VOA标准英语2008年-One Million Cyclone Victims Have Received Aid i

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
27 May 2008

United Nations aid agencies say they have been able to reach about one million survivors¹ of Cyclone² Nargis in Burma, also known as Myanmar, with aid.  That is slightly more than 40 percent of those affected³ by the devastating⁴ storm, which killed nearly 80,000 people, with 56,000 still missing.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

The United Nations says it is planning to increase its humanitarian⁵ operation now that Burma's military rulers are granting more access to cyclone -affected areas.

Until now, U.N. Officials say most people who have received assistance live around Burma's main city of Rangoon.  It says nearly 1.5 million people in the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta⁶ have not received any international aid. 

A spokeswoman for the UN Organization for the Coordination⁷ of Humanitarian Assistance, Elizabeth Byrs, says it will be difficult to reach them.

"In the Irrawaddy Delta, we have a logistical nightmare because of those hundreds of rivers, hundreds of small islands and...some places are only reachable by boat, inflatable boats," Byrs said. "So, it is a problem, major problem."

Another problem is the monsoon⁸.  Byrs says it is critical to try to reach as many victims as possible before the roads become impassable when the monsoon season reaches its peak in a couple of weeks. 

But, she notes the United Nations has made plans for alternate forms of distributing aid.  

"We have already organized the delivery of assistance in order to rely more upon the boat delivery than truck delivery, of course," Byrs said. "And, of course, these nine helicopters, the WFP [World Food Program] helicopters, which are expected very soon.It will be a major step in the delivery of assistance." 

Byrs says the U.N. has huge warehouses⁹ in Rangoon and Bangkok where they can store relief items.  She says the so-called air bridge between Bangkok and Rangoon is working well with 10 to 15 humanitarian flights taking off every day.

The U.N. Children's Fund says it plans to move rapidly to assist tens of thousands of children and women who have been severely¹⁰ affected by the devastating storm. 

UNICEF spokesman, Michael Klaus, says probably 20 to 30 additional international experts will be required to conduct rapid assessments¹¹ of the needs in the Irrawaddy Delta.

"We estimate that still around one million people have not been reached at all in the Irrawaddy Delta and since we estimate that roughly 40 percent of them are children, we can estimate some 400,000 children are not reached at all," Klaus said. "We know that hundreds of unaccompanied children have been seen and registered, including infants, children under two years of age, who need urgent support." 

Klaus says many of the children and women are homeless.  They have lost their personal possessions and are exposed to many risks.  He says the children are most in need of clean drinking water, sanitation¹², proper nutrition and shelter.

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 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。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 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。

6 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。

7 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

8 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

9 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

10 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

11 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

12 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。