VOA标准英语2011--Man Versus Beast in Remote Corner of Rwa

Man Versus Beast in Remote Corner of Rwanda

Nearly seventeen years after civil war and genocide devastated¹ Rwanda, the country is mostly peaceful, and the economy is growing fast. But in the eastern countryside, a kind of conflict still rages. Wild animals from one of Rwanda’s premier² tourist destinations attack people and destroy crops, while gangs of poachers rob protected forests. Our reporter files this story from Akagera National Park and surrounding villages in Rwanda.
In this remote corner of eastern Rwanda, giraffes munch³ quietly on tree-tops while zebras wander in the hills. Even the wild buffalo⁴, some of the most dangerous animals in Akagera National Park, stare lazily as tourists snap pictures.
But in nearby villages, locals say the animals are not always so peaceful.
Beatha Mushimiyimana is a farmer who grows beans, sorghum⁵ and maize⁶. During the dry season, her husband went out to search for more food, but he never came back.
"My husband went to look for something to eat because of drought," she said. "He went with two people, and they met a hippopotamus⁷ in a sorghum farm. Around 8pm one of the men came to tell me my husband had been killed by the hippo. He left behind three children. "
Park officials say Akagera National Park could be a major addition to Rwanda’s $200 million plus tourism business and fastest growing sector⁸. But because of ongoing⁹ human-animal conflict, development in the park has stalled.
In response, the government of Rwanda is funding a $2.7 million electric fence to help keep the animals in and poachers out.
Last year, five people were killed and 15 wounded in animal attacks near the park. In July, a man was mauled to death by a buffalo and earlier this spring, nearly half the elephants in the park wandered into a nearby village.
Theogene Semugisha oversees¹⁰ social services for Ndego, a district of almost 15,000 people near the park. He says animals raid 80 percent of the farms in this already impoverished¹¹ district every year.
"The animals come into the farms, tear up the crops and leave the people with nothing," he said.
Locals complain that despite government promises, they have not received compensation for lost property, or lives. Adele Mukansanga grows beans and maize. She says buffalo and hippos often destroy her crops.
"Every day they come,' she said. "Since 2006 we have reported the problem, and wrote letters about how they are destroying crops. Every year we harvest nothing and nobody comes to pay for what they have destroyed."
Like other locals, Adele looks forward to next year when the fence is expected to be complete. More tourists will come in, she says, but more importantly, the animals will stay off of her farm.

1 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

2 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

3 munch   

v.用力嚼，大声咀嚼

参考例句：

• We watched her munch through two packets of peanuts.我们看她津津有味地嚼了两包花生米。
• Getting them to munch on vegetable dishes was more difficult.使他们吃素菜就比较困难了。

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

5 sorghum   

n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西

参考例句：

• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
• They made sorghum into pig feed.他们把高粱做成了猪饲料。

6 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

7 hippopotamus   

n.河马

参考例句：

• The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.孩子们真喜观看河马在泥中打滚。
• A hippopotamus surfs the waves off the coast of Gabon.一头河马在加蓬的海岸附近冲浪。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

11 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》