VOA标准英语2010年-Clinton to Boost Aid Pledge at UN Meet

A Pakistani boy shouts to attract attention from a man handing out relief goods at a camp flood victims in Muzaffargarh, Punjab province, Pakistan, 18 Aug 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce another increase in U.S. flood aid to Pakistan at Thursday's special U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York.  Officials said they see the U.N. session as a catalyst¹ for a broader international response to the disaster.

 

The United States has already committed about $90 million dollars in relief aid and millions of dollars more of in-kind aid provided by the U.S. military, including helicopter rescue operations and air transport.

Senior officials said Clinton will announce a sizeable further increase at the special General Assembly session, which they said they hope will stimulate² wider participation³ in the relief effort by governments, businesses and private citizens.

Efforts to generate private contributions for Pakistani flood relief, through vehicles such as cell phone e-mail pledges, have lagged behind efforts for other recent natural disasters like the January earthquake in Haiti.

In announcing Clinton's participation in the U.N. meeting, State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley attributed the relative shortfall to the fact that the magnitude of the Pakistani flood disaster, and its long-term implications, are only now becoming apparent.

"There's a qualitative⁴ difference to this disaster," said Crowley.  "And much of it is because it's still raining in Pakistan.  The floods are expanding in Pakistan.  And in the coming days, I think you will see the response pick up as people understand the magnitude of this.  You have an unfolding immediate⁵ disaster.  But then you have, a long-term recovery that will be vitally important."

Under legislation approved last year, the United States has committed $7.5 billion dollars to Pakistan during the next five years in non-military assistance.

Officials here said the Kerry-Lugar-Berman aid program, named for its key sponsors in Congress and aimed chiefly at building Pakistani infrastructure⁶, will be "re-calibrated" to help what will be a long recovery process from the floods.

One of the program's namesakes, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday from Afghanistan for a first-hand assessment⁷ of what is described as Pakistan's worst flooding in 80 years.

Secretary Clinton, who will address the special General Assembly session in New York, also will discuss the disaster in separate meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

 

1 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

2 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

3 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

4 qualitative   

adj.性质上的，质的，定性的

参考例句：

• There are qualitative differences in the way children and adults think.孩子和成年人的思维方式有质的不同。
• Arms races have a quantitative and a qualitative aspects.军备竞赛具有数量和质量两个方面。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 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。

7 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？