday, with Burma's prime minister. He also met with some of the political opposition¹³, though not with detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

世界粮食计划署负责人莫里斯说，他星期四和缅甸总理会晤时试图阐明这一点。他也和一些政治反对派人士见了面，但是没有见到被软禁的反对派领袖昂山素季。

Burma's political situation has received worldwide attention, and the United States, the European Union and the United Nations have been harshly critical of the continued detention¹⁴ of Aung San Suu Kyi. But the problem of hunger in the country is not widely known.

缅甸的政治局势一直受到国际关注，美国、欧盟以及联合国都对昂山素季持续受到软禁提出强烈批评，但是缅甸存在饥饿问题并不太为外界所知。

Mr. Morris emphasized that his mission was not political, and was not related to efforts by the United Nations to push Burma's military leaders toward political reform.

莫里斯强调他的使命不带政治性，和联合国敦促缅甸军事领导人进行政治改革没有关系。

The WFP currently provides food aid to three-quarters-of-a-million Burmese, including former growers of opium¹⁵ poppies, refugees returning from Bangladesh, and a growing population of HIV/AIDS victims.

世界粮食计划署目前为75万缅甸人提供食品援助，其中包括以前曾经种植罂粟的人、从孟加拉国返回的难民、以及越来越多的艾滋病患者或是艾滋病毒携带者。

Some critics of the Burmese government oppose any international aid to the country, saying it only strengthens the military regime. Others, however, say restrictions on humanitarian aid only hurt the Burmese people.

有些缅甸政府的批评人士反对向这个国家提供任何国际援助，认为这只会加强其军事政权。其他人士则认为限制人道援助只会伤害缅甸人民。
 
 

1 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。

2 chronically   

ad.长期地

参考例句：

• Similarly, any pigment nevus that is chronically irritated should be excised. 同样，凡是经常受慢性刺激的各种色素痣切勿予以切除。
• People chronically exposed to chlorine develop some degree of tolerance. 人长期接触氯气可以产生某种程度的耐受性。

3 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。

4 anemia   

n.贫血，贫血症

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。
• I was put on iron tablets for my anemia.我曾因贫血吃补铁药片。

5 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 subsist   

vi.生存，存在，供养

参考例句：

• We are unable to subsist without air and water.没有空气和水我们就活不下去。
• He could subsist on bark and grass roots in the isolated island.在荒岛上他只能靠树皮和草根维持生命。

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

11 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

12 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

15 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。