2006年VOA标准英语-UN Convoys Unable to Deliver Aid in Lebanon

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
04 August 2006

United Nations aid agencies are alarmed at the consequences for their humanitarian¹ operations in Lebanon following the overnight bombings on the road between Tripoli and Beirut. It is a major route for transporting relief supplies to the victims of the conflict.

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Large bomb crater² seen on Maameltein bridge north of Beirut, Aug. 4, 2006, following Israeli airstrike   
  
The United Nations reports overnight bombing of the highway north from Beirut to the Syrian border has cut the road in at least three places and destroyed critical bridges. As a consequence, U.N. aid agencies have had to cancel the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance along this main supply route.

The World Food Program says it has been forced to cancel convoys⁴ that were supposed to have transported relief supplies from Syria to Lebanon on Friday. Emergency relief workers that were set to travel to Beirut from Syria also had to abort⁵ their plans.

Portugese flightcrew unload boxes of carrying  WFP high energy biscuits and other essential supplies at Beirut airport, Aug. 4, 2006    
  
WFP spokeswoman, Christiane Berthiaume, says the agency is looking for alternative ways to bring in urgently needed food, water, medicine and other supplies. She says WFP will be exploring the possibility of using secondary roads.

"It would be a problem because those secondary roads probably would not be able to take huge trucks, so we would probably have to use smaller trucks," she said. "That would take more time. But, we are also looking at other ways to bring food inside the country…It is obvious that we need to look for other ways to bring relief inside Lebanon, not only by land, but it has to be by sea, it has to be by air."

The International Organization for Migration⁶ had planned to drive some 700 Philippine and Sri Lankan migrants along the coastal⁷ highway to Syria, but that trip too has been canceled. Spokeswoman, Jemini Pandya, says there is no viable⁸ land route that can be used to transport stranded⁹ migrants out of Lebanon for the foreseeable future.

"It is not safe to use the other secondary routes that are available even if they have not been bombed," she said. "So, it means essentially¹⁰ that we have to go for the sea option which is going to be much more difficult logistically. We are trying to find out how best to do it and how quickly we can do this because it is important with the escalation¹¹ of the crisis in Lebanon that we get people out as soon as possible."

The World Health Organization says it was planning to send a convoy³ of medicine for 13,000 people from Syria to Lebanon on Saturday. But, that convoy now probably will not be able to go ahead because of the damage inflicted¹² on the main route.

The U.N. refugee agency says it is awaiting further information on how the bombings on the road between Tripoli and Beirut will affect its convoys. It notes the majority of its stocks are in Syria and Jordan and the road has been vital for bringing urgently needed supplies from Syria into Lebanon.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

3 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

4 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

5 abort   

v.使流产，堕胎；中止；中止(工作、计划等)

参考例句：

• The captain instructed them to abort the mission.上尉指示他们中止执行任务。
• With this button the user can abort the audio sequence.用户可以用该按钮终止音频序列。

6 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

7 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

8 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

9 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

11 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

12 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。