VOA标准英语2009年-Indonesian Tsunami Survivors Arrive to Hel

By Brian Padden
Jakatra
12 October 2009

Victims of the recent earthquake that hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra are getting help from their neighbors to the north, survivors¹ of the 2004 tsunami². In addition to providing material support, these groups bring experience in coping with disaster.

 
A woman amid the rubble³ of her house which was badly damaged by an earthquake in isolated⁴ Limo Koto Timur village, Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 04 Oct 2009
Victims of last month's earthquake in southwestern Sumatra are getting help from more than 30 countries.

And from countrymen who only five years ago survived the worst natural disaster to hit the world in decades, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Volunteers from Indonesia's Aceh province have headed to Padang, the hardest-hit city in the September 30 quake, which killed hundreds and destroyed as many as 180,000 buildings.

A coalition⁵ called the Aceh Humanitarian⁶ Axis⁷ is raising money, collecting donations and sending volunteers.

So far the group has sent 40 volunteers, some of whom are specialists like doctors and disaster management experts.

Lilianne Fan, an advisor⁸ to the governor of Aceh, says the volunteers bring something to Padang that other volunteers may not have.

"These organizations are made up of people who are directly affected⁹ by the terrible disaster of 2004," Fan said. "So they have themselves experienced what it is like to be survivors of a devastating¹⁰ natural disaster."

More than 200,000 people died in the 2004 tsunami, the vast majority of them in Aceh. Since then, the people of Aceh, with the help of the Indonesian government and international aid organizations, have rebuilt their communities.

She says the Aceh tsunami survivors can relate to the Padang earthquake victims on a personal level and help them deal with their loss and grief. The Aceh survivors can share practical knowledge on the process of setting up camps and clinics, and cleaning up debris¹¹. And they can provide contacts and procedures for securing aid from the government and international organizations.

Fan says the Aceh relief effort is motivated in part by gratitude¹² for all the help Aceh received after the tsunami.

"It is saying thank you by showing solidarity¹³ themselves. It is kind of giving back the good will that was given to them," she said.

She says by helping¹⁴ the victims of the Padang earthquake, the tsunami survivors of Aceh are paying the debt they owe.

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 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

3 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 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。

7 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

8 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

13 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。