VOA常速英语2007-Technology Giants Push to Alleviate African Pove

By Noel King
Kigali
30 October 2007

Some of the world's leading information technology corporations are in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, for what organizers are calling a historic summit focusing on Africa's growing IT sector¹.  Representatives of tech giants are calling for business solutions to alleviate² poverty.  Noel King has this report from Kigali.

Industry leaders say chronic³ poverty in Africa will be alleviated⁴ by investment in information technology, rather than foreign aid.
 
At the Kigali summit, representatives touted⁵ programs that are aimed at producing profits for both foreign investors⁶ and Africans, without using traditional models of charitable aid.
 
Global trade association, GSM, which represents 70 mobile phone service providers and three billion subscribers announced it will double investments in sub-Saharan Africa's mobile phone industry to $50 billion over the next five years.

Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs officer Tom Phillips spoke⁸ to VOA about programs that will benefit both investors and consumers in some of Africa's poorest villages.

"What we are doing is developing programs, which are proving already to be very successful, for shared village phone services where up to 500 people can have access to the same phone and have their own voice mail box and get connected with their family, get connected with business," he said.
 
Representatives of Microsoft's Unlimited⁹ Potential Group also attended the summit.
 
Unlimited Potential Vice⁷ President Michael Rawdings said the group utilizes¹⁰ business models that provide a win-win situation for both investors and local people.

"We have found that if you create solutions that are relevant, accessible and affordable¹¹ then there are sustainable mechanisms¹² for people to purchase them and then you create a viable¹³ market model," he added.  "There are a variety of mechanisms that would enable the delivery of that solution and move away from an aid-oriented model."

Cisco Systems is another tech giant working to develop Africa's IT sector.
 
Anthony Von See is the General Manager of Cisco systems in Africa.  Von See told VOA that some African leaders are still unaware¹⁴ of the vast benefits of advancements¹⁵ in telecommunications. 

"We are trying to work with governments," he explained.  "We provide them with success stories from abroad so they have an idea what ICT actually could mean for their country in terms of how it increases the GDP of their country or how it can create local wealth in their population, rather than waiting for funding all the time."
 
All tech companies stress that their interest in alleviating¹⁷ poverty is combined with a desire to open new markets for their products.
 
Microsoft's Rawdings explains.
 
"We have seen time and again that once those fundamental investments are made, it has a very direct impact on social and economic development," he added.  "From that, there is a whole series of new customers that are potentially developed.  That is the long-term approach that we have in mind."
 
The two-day summit was organized by the U.N. International Telecommunication¹⁶ Union, the African Union, and the World Bank.
 
Ten heads of state and more than 1,000 investors and ministers of technology and communications participated in the event.

1 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。

2 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 alleviated   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It is always completely alleviated by total gastrectomy. 全胃切除永远完全缓解症状。
• Toxicity problem in manufacturing and storage might be alleviated by coating beryllium with aluminum. 但如果用铝包覆铍，则可避免加工过程中及储存期间的中毒问题。

5 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 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。

9 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

10 utilizes   

v.利用，使用( utilize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• One highly successful approach utilizes a triplet aspheric lens array. 一种很成功的方法是利用一个三合非球面透镜阵列。 来自辞典例句
• The first utilizes a blend of finely ground ceramic powders. 第一种用的是一种磨细的陶瓷粉末混合物。 来自辞典例句

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

15 advancements   

n.（级别的）晋升( advancement的名词复数 )；前进；进展；促进

参考例句：

• Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来，人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网

16 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。

17 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。