2007年VOA标准英语-UN to Run Summer Games for Gaza Youth

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
23 June 2007

The United Nations is inaugurating the first ever summer games in the Gaza Strip for tens of thousands of children under age 18.  The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) says the program, which begins Saturday, will provide educational and creative activities for Palestinian youth during the long summer months.  Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.

The UNRWA says there is little or nothing for young people in Gaza to do during the summer school break.  UNRWA spokesman Matthias Burchard says the young people get bored.  Some, he says, get into trouble.

Burchard says the summer games will allow Palestinian youth to vent¹ their frustrations² and direct their energies toward meaningful activities.

"It is the first time that such an activity is launched throughout the Strip for the whole summer holiday, giving the youth people a space to express themselves in a positive and productive manner," he said.  "Most of UNRWA's 187 schools and several community centers will provide a series of education and entertaining activities, such as mural painting, arts, crafts, kite festivals, theater, drama, environmental activities and sports."  

UNRWA provides basic education, health care, social services and humanitarian³ relief to more than 1 million Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip.  The refugees comprise 72 percent of the population in Gaza.  Children make up half that total. 

rubble4 of a house, destroyed following an Israeli air strike, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, 23 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070629/1414540.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Palestinian children walk amid the rubble of a house, destroyed following an Israeli air strike, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, 23 May 2007

The United Nations says 88 percent of the refugees live below the poverty line and have no means of survival other than international assistance.

Burchard says 192,000 young people have signed up for this unprecedented⁵ program.  He says all activities are free of charge.   Besides the creative and social activities, he says many of the young Palestinians will be able to catch up on some of the schooling⁶ they missed because of the instability in the Territory. 

"During these 10 weeks, remedial education for math and Arabic for 50,000 pupils will be offered in order to allow them to reverse the decline in the quality of education in the Gaza Strip," he added.  "These students will join the summer games after the classes.  The activities are carried out, in part, by UNRWA teachers and carefully selected specialists from local NGOs." 

UNRWA is working with seven expert local organizations.  Burchard says the high impact, high quality activities will be carried out by about 2,000 staff members.  He says the specialists are well respected and free from political affiliation⁷. 

Burchard says the program has the enthusiastic and unwavering support of the parents.  He adds the summer games have been designed against all odds⁸ and despite the volatile⁹ situation in Gaza.

1 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

2 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

3 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。

4 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

7 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

8 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

9 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。