VOA标准英语2008年-US Diplomat Says Burma Cyclone Deaths Could Exc

By David Gollust
State Department
07 May 2008

The senior U.S. diplomat¹ in Burma said Wednesday the death toll² from the cyclone³ that hit the southeast Asian country late last week could exceed 100,000. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meawnhile says the United States is trying to mobilize countries in the region to press the Burmese government to admit more aid workers and supplies. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The top U.S. diplomat in Burma says the situation in the stricken areas of the country is sounding more and more horrendous as reports of damage and casualties trickle⁴ in. She says when the final death toll emerges, there could be well over 100,000 fatalities⁵.

American charge d'affaires in Rangoon Shari Villarosa spoke⁶ to Washington reporters in a telephone conference call, as the United States tried to maximize political leverage⁷ on the military government in Burma to accept more outside aid.

Officials here say U.S. diplomats⁸ have urged the governments of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India and Japan, among others, to try to get the reclusive regime to respond adequately to what is being described here as a humanitarian⁹ disaster of immense scope.

At a press event with Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki, Secretary of State Rice said she is gratified by the willingness of the international community to respond to the disaster but that the Burmese government has thus far largely refused outside help.

"What remains¹⁰ is for the Burmese government to allow the international community to help its people," she said. "It should be a simple mater. This is not a matter of politics. This is a matter of a humanitarian crisis. And it should be a matter that the government of Burma wants to see its people receive the help that is available to them."

The Bush administration has committed more than $3 million to cyclone relief and has indicated it is ready to provide considerably¹¹ more, if Burma admits U.S. disaster teams to survey actual needs.

U.S. military assets in the region are also prepared to begin airlift and rescue operations in Burma. But the military government, which accuses the United States of trying subvert¹² its rule, is considered unlikely to accept an American military presence on its soil.

U.S. diplomat Villarosa in Rangoon said the figure of 100,000 potential deaths - far higher than the current estimated toll - was based on contacts with relief groups.

She said working-level Burmese officials with whom she has been in contact realize that the country needs large-scale outside help.

But she said those in decision-making positions - 200 kilometers away in the new official capital in the town of Pyinmana - are removed from the situation and have yet to respond.

Villarosa said she doubts that U.S. criticism of the Burmese government's human rights record is a factor in its lack of response, and that it is what she termed a very paranoid regime that has traditionally been suspicious of the internatioanl community.

1 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。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 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。

4 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

5 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

8 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》

9 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。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

12 subvert   

v.推翻；暗中破坏；搅乱

参考例句：

• The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.反叛军队企图颠覆政府统治。
• They tried to subvert our state and our Party. This is the crux of the matter.他们是要颠覆我们的国家，颠覆我们的党，这是问题的实质。