VOA标准英语2008年-Burma Cyclone Death Toll Tops 22,000

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
06 May 2008

Burma's government says at least 22,000 people are confirmed dead, in the wake of Cyclone¹ Nargis, and another 41,000 are missing. The military government has begun allowing foreign assistance and granting unprecedented² access to some international aid agency representatives. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from our Southeast Asia Bureau in Bangkok.

The first plane load of foreign aid has arrived in Rangoon from Thailand. More is to follow. Speaking after a meeting with Burma's ambassador to Thailand, Foreign Minister Noppadol Pattama says he was told 30,000 people are missing after the cyclone passed, Friday.

In the past, Burma's military government has been reluctant to accept foreign aid. However, analysts³ say the scope of this disaster forced the generals this time to welcome assistance. Thailand was among the first to send help, with at least nine tons of aid arriving in Burma, Tuesday. Thai Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup says medical teams will go into the disaster areas.

The Thai official says Bangkok will dispatch a team of doctors to help prevent and control the spread of diseases that normally appear after a natural disaster of this type.

Officials estimate hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless.

The hardest-hit area is in the Irawaddy River delta⁴ region, where the vast majority of the deaths are reported. Ten-thousand people are said to have died in one town, alone. The area is Burma's main rice-producing region. Analysts say there is concern falling food production could trigger instability.

Witnesses in Rangoon say anger is building among residents complaining of the military's slow response to the disaster. Tuesday, much of the city remained without electricity or running water. Witnesses say it was largely citizens who were out clearing debris⁵ from the streets. Some complain they did not see any soldiers until 36 hours after the storm struck.

Burmese exiles watching events from neighboring Thailand say the disaster has been a big setback⁶ for the Burmese military, which has controlled Burma since 1962. Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political commentator⁷ in the Thai city, Chiang Mai, says the government's slow response and its willingness to accept aid this time is a sign of its inability to cope with the disaster.

"It clearly shows that the Burmese military despite its myth, despite its proclamation that they are the leaders, they can carry out a lot of things without any help from anybody," Aung said. "But this disaster, [of] this magnitude, apparently⁸ has put the military in a critical spotlight⁹. Basically, that the cover, the myth, has been blown away and it clearly shows that they cannot deal with a disaster of such a magnitude."

Another unprecedented concession¹⁰ by the military government is its decision this week to grant access to more representatives of foreign aid agencies. The group World Vision Australia says its representatives received special visas this week to enter the country.

Diplomats¹¹ of some western nations say they are still waiting to hear whether the Burmese government will allow assessment¹² teams to reach the hardest-hit areas.

Among those waiting for access is a team from the United States. Monday, First Lady Laura Bush said the United States is ready to send help as soon as Burma allows an American disaster response team to enter the country.

The Burmese leadership Tuesday announced it will postpone¹³ a constitutional referendum in hard hit areas of Rangoon and the Irawaddy River delta. The poll, scheduled on May 10, will be pushed back to May 24 in those areas.

The government has portrayed¹⁴ the vote as a step toward moving the impoverished¹⁵ country toward democracy. The United States and other members of the international community call the process a sham¹⁶ because it has excluded members of the opposition¹⁷.

1 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

2 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。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

7 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

10 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

11 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》

12 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

13 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

14 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 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》

16 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。