VOA标准英语2008年-Aid Agencies Warn of Threat of Disease, Epidemi

Aid agencies are warning of the threat of disease in India's Bihar State, which has been hit by devastating¹ floods. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi the floods have displaced an estimated three million people and killed at least 90 people.
　
Villagers wade² through floodwaters towards safer areas near Saharsa, about 280 kilometers (175 miles) northeast of Patna, India, 02 Sep 2008

After being evacuated⁴ from flooded villages spread across the state, nearly a quarter of a million people have been housed in makeshift relief camps in Bihar State. Thousands more are pouring into the shelters, every day, as authorities step up the rescue operation.

Aid workers say the camps are cramped⁵ and overcrowded. The United Nations has warned that the heat, combined with limited supplies of safe drinking water and poor hygiene⁶, pose a great risk of water and airborne diseases.

The coordinator⁷ for emergency operations in Bihar for the United Nations Children's Fund, Mukesh Puri, says facilities in relief camps must improve, to ward³ off the threat of epidemics⁸.

"The doctors are there, but we do notice that there is an increase in cases of diarrhea, in particular," he said. "Apart from providing food and other basic amenities⁹, proper hygienic conditions have to be maintained and clean drinking water has to be provided. Particularly vulnerable groups like small children and pregnant women, their needs have to be taken care of, which is a challenge in such trying conditions."

The floods started two weeks ago when the Kosi River breached¹⁰ a dam in Nepal. The river then shifted course, and flood waters spread across parts of Nepal and Bihar, including areas never threatened by floods before. Many people are still waiting to be rescued.

Bihar's chief minister says the humanitarian¹¹ crisis is likely to be extremely serious for several weeks, because the waters are not likely to recede¹² anytime soon. Bihar is one of India's poorest and least developed states.

UNICEF's Puri says the aid effort will have to be sustained for a long time and among communities not used to coping with flooding.

"The challenging part is these camps will stay there for three months or up to six months. This is a different kind of flood," he said. "Generally water goes away after 15-20 days. This time the people who have been hit, they have never had floods in the last 30 years, so they are not quite prepared in any sense for this kind of a devastation¹³."

Nepal is coping with the aftermath of the flooding. Aid workers there have reported outbreaks of fever, pneumonia¹⁴ and diarrhea among the flood victims.

Floods usually sweep across South Asia during the monsoon¹⁵ season, from June to September, making millions of people homeless, killing¹⁶ hundreds, and destroying farmland.

 

1 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。

2 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

5 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

6 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

7 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

8 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

9 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

11 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。

12 recede   

vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进

参考例句：

• The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
• He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

13 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

15 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。

16 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。