VOA慢速英语20061009a

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Emergency Aid to Africa Grows; Wiser Spending Is UrgedBy Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, October 09, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.


Family in north eastern Kenya

One of the world's largest aid groups is calling for changes in the way the world reacts to emergencies in Africa.

CARE International says emergency aid is growing, yet more than one hundred twenty million Africans still face dangers like starvation. It says they are living permanently² on the edge of emergency because international aid is not being spent wisely.

CARE, in a new report, says three thousand million dollars was raised in two thousand three to fight emergencies in Africa. That was three times the amount collected in nineteen ninety-seven.

But the group says financing³ is mostly for short-term⁴ food aid and often arrives too late. Geoffrey Dennis, chief of CARE International U.K., uses the example of Niger. He says early action would have cost one dollar a day per child to prevent malnutrition⁵ during a food crisis⁶ last year. But because aid arrived late, he says, the cost to save a child's life is now about eighty dollars.

CARE says more than eighty percent of proposals⁷ for measures other than food aid in Kenya this year were rejected.

The report says Ethiopia reported itself to be in food crisis ninety-three percent of the time between nineteen eighty-six and two thousand four. Yet, the report says, American spending on long-term aid in Ethiopia is less than one percent of emergency aid.

CARE is urging the international aid system to target more money at the root causes of emergencies. It says these include H.I.V./AIDS, lack of local markets, climate change and poverty.

The group says long-term projects also need more support, like seed programs for farmers and better care for their animals. By spending money more intelligently, Mister⁸ Dennis says, all but the most unexpected⁹ food crises¹⁰ could be prevented.

He tells VOA he just returned from northeastern Kenya, an area hit hard by dry conditions. He says he met a man named Joseph who a year ago had seventy cattle. All of the animals have died, he says, so now the man needs emergency food, water and shelter. Mister Dennis says this situation could have been prevented had aid money been used wisely.

He says that a year ago, aid workers could have made sure the man had food and water for his animals. They could have helped him better market his animals. And they could have suggested that he get a mix of camels, goats and other animals, not just cattle.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. I'm Steve Ember.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

3 financing   

n.筹措资金

参考例句：

• The main source of our outside financing is bank loan. 我们向外筹措资金的主要渠道是银行贷款。
• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing. 他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。

4 short-term   

adj.短期的

参考例句：

• The short-term training class has been run three times.短训班办了三期。
• For this they are running short-term courses and evening classes.为此，他们办了短训班和夜校。

5 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。

6 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

7 proposals   

n.提议( proposal的名词复数 )；推荐；求婚；赞成提案

参考例句：

• The director has given her assent to the proposals. 负责人已表示同意提案。
• The police gave the proposals their full backing. 警方对这些提案给予全力支持。

8 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

9 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

10 crises   

n. 危机；危险期

参考例句：

• Economic crises recur periodically. 经济危机周期性地发生。
• Great crises often call forth gifted leaders. 危急存亡之际常能产生天才的领袖。