VOA标准英语2010年-Remembering AIDS 2000 – Hope and Con

While much attention is being paid to South Africa as the host of Africa’s first World Cup, the nation also made history 10 years ago when it hosted the 13th International AIDS Conference.  It was the first time the world’s largest AIDS gathering¹ was held in a developing country and it changed the way future conferences would be held.

The theme of the 13th International AIDS Conference was “Break the Silence.”  And at the opening ceremony in Durban, performers chanted “No” to the fear and reluctance² to talk openly about HIV/AIDS, which had already killed millions.

Monumental task

The conference – known as AIDS 2000 – faced many obstacles.  Could an African country host an international conference attracting thousands of participants?  Would South Africa’s high crime rate scare people away?  Would the idea of focusing more on the social aspects of the disease be successful?

“We have a monumental task ahead of us.  And there’s not a second to look back to our yesterdays, to look back at our fears and frustrations⁴.  We have no other choice but to go forward and to keep our minds on acting³ firmly on the knowledge we already have; and of uncovering new ideas and new knowledge on what should be done.”

AIDS 2000 chairman, Professor Gerry Coovadia, speaking on opening day, July 9th, 2000.  Today, Dr. Coovadia, Emeritus⁵ Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, considers the legacy⁶ of the conference.

“Without exaggerating its impact, it certainly is considered one of the landmark⁷ AIDS conferences in the world.  And that includes those that have been held recently.  And I think the reason it is considered a landmark conference is that quite a number of issues came to the fore,” he said.

Denial

Controversy⁸ surrounded the Durban AIDS conference even before it opened.  President Thabo Mbeki was at the center of it, skeptical⁹ a virus was the cause of HIV/AIDS.  He said his position was based, in part, on a World Health Organization report that outlined the many health problems facing South Africa and other nations on the continent.  Mbeki also said poverty was a major contributor to poor health.

It seemed to me that we could not blame everything on a single virus.  It seemed to me also that every living African, whether in good or ill health, is prey¹⁰ to many enemies of health that would interact one upon the other in many ways within one human body,” said Mbeki.

Critics feared if President Mbeki appeared to doubt the link between HIV and the disease, people would not practice safe sex and use condoms.

“One of the questions I’ve asked is: are safe sex, condoms and antiretroviral drugs a sufficient response to the health catastrophes¹¹ that we face?”

The debate and anger over the issue drew the attention of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who spoke¹² at the closing ceremonies.

“So much unnecessary attention around this conference had been directed towards the dispute that is unintentionally distracting from the real life and death issues we are confronted with as a country,” said Mandela.

He said it would be wrong for the controversy to overshadow the goals of the 13th international AIDS Conference.

“This is not an academic conference.  This is, as I understand it, a gathering of human beings concerned about turning around one of the greatest threats humankind has faced.  And certainly, the greatest after the end of the great wars of the previous century,” Mandela said.

Professor Coovadia recalls Mbeki’s denial of the virus link and its consequences.

“He disputed the efficacy of some of the (antiretroviral) drugs, which is in a way just as bad or even worse - because it prevented access to drugs, which could have been affordable¹³ at least to South Africa,” he said.

In the end, the words of Nelson Mandela became a battle cry for many at the Conference.

“In the face of the great threat posed by HIV/AIDS, we have to rise above our differences and combine our efforts to save our people….  Let us not equivocate¹⁴. A tragedy of unprecedented¹⁵ proportion is unfolding in Africa,” he said.

Professor Coovadia said Mandel’s words affected¹⁶ him personally.

“I came as close to weeping as I possibly could.  And I think more than that, you may not remember, there was an absolute, unqualified and spontaneous standing¹⁷ ovation¹⁸ for what Mr. Mandela said.

However, Coovadia describes the fight against HIV/AIDS during the Mbeki administration as the “worst years.” He says government policies delayed needed treatment and misinformed and confused the public.

Coovadia now serves on President Zuma’s 26-member National Planning Commission.

Many consider AIDS 2000 as the first major conference to put a human face on the epidemic¹⁹.  UNAIDS estimates about 60 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV since the epidemic began about 30 years ago.  About 25 million have died from HIV-related illnesses.  The vast majority of those living with and dying from HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The next International AIDS Conference, the 18th, will be held in Vienna July 18th through the 23rd.
 

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

5 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

8 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

9 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

10 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

11 catastrophes   

n.灾祸( catastrophe的名词复数 )；灾难；不幸事件；困难

参考例句：

• Two of history's worst natural catastrophes occurred in 1970. 1970年发生了历史上最严重两次自然灾害。 来自辞典例句
• The Swiss deposits contain evidence of such catastrophes. 瑞士的遗址里还有这种灾难的证据。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

14 equivocate   

v.模棱两可地，支吾其词

参考例句：

• Don't equivocate with me I want a straight answer to a straight question!别跟我绕弯子--我问的问题直截了当，回答也要直截了当！
• He is equivocating a lot about what is going to happen if and when there are elections.他支支吾吾地说着很多万一进行选举会发生的状况。

15 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。

16 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。

17 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

18 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

19 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。