VOA标准英语2014--世界银行行长称,消除贫困来帮助对抗埃博拉病毒

 

World Bank Chief: Fighting Poverty Helps Fight Ebola 世界银行行长称,消除贫困来帮助对抗埃博拉病毒

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says the fight against Ebola is a key part of the struggle against poverty and inequality, giving special urgency to the October 6 gathering¹ of top economic officials from around the world in Washington.

With Ebola and other issues in mind, the head of the International Monetary² Fund is urging member nations to step up efforts to overcome what she called "mediocre³" economic growth.

Ebola's devastating⁴ impact on West African nations is well understood by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, an expert in infectious diseases who also heads a global lender with the mission of ending poverty.

Dr. Kim says poverty and inequality contribute to the spread of the killer⁵ virus.

"The knowledge and infrastructure⁶ to treat the sick and contain the virus exists in high and middle-income countries," he said. "However, over many years, we have failed to make these things accessible to low-income people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone."

In a speech at Washington's Howard University he said inequality isn't just unfair - it's deadly.

"So now, thousands of people in these countries are dying because, in the lottery⁷ of birth, they were born in the wrong place," he said.

Kim says the global response to Ebola is picking up pace after a slow start. He says the bank is focusing on raising the income of the lowest 40 percent of earners in developing nations, and improving their access to health care, food, shelter, and jobs.

But in a speech at Georgetown University, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund says employment and economic growth are still uneven⁸ and slow, six years after the start of the financial crisis.

Christine Lagarde says member nations must do more to create jobs.

"There has to be a new momentum⁹, a new momentum that will consist of putting a set of bolder policies together in order to overcome what I would call the new mediocre," she said. "And that's a risk if it stagnates¹⁰ as such...if we have this horizon of new mediocre."

Experts are urging member nations of the IMF and the World Bank to step up investment in infrastructure as a way of boosting both short and long term economic growth.

Infrastructure investment is one of many topics on the agenda of the IMF-World Bank meetings as economic leaders gather in Washington to discuss improving opportunities for women and job prospects¹¹ for youth around the world. 

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

3 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。

4 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。

5 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

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 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

8 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

9 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

10 stagnates   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The water stagnates in the ditch. 水在沟中停滞而变浊。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Consequently, income per capita stagnates. 其结果，人均国民收入停滞不前。 来自辞典例句

11 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。