亚洲开发银行向孟加拉提供近20亿美元贷款

ADB Offers Bangladesh Nearly $2 Billion Loan

亚洲开发银行向孟加拉提供近20亿美元贷款

 

The ADB program is a joint¹ strategy worked out with Britain, Japan, and the World Bank, who already contribute most of the development assistance that Bangladesh receives.

 

The program supports reforms to improve efficiency in such areas as transportation and energy. Hua Du, the ADB country director in Bangladesh, says improved transportation infrastructure² is vital to the country's development.

 

Hua Du: We wanted to support the Dhaka-Chittagong highway and the railway, the Padma Bridge, and the energy sector³. By helping⁴ with this infrastructure we are helping the government to develop some strategic growth centers where this infrastructure actually can help to facilitate more private sector investment.

 

The ADB is also active in health care, and Ms. Hua says such programs are already producing results.

 

Hua Du: We work together with the government through building the partnerships⁵ with the private sector, the NGOs, to deliver the urban primary health care services to the poor. This is really quite successful, reaching, really, the grass-root level.

 

Ms. Hua says ADB-supported programs target mothers and children in slum areas, and in cities where the programs are active, the infant mortality rate is half that of cities without such a project.

 

The ADB also supports fighting corruption⁶ through the Bangladesh government's newly established independent Anti-Corruption Commission. This program provides support to whistle-blowers who report corruption, and promotes simpler and more transparent⁷ procedures that make corruption difficult.

 

Ms. Hua says the Dhaka government reports that customs revenues have increased in the last few months thanks in part to the presence of anti-corruption officers. The customs service is a classic target for corruption, where officials can be bribed⁹ to lower duties, siphoning off government revenue.

 

According to the ADB, almost half of Bangladesh's population of more than 140 million remains¹⁰ poor. In 2004 the per capita gross domestic product was only $418. The government hopes to cut the number of poor by half by 2015.

 

Douglas Bakshian, for VOA news, Manila.

 

注释：

Dhaka [5dAkE] n. 达卡（孟加拉国首都）

Chittagong [5tFitE^CN] n. 吉大港（位于孟加拉）

slum [slQm] n. 贫民窟

mortality [mC:5tAliti] n. 死亡人数；死亡率

transparent [trAns5pZErEnt] adj. 透明的

custom [5kQstEm] n. (pl.)关税，海关

revenue [5revinju:] n. 收入，国家的收入，税收

bribe⁸ [braib] vt. 贿赂

per capita [pE: 5kApitE] adv. 每人；按人口平均

1 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。

2 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。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 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。

5 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

8 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

9 bribed   

v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• They bribed him with costly presents. 他们用贵重的礼物贿赂他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He bribed himself onto the committee. 他暗通关节，钻营投机挤进了委员会。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。