VOA标准英语2008年-UN Chief Criticizes Burma's 'Slow' Response to

By Alex Villarreal
Washington
12 May 2008

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is frustrated¹ by the Burmese government's handling of the humanitarian² crisis in the cyclone-devastated country. He is urging the military government to increase access for international relief efforts, warning that further delays could set the country back years. From United Nations headquarters in New York, VOA's Alex Villarreal has more.

Mr. Ban expressed his frustration³ with the pace of relief efforts in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

"Today is the 11th day since Typhoon Nargis hit Myanmar," he said. "I want to register my deep concern and immense frustration at the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis."

At a press conference, Mr. Ban said the official death toll⁴ reported by the Burmese government had climbed to almost 32,000 as of Monday, with more than 34,000 people missing, although international relief agencies report higher numbers. He said the situation has reached a critical point.

"Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf⁵ today's crisis," he said. "I therefore call, in the most strenuous⁶ terms, on the Government of Myanmar to put its people's lives first. It must do all that it can to prevent this disaster from becoming even more serious."

Mr. Ban said the United Nations and its agencies are well-positioned to help with food, water and medical supplies, but that they need greater access and freedom of movement within the tightly controlled country.

He said the Burmese government continues to deny visas to most foreign aid workers, limiting relief assistance to fewer than a third of the estimated 1.5 million people at risk. U.N. Humanitarian Chief John Holmes said 34 visas have been granted to U.N. aid workers but many more are needed.

The secretary-general said he had spoken with regional governments to urge their cooperation with the United Nations to make both civil and military assets available, including planes, helicopters, trucks and boats.

"Handled properly, Myanmar can recover from this calamity," he said. "Handled poorly, it will become an even deeper crisis that will set back the country's people and its government for years."

Mr. Ban said he sent a second letter Monday to Burmese Senior General Than Swe after his repeated attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful.

He emphasized that the crisis should not be about politics but about saving lives, and warned that there is no more time to lose.

1 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

4 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。

5 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

6 strenuous   

adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的

参考例句：

• He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
• You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。