VOA标准英语2010年-UN Chief Arrives in Haiti

"The damage, the destruction, the loss of life, are just overwhelming." - UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Haiti, where he has come to express his support for victims of Tuesday's massive earthquake.

 Mr. Ban said he is going to Haiti with a "very heavy heart." "The damage, the destruction, the loss of life, are just overwhelming.  Therefore, we need unprecedented¹ international support to Haitian people," he said.

The U.N. chief spoke² to reporters aboard his flight from New York.  The plane carried several of his senior advisors³ as well as U.N. staff and aid supplies.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (File)

Mr. Ban says the United Nations has three priorities now in Haiti.

"First, to save lives - as many lives as possible.  We are running against time.  This is already it the 4th day, but there is hope that we can and we may save some more lives," he said.

The organization also hopes to provide urgently needed humanitarian⁴ assistance, including tents, water, medical supplies and other services. Mr. Ban said food distribution is improving and the U.N. is now feeding at least 40,000 people a day.

The other U.N. priority is to coordinate⁵ the large outpouring of international assistance.

"We should not waste even a single item, a single dollar," he added.

The Red Cross and the United Nations estimate more than 40,000 people have died as a result of the earthquake.  Among them, more than 40 U.N. peacekeeping and civilian⁶ staff members.  Mr. Ban said for the United Nations this is the "gravest and greatest single loss" to the organization.

He said the organization has lost many "dear colleagues" including the head of the Haiti mission, Hedi Annabi, a nearly 30-year veteran of the United Nations and his deputy, Luis Carlos da Costa.

"There are many more, I fear, colleagues whose fates, we have to prepare for the worst.  But the United Nations will carry on," he said.

Mr. Ban plans to meet with President Rene Preval, U.N. staff and local earthquake victims.  He said he wants to assess first hand the extent of the damage and humanitarian need.

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

6 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。