VOA标准英语2011--CorruptionCameroonian Develops Mobile Te

Cameroonian Develops Mobile Telephone Application To Fight Corruption²

"Baksheesh" in Arabic is money offered to crooked³ officials to get rid of red-tape. And so “NoBakchich” implies “no more bribes⁵.”
That’s the name of a mobile telephone application conceived to primarily run on android mobile handsets, or smartphones. They merge⁶ cell or mobile phone technology with e-mail internet applications like e-mail, information searching and social networking.
Its architect is 24-year-old Cameroonian-born Hervé Djia. He and fellow developers have been testing “NoBakchich” since early July. They are planning to formally launch it in August for smartphone users. It will also be made available on an internet website.
“NoBakchich” provides consumers with the latest information on the cost of public service procedures. The only thing users need to do is install the application on their android phones, then click to find out how to obtain services from government departments.
Djia says the idea is based on the belief that public ignorance of the dangers of corruption makes the problem even worse. The software developer adds that if public service consumers get accurate information, the number of people offering money in exchange for services will significantly drop.
Experts blame Cameroon’s endemic corruption on cumbersome⁷ procedures for creating businesses, a complex taxation⁸ system, various administrative⁹ bottlenecks¹⁰, small salaries, impunity¹¹ and what they call unpatriotic behavior.
“NoBackchich” users will be furnished details on the cost and steps to set up a business, get a driver’s license¹², a business license and birth or death certificates, among others. Djia says that way, they won’t fall prey¹³ to unscrupulous officials and their middle men who demand bribe⁴ to render services.
He is hoping that users will share their experiences through social networking where they can name and shame corrupt¹ officials.
Since July, a local anti-corruption NGO called Un Monde Avenir, or A Future World, has been helping¹⁴ to test the application on 20 business people in the capital, Yaoundé, and economic hub, Douala. The selected individuals regularly use administrative services.
Djia says initial feedback from the trial phase has been encouraging.
However, critics note that smartphones are beyond the reach of most of the country’s 20 million people, the bulk of whom live below the poverty line. Forty-one percent of all Cameroonians have mobile phones, while about a million people are internet users according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Board.
Djia says a reduction in the cost of using mobile telephones and internet access rates will likely boost the use of the application. He is designing another version to run on non-android mobile phones.
The global corruption watchdog Transparency International has often ranked Cameroon along the top tier of corrupt nations.
The country’s taxation, customs, law enforcement, healthcare delivery, judiciary and media sectors¹⁵ have frequently been labeled corruption hotbeds. Over a hundred high-profile statesmen have been arrested and jailed since the government launched an anticorruption crackdown in 2006.
But experts say widespread malpractice has continued to cause huge economic losses to the country as tax revenues and foreign aid end up in private pockets, discouraging investors¹⁶ and slowing growth.
Skeptics argue Cameroon needs a moral revolution to weed out corruption. But Djia believes a thousand-mile journey begins with a first step. He says “NoBakchich” is not a magic potion that will instantly stop corruption, but a contribution towards curbing¹⁷ the problem.

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

4 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

5 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

6 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

7 cumbersome   

adj.笨重的，不便携带的

参考例句：

• Although the machine looks cumbersome,it is actually easy to use.尽管这台机器看上去很笨重，操作起来却很容易。
• The furniture is too cumbersome to move.家具太笨，搬起来很不方便。

8 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

9 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

10 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

12 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

13 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。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

17 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。