2007年VOA标准英语-South Korea, US Announce Flood Aid For North Ko

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
17 August 2007

South Korea has announced a multi-million dollar aid package for North Korea, where hundreds of thousands of people are suffering because of floods. The United States has also pledged to send help. VOA's Kurt Achin has more from Seoul.

South Korea says it will send more than $7 million worth of emergency supplies such as blankets, medicine, drinking water and instant noodles to North Korea.

South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung calls damage from recent North Korean flooding "heartbreaking." He told reporters Friday Seoul made its decision to help on grounds of "humanitarianism¹ and brotherly love." He says officials from the two Koreas are discussing land and sea routes to get the supplies to affected² areas as quickly as possible.

wade3 through a flooded street in Pyongyang, North Korea, 11 Aug 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070825/0944180.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

In this photo taken by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), people wade through a flooded street in Pyongyang, North Korea, 11 Aug 2007

The United Nations says weeks of steady rain in North Korea has submerged about 70 percent of the country's arable⁴ land, and destroyed half of the country's health clinics.

The U.N. World Food Program is organizing emergency rations⁵ for those affected by the flooding, and has expressed concern about the broader damage to agriculture. Even in a good year, the WFP says North Korea's harvest falls about one million tons short of what its citizens need.

North Korean media, which usually offer only a steady stream of government propaganda, have broadcast frequent updates on the flooding.

Speaking over video of an eroded⁶ railroad, a North Korean television announcer says many rail beds are splitting, making rail travel impossible. She says authorities cannot tell when rail operation will resume.

Flooding is a frequent problem in North Korea, where impoverished⁷ residents have stripped most mountains bare of anything that can be eaten or burned for fuel. The resulting erosion means even minor⁸ rains can lead to serious damage.

The United States is donating $100,000 to international agencies to purchase more relief supplies for the North.

Despite the floods, North Korean diplomats¹⁰ met with officials from China, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Russia in Shenyang, China, on Friday. They are discussing the next steps toward ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

The senior U.S. diplomat⁹ at the meeting, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said there is a lot more to discuss before the parties reach an understanding about all of North Korea's nuclear facilities and how it will dismantle¹¹ them.

Pyongyang has agreed to give up its nuclear programs in return for aid and diplomatic benefits.

1 humanitarianism   

n.博爱主义；人道主义；基督凡人论

参考例句：

• Humanitarianism is apt to be forgotten when the balloon goes up. 一旦战争爆发，人道主义往往就被抛到脑后了。 来自互联网
• We must heal the wounded, rescue the dying, practicing revolutionary humanitarianism. 我们要救死扶伤，实行革命的人道主义。 来自互联网

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

4 arable   

adj.可耕的，适合种植的

参考例句：

• The terrain changed quickly from arable land to desert.那个地带很快就从耕地变成了沙漠。
• Do you know how much arable land has been desolated?你知道什么每年有多少土地荒漠化吗？

5 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

6 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

7 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

9 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

10 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。