VOA标准英语10月-New Report Finds Hunger Rampant in India

India has the largest number of hungry people in the world, despite the strong economic growth witnessed in recent years. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha says a new report shows that India's economic boom has brought new prosperity to its middle class and pulled many out of poverty, but that millions of people n the vast country still struggle on low incomes.

A report by the International Food Policy Research Institute says hunger, across India's 17 major states, ranges from "serious to extremely alarming."
　

Street urchins1 eat bread distributed at a temple in Allahabad, India (File)

The report - released as part of the 2008 Global Hunger Index - presents a dismal² picture for India. It says, despite years of robust³ economic growth, India scores worse than 25 sub-Saharan countries on the index. It says more than 200 million Indians suffer from hunger.

The report identifies high levels of child malnutrition⁴ as one of the main factors resulting from hunger in India.

The report says that poorer states have substantially higher levels of malnutrition, compared to their more prosperous counterparts. It found the most severe levels of hunger in the country's largest and least developed states, such as Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

However, Purnima Menon - lead author of the report - says poverty is not the only factor responsible for hunger. She says some poor states with better health programs or higher levels of literacy have managed to lower levels of malnutrition and child mortality.

"Poverty is one of the underlying⁵ reasons, but there are a number of states that actually are performing either much better or much worse than one world expect," said Menon. "And, that could relate to specific investments that those states have made in social protection programs, in health and nutrition programs, in really scaling up those things that would make a difference for childhood underweight, childhood mortality and things like that which are captured in our index."

Thus one of India's poorest states, Orissa, and one of the country's most literate⁶ states, Kerala, fare better on the hunger index than some of the country's wealthier regions.

But, overall, the situation is bleak⁷. Even the country's best-performing state, Punjab, ranks below countries like Vietnam.

The International Food Policy Research Institute suggests that increasing investments in agriculture and poverty-reduction programs could help India combat hunger.

Experts say the high level of hunger in the country highlights the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Five years of high economic growth has brought new affluence⁸ to millions of people who shop for luxury goods in glitzy new shopping malls. But, for poor people living in teeming⁹ urban slums or the countryside, food has become more unaffordable, because of the increase in global food prices.

At least half the country's billion-plus people live on less than one dollar a day. The government says it is striving to put in place programs that will ensure more inclusive growth.

1 urchins   

n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆

参考例句：

• Some dozen barefooted urchins ganged in from the riverside. 几十个赤足的顽童从河边成群结队而来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• People said that he had jaundice and urchins nicknamed him "Yellow Fellow." 别人说他是黄胆病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

2 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

3 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

4 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

5 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

6 literate   

n.学者；adj.精通文学的，受过教育的

参考例句：

• Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
• A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。

7 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

8 affluence   

n.充裕，富足

参考例句：

• Their affluence is more apparent than real.他们的富有是虚有其表。
• There is a lot of affluence in this part of the state because it has many businesses.这个州的这一部分相当富有，因为它有很多商行。

9 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道