VOA标准英语2010年-Full Picture of Haiti Devastation Emer

Death, devastation¹ and deprivation² prevail in Haiti's capital, as the full extent of the country's humanitarian³ crisis is being revealed to the world.  The international community is rushing aid to earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince in the face of logistical challenges and with the knowledge that Haiti's needs far outpace anything that can be delivered in the short-term. 

Two days after the 7.0 magnitude quake, the horror of the disaster is undiminished.  In Port-au-Prince, sheet-draped bodies remain unclaimed, and untold⁴ numbers of people are trapped in rubble⁵ or missing and feared dead.

The ranks of the injured seeking scarce medical attention continue to grow. Seemingly countless⁶ people lack food and shelter, leaving streets packed with increasingly hungry, destitute⁷ survivors⁸.  Even among those whose homes did not collapse⁹, fear of aftershocks has led many to remain outdoors.

Haitian President Rene Preval commented on the situation on NBC television's Today program.

"I am sure that I will not sleep in the street tonight. But I am sure a lot of people will sleep in the street tonight," he said.

Haiti's humanitarian crisis has sparked the biggest outpouring of international aid in response to a natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami¹⁰ that devastated¹¹ parts of Indonesia and surrounding nations.

The United States has mobilized thousands of troops and a massive contingent¹² of civilian¹³ workers to respond to the Haitian crisis.  Speaking at the White House, President Barack Obama said the initial U.S. response will exceed $100 million, and that more assistance will be forthcoming.

"To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction:  You will not be forsaken¹⁴.  You will not be forgotten.  In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you.  The world stands with you," he said.

Dozens of other nations and a vast array of international organizations and aid groups have also sprung to action.  Assistance is being dispatched from around the globe, including many faraway nations.  Israel, for example, is sending a military medical team that will operate a field hospital in Haiti.

"Israel has quite a lot of experience in these kinds of earthquakes," said Israeli military official, Gidi Shenar.  "We have been in several places in the world.  We are bringing our knowledge and we are coming to assist the people over there and save lives.  As fast as we can, we will be over there."

But obstacles remain.  Diplomats¹⁵ and aid officials familiar with Haiti say that even before the quake, the country's roads and infrastructure¹⁶ were in poor condition or virtually non-existent.  The temblor damaged Port-au-Prince's international airport as well as the city's seaport¹⁷.

Speaking on NBC's Today show, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said U.S. teams have had logistical challenges to overcome.

"We have the airport open, thanks to the U.S. military," she said. "We have our civilian search-and-rescue teams on the ground.  We are doing all we can."

Amid the devastation and loss of life in Haiti, there have been a precious few moments of joy - U.S. rescue workers pulled a security guard out of the rubble of the collapsed¹⁸ U.N. building in Port-au-Prince.  But scores of U.N. personnel remain unaccounted for.

Shaken and frail¹⁹, one woman was asked her reaction after family members rescued her from a collapsed house.

"I started crying.  Yeah, I started crying," she said.

Haiti is the Western hemisphere's poorest nation, long-plagued by frequent hurricanes, political instability and chronic²⁰ underdevelopment. 

1 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》

2 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。

3 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。

4 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

5 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。

6 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

7 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

8 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

9 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

10 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。

11 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

12 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

13 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

14 Forsaken   

adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词

参考例句：

• He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
• He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。

15 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

17 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

18 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

19 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

20 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。