VOA标准英语2013--Natural Disasters Displace 32 Million in 2012

 

Natural Disasters Displace 32 Million in 2012

A new report says more than 32-million people were forced to flee their homes in 2012 due to natural disasters. Most of the displacement¹ occurred in developing countries, but even rich nations, like the United States, were not spared.

Nature had a lot of people on the run last year.

“In 2012, we saw twice as many people being displaced by natural disasters as compared to the year before. So that was 32.4 million who were newly displaced in 2012. And this is by rapid onset² disasters, such as floods, storms, wildfires and earthquakes,” said Clare Spurrell, chief spokesperson for the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.

And these extreme events are becoming much more frequent in many countries.

“In the last five years,” she said, “three quarters of the countries, which reported disaster displacement, were affected³ by multiple displacement events. So this means that millions of people throughout the world are often being displaced again and again and again in this context.”

Also in the last five years, more than 80 percent of global displacement occurred in Asia. India is often the worst affected.

“India suffered the world’s largest displacement in 2012 due to repeated and relentless⁴ flooding, which was further compounded again by inter-communal tensions. So in India we saw six-point-nine million people displaced by monsoon⁵ floods in the northeast,” she said.

Africa saw a record number of newly displaced people last year – eight-point-two million.

Spurrell said, “Significant to this figure was displacement caused by floods in Nigeria, which was the second largest disaster displacement event in 2012 just behind the flood disasters in northeast India. So the floods in Nigeria were really the most devastating⁶ in the country’s history -- and particularly affected the populated areas of the vast river plains of the Benue and Niger, destroying houses, bridges, farmland, killing⁷ numerous cattle.”

About one-quarter of the countries reporting new displacement in 2012 were also affected by conflict. She said that it’s become a common theme.

“In conflict affected countries, what you often see is that disasters add into sort of a perfect storm, if you like, of risk factors that lead to escalating⁸ displacement figures. So for example, in Pakistan or South Sudan, people are already struggling against food insecurity and conflict. People are then faced with severe floods and storms. They’re already struggling against compounding effects of various variables, which include hunger, poverty and violence,” she said.

Rich nations also saw displacement as a result of natural disasters. For example, in the U.S., 900-thousand people were forced to flee their homes last year, mostly due to Hurricane Sandy. In 2011, many people were displaced by Japan’s triple disaster of a major earthquake, tsunami⁹ and the resulting nuclear plant emergency.

1 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

2 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

3 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。

4 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

5 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

9 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。