受海啸影响，超过一百万人失业

Tsunami¹ Responsible for Over One Million Lost Jobs

受海啸影响，超过一百万人失业

 

The International Labor² Organization, reports more than one million people have lost their jobs in Indonesia and Sri Lanka due to Asia's Tsunami disaster.  The organization is urging immediate³ steps be taken to create new jobs in the affected⁴ areas.

 

Before the tsunami struck, unemployment in Banda Aceh was around seven percent.  The International Labor Organization estimates that rate has climbed to at least 30 percent.  And in Sri Lanka, the ILO says the unemployment rate has more than doubled to 20 percent since the tragedy occurred. 

 

ILO Spokesman, Stephen Pursey, says people are beginning to find temporary jobs.  But, this is not good enough.  He says to get the economies of tsunami affected areas moving again, it is crucial to help people find stable employment.

 

Stephen Pursey: The risk is that unless the recovery effort has a particular focus on helping⁵ people get back into employment, the short-term temporary employment could get fixed⁶. And that would have a severe impact on poverty in these regions.

 

More than 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean were killed by the tsunami's giant waves.  The ILO says the flooding has had a particularly severe impact on poor communities.

 

It says job losses in Banda Aceh are mainly in fishing, small scale and plantation⁷ agriculture and informal small businesses.  In Sri Lanka, it notes the majority of job losses occurred in the fisheries, hotel and tourism industry and in the informal economy.

 

If enough international aid is received and used effectively, the ILO says more than half of the people who have lost their jobs could be back at work within a year and that figure could reach 85 percent in two years. 

 

Mr. Pursey says a relatively⁸ small amount of international money, if used right, can go a long way in helping local economies rebound⁹. 

 

Stephen Pursey: If you employ reasonably large numbers of people in road building, even if the wages are not so high, the people go back with money in their hand. They then go to the local market, will buy vegetables and food from a local producer who will perhaps be filling up his vehicle with some petrol so that the local petrol station gets moving again. So, then if you do it right, you can help the local economy to rebound.

 

Mr. Pursey says an ILO team is going to Aceh this weekend to start setting up the first Emergency Employment Services Center in Banda Aceh.  He says the team also will begin to develop a program to prevent child labor.

 

He says projects are needed to protect vulnerable groups, including widows and orphaned¹⁰ children who are exposed to the risk of being trafficked or exploited.

 

Lisa Schlein for VOA news, Geneva.

 

注释：

unemployment [5Qnim5plCimEnt] n. 失业，失业人数

plantation [plAn5teiFEn] n. 耕地

fishery [5fiFEri] n. 渔业，水产业

rebound [ri5baund] n. 回弹

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 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。

3 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。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 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。

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 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

10 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。