VOA标准英语2010年-Venezuelan Shoppers Confront Rationing

Shoppers stand in line to pay for groceries at a privately-owned supermarket in Venezuela

Combating malnutrition¹ and making food more affordable² are pillars of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' socialist³ program.  Food prices have soared, however, amid shortages of basic staples⁴, forcing supermarkets to ration⁵ goods.

Economists⁷ blame price controls and expropriations for plummeting⁸ food production, which has led Venezuela to import vast quantities of grains and meat.  The government accuses private companies, though, of hoarding¹⁰ food to inflate¹¹ prices in pursuit of fatter profits.

No one is starving in Venezuela, but signs limiting purchases of flour, margarine and other staples adorn¹² supermarket shelves, leaving shoppers like Adela Franco frustrated¹³, who said, "You can never find what you need unless you go to several stores."

Another shopper agrees.  "One day there is chicken, but no beef, so you have to buy chicken.  And you find that everything costs a little more than the week before."

The situation is easy to explain, says economist⁶ Orlando Ochoa.  "President Chavez's price controls on food, combined with inflation, have seriously distorted agricultural prices and costs, and led farmers to cease production of grains, meat and milk. The end result: Venezuela has been forced to import on a massive scale everything it used to produce domestically."

Mr. Chavez insists his policies are not at fault.  "The revolution will continue to produce, like a machine, guaranteeing ample and affordable food for all Venezuelans."

Chavez says scheming capitalists are to blame for food supply disruptions.  "They cut production and sometimes allowed milk to go bad.  Why?  To raise prices.  They played a dirty game to manipulate the market.  But we terminated their game.  The revolutionary government nationalized them and assumed responsibility for dairy production."

To aid the poor, the government has set up a network of state-operated grocery stores, selling goods from nationalized industries at discounted prices. Shoppers like Laura Hernandez go to buy whatever is in stock.

"This store is vital," said Hernadez.  "You can save a lot of money here.  The only problem is that sometimes you cannot find what you need.  Much is lacking: sugar, milk, basic items."

The government-run stores are shunned¹⁴ by well-to-do Venezuelans like Adela Franco.  "I do not trust what they sell there.  I do not know if the food is fresh or of good quality."

But the march towards a socialist food supply continues.  The latest government target for nationalization is Empresas Polar.  The mega-conglomerate produces everything from beverages¹⁵ to the number-one brand of flour used to make arepas - pita-like sandwiches that are the mainstay of the Venezuelan diet.

President Chavez recently lashed¹⁶ out at Polar on national television.  "If Polar continues to hoard⁹ products, we will have to go after it. We will not allow anyone to swindle us."

Polar executives deny any wrongdoing, saying their production is limited by the dwindling¹⁷ availability of raw foodstuffs¹⁸ in Venezuela.

Meanwhile, shoppers continue to patronize privately-owned supermarkets that may or may not exist in the future.

1 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

2 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。

3 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

4 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

5 ration   

n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应

参考例句：

• The country cut the bread ration last year.那个国家去年削减面包配给量。
• We have to ration the water.我们必须限量用水。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

9 hoard   

n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积

参考例句：

• They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
• How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩？

10 hoarding   

n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• After the war, they were shot for hoarding. 战后他们因囤积而被枪决。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Actually he had two unused ones which he was hoarding up. 其实他还藏了两片没有用呢。 来自英汉文学

11 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

12 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

13 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

16 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

18 foodstuffs   

食物，食品( foodstuff的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Imports of foodstuffs accounted for a small proportion of total imports. 食物进口仅占总进口额的一小部份。
• Many basic foodstuffs, such as bread and milk, are tax-free. 许多基本食物如牛奶和面包是免税的。