VOA慢速英语2015 各方援助纷纷抵达尼泊尔,死亡人数上升至4000人

Aid Arrives in Nepal, Death Toll¹ Rises Above 4,000 各方援助纷纷抵达尼泊尔,死亡人数上升至4000人

In the news today...

Rescue teams and aid workers from around the world are arriving in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Many reached Kathmandu on Monday -- two days after a powerful earthquake struck the country. The quake killed more than 4,000 people. Several thousand others were hurt. Experts believe those numbers will increase when crews reach rural areas.

Landslides² and wreckage³ are said to be blocking aid from reaching communities outside the capital. Communications links are down in some areas.

The United States Geological Survey says it expects moderate earthquakes in the area this week.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is providing an additional nine million dollars in aid for Nepal.

The U.S. Agency for International Development said the money will be used for immediate⁴ assistance, including search and rescue efforts. It said the money will also help pay for emergency shelter, clean water and waste removal efforts.

US calls Iran nuclear deal monitoring ‘most extensive’ ever

The United States is defending the terms of its tentative agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear activities. U.S. officials say the deal would include what they are calling “the most extensive monitoring” the United States has ever negotiated with any country.

Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the deal would give new protection to Israel by increasing the time Iran would have to develop a nuclear weapon. She made the comments to a Jewish social justice group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the planned nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, including the United States. He says it would not stop Iran from developing an atomic weapon that would threaten Israel. The nuclear negotiators are working toward completing a final deal by the end of June.

Negotiators from Iran and a group of six world powers have given themselves until the end of June to reach a final agreement. The West believes Iran is using its nuclear program to build atomic weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is being developed to provide electricity to its people.

Funeral Monday for black man who died in Police detention 

Mourners filled a church in the U.S. city of Baltimore Monday. They went there for the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died from an injury suffered while being held by police. Mr. Gray suffered severe spinal⁵ cord injuries and died a week after his arrest. Police have not yet said when and how he was injured.

Protesters have been demanding justice in daily demonstrations⁶ that have been largely peaceful. But there was some violence on Saturday.

Police officials say more information on the case is expected later this week. 

Japanese Prime Minister in US

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has begun a visit to the United States. Mr. Abe will visit four cities and will meet with President Barack Obama. On Wednesday, the Japanese leader will speak to a joint⁷ meeting of the U.S. Congress.

The United States and Japan plan to expand their military cooperation. High-level officials from the two countries met in New York Monday before announcing changes to a defense⁸ cooperation agreement. The measure was last amended⁹ in 1997.

ASEAN conference begins in Malaysia  

Leaders of the ten-nation member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are in Malaysia for two days of meetings. The leaders were expected to discuss China’s activities in the South China Sea.

Malaysia’s prime minister spoke¹⁰ to the other leaders on Monday. He said they should work to peacefully control territorial¹¹ disputes with China without increasing tensions in the area.

In his words, “Respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, must be the basis of the rules of engagement and activities in the South China Sea.”

China has been developing the Spratly Islands. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claimed territory in the area. 

ASEAN’s members are Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Australia claims corruption¹² in drug trafficking trial in Indonesia

Australian officials are working to save two of the country’s citizens from being executed in Indonesia. On Monday, Australia’s foreign ministry¹³ urged Indonesian officials to delay the executions until reports of corruption in their trial could be investigated.

Australia says the judges in the case had asked for tens of thousands of dollars to sentence the two men to less than 20 years in prison.

On Saturday, the Indonesian government informed the two and eight other jailed drug traffickers of plans to execute them. It said they could be put to death as early as Tuesday night.

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 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

13 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。