2006年VOA标准英语-Zimbabwe Fails to Provide Promised Homes for Di

By Tendai Maphosa
Harare
24 May 2006

In May 2005 the Zimbabwean government launched a blitz on informal businesses and unauthorized housing, making thousands homeless when their houses were razed¹. A year later some are still homeless, despite government promises to build them homes.

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This man and his family live in  an abandoned van, after the Zimbabwean government demolished² their home  
  

Towards the end of the demolition³ campaign called Operation Drive Out the Filth⁴, the government announced the launch of an ambitious multi-billion-dollar construction project. The project dubbed⁵ Operation Live Well was meant to provide homes for thousands of the displaced.

Some of those are residents of The Hatcliffe Extension settlement just outside Harare.

Prior to the demolition it was home to 15,000 people. They had paid for and were allocated⁶ stands by the government in 1991. The authorities provided the wooden cabins they lived in. Those who had the means were putting up brick structures.

After their homes were razed, despite showing the police their lease documents, they were taken to a holding camp. After some weeks, and proving they were at Hatcliffe legally, they were taken back to what used to be their homes.

For shelter, the government promised every household four asbestos sheets and poles to make a 3x5 meter shed, regardless of family size. They were told that using plastic sheeting or any other material to wall off the structure was not allowed, because that would create a shantytown.

VOA recently visited the settlement to find that the government has provided only a few incomplete houses to some residents and building stopped at the end of last year. The houses have no doors, no windows and no floors.

Some without houses have benefited from a Catholic Church funded project, which is putting up plastic structures under corrugated⁷ steel sheets. The remainder are using whatever they can find to build shelter. Old plastic sheeting is the most used material.

Many of the residents who were employed or involved in the informal sector⁸ lost their jobs last year and are struggling to make ends meet. One of them who worked as a builder shares a flimsy structure with his wife and seven children. He expressed despair at the situation.

"We do not expect the government to build homes for us anymore, they have admitted they do not have any more money," he said. "We hear of donor⁹ organizations, which want to come and help, but we do not know if that is true."

Hatcliffe residents told VOA that disease is a problem in the settlement, which has no running water, electricity or toilets. Exposure to the elements worsens the situation; first it was the winter, then the hot summer and rainy season, now with a second winter looming¹⁰ the man's wife fears for the worst.

"A lot of the children get colds because of over exposure," she noted¹¹.

The World Food Program, through non-governmental organizations, is providing food for some of the displaced.

Leonard Karemba a spokesperson for Christian¹² Care, one of the organizations helping¹³ the people, says they are assisting people at 12 centers in Harare.

"All in all, in Harare urban, we are assisting a total of 25,761 people," said Leonard Karemba.

Zimbabwe authorities say the blitz was meant to clean up urban areas. It also ostensibly targeted those it said were involved in criminal activities, black marketing¹⁴ of scarce basic commodities, and illegal dealing¹⁵ in foreign currency. But licensed¹⁶ traders and home industries were also destroyed.

A report by U.N. Special Envoy¹⁷ Anna Tibaijuka, who was sent to assess the impact of the exercise, condemned¹⁸ the government action. Jan Egeland, another U.N. envoy, agreed with the Tibaijuka report, but their findings were met with hostility¹⁹ and dismissed by the Zimbabwean government.

The government spurned²⁰ offers of assistance, which included providing tents and basic brick and asbestos structures. It said it wanted permanent structures and did not want to give the impression that its citizens are refugees.

The local United Nations office could not confirm recent media reports that an agreement on a shelter design has been reached between the U.N. and the government.

1 razed   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The village was razed to the ground . 这座村庄被夷为平地。
• Many villages were razed to the ground. 许多村子被夷为平地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

3 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

4 filth   

n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥

参考例句：

• I don't know how you can read such filth.我不明白你怎么会去读这种淫秽下流的东西。
• The dialogue was all filth and innuendo.这段对话全是下流的言辞和影射。

5 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

7 corrugated   

adj.波纹的；缩成皱纹的；波纹面的；波纹状的v.（使某物）起皱褶(corrugate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• a corrugated iron roof 波纹铁屋顶
• His brow corrugated with the effort of thinking. 他皱着眉头用心地思考。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

10 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

13 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。

14 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。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

16 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

17 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

18 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

19 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

20 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句