VOA标准英语2008年-Google.org Expands Aid For Disease, Disaster Pr

By Cindy Saine
Washington
18 January 2008

Google's philanthropic arm has announced $25 million in new grants and investment to help "make the world a better place."  The computer search engine is focusing on projects that include disease and disaster prevention, helping¹ small and medium-sized enterprises, improving the flow of information to hold governments accountable, and developing renewable energy sources. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

Screenshot from Google.org

The co-founders of Google (Sergey Brin and Larry Page) launched their unconventional business ten years ago under the motto "Don't Be Evil."  In 2006, Google hired Larry Brilliant as executive director of its in-house philanthropy, known as Google DotOrg.  Brilliant is an American physician who moved to India in the 1970's and played a major role in eradicating² smallpox³ in the country.  One of the five new grants goes to a project to use information technology to predict and prevent ecological⁴ disasters and the outbreak of disease.  Brilliant says diseases that jump from animals to humans are a real threat.

"We've pushed all the limits, we've cut down the rain forests, we've moved into the territory of animals, and these diseases which have always been there in the animal population are now jumping to human beings," he said.

Brilliant says there are more than 35 major diseases which have jumped species, including SARS and bird flu, and that an early warning system would make a huge difference.

"There are now 50 million people living with HIV-AIDS," he added.  "Had we been fortunate and been in that African jungle when that virus jumped from a chimpanzee to a human being, and had we been able to stop the disease, nip it in the bud, so to speak, then, look at the tragedy, human tragedy that could have been averted⁵."

The grant seeks to strengthen disease surveillance systems in the Mekong Basin, stretching from Vietnam and Burma to southwestern China.

Aid from Google.org is different from other corporate⁶ giving because it allows investment in for-profit companies.  Google also encourages its employees to participate directly in philanthropic projects on company time, and to lobby public officials for changes in policy. The foundation has pledged $10 million to eSolar, a California-based company that has developed a solar generator⁷ to replace traditional power plants.  A number of the new grants are going to India, to improve urban and education planning there.

Google's new grants have generated both enthusiasm and criticism.  Siva Vaidhyanathan is an associate professor of media studies and law at the University of Virginia.  He welcomes Google's commitment but questions its approach.

"Google's approach to every problem is technocratic," he said.  "It is that they can impose a machine, or invent a machine, or invent a piece of software that can solve a major, complicated challenge, and that given enough bombast⁸, people will converge⁹ on this machine as the answer to a problem.  And I think that is a mistake."

Larry Brilliant admits that Google's philanthropic efforts are an "experiment", and says we will all just have to watch and see if they work.

1 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。

2 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

3 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

4 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

5 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

8 bombast   

n.高调，夸大之辞

参考例句：

• There was no bombast or conceit in his speech.他的演讲并没有夸大其词和自吹自擂。
• Yasha realized that Wolsky's bombast was unnecessary.雅夏看出沃尔斯基是在无中生有地吹嘘。

9 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。