VOA标准英语2008年-UN Says Tens of Thousands of Flood Victims in W

The United Nations World Food Program is appealing for $2.5 million for an emergency food program in Western Nepal, which has been inundated¹ by heavy flooding this week. The WFP says the money will be used to feed about 170,000 people for one month. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
　
Nepalese live in make-shift houses on the road side after their houses got damaged due floods in Sunsari, about 400 kilometers southeast of Katmandu, 29 Aug 2008

Incessant² rainfall in the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal this week has caused flooding and landslides³ in eight regions. The United Nations reports at least 30 people have been killed and 30 are missing.

World Food Program spokeswoman Emilia Casella says the organization has to find the money to feed 170,000 flood victims in the West who have lost practically everything.

"Imagine when 170,000 people are displaced by severe flooding, it means they have lost their homes," she said. "They have lost their livelihoods⁴ and, unfortunately in some cases, family members. So when a community has to recover from something like this even if they are only displaced from their homes for a few weeks until the waters recede⁵ it can take months to rebuild."

Casella says crops have been lost and planted crops have been destroyed. So food assistance, she says, will need to continue for some time to come.

She says the WFP will provide the flood victims with a mixed-commodity basket of rice, lentils, vegetable oil and salt, as part of this new multimillion dollar emergency operation.

The floods in western Nepal come on top of severe flooding last month in eastern Nepal, when the Koshi River, one of the largest river basins in Asia, breached⁶ its embankment.

Flooding there has caused widespread devastation⁷, displacing 70,000 people. Most are staying in temporary shelters or in ad hoc settlements.

The United Nations warns debris⁸ and dead cattle in the region pose a big threat to hygiene⁹. It says encephalitis cases have been reported and it fears an upsurge in cases of malaria¹⁰.

The United Nations and its partners are appealing for $15.5 to help monsoon¹¹ victims in the east over the next six months. This money will supplement a $100 million appeal that was previously¹² launched to address chronic¹³ problems in Nepal this year.

Casella says the World Food Program is providing food assistance to the 70,000 people in eastern Nepal in addition to the new flood victims in the West. She says this brings the total number of beneficiaries to 220,000.

 

1 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 incessant   

adj.不停的，连续的

参考例句：

• We have had incessant snowfall since yesterday afternoon.从昨天下午开始就持续不断地下雪。
• She is tired of his incessant demands for affection.她厌倦了他对感情的不断索取。

3 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

4 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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》

8 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。

9 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。

10 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

11 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。

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。