VOA标准英语2014--Ebola Response Includes Emergency Airlifts

 

Ebola Response Includes Emergency Airlifts

The World Food Program is airlifting emergency supplies to the Ebola-stricken countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The U.N. agency said the Ebola response goes beyond its traditional role of providing food aid.

The WFP said it’s “shifted gears to support the international community to stem the unprecedented¹ virus outbreak.”

Spokesman Alexis Masciarelli says airlifts emanate² from U.N. Humanitarian³ Response Depots⁴.

“Well, we indeed are organizing airlifts all this week – from Italy, from Dubai, from Accra, where I am now, into the three countries most affected⁵ by the Ebola virus.”

The airlifts do not carry the usual WFP supplies.

“What we are airlifting this week is not food. It’s logistics equipment that is going to be used for all the humanitarian response here – all the agencies -- U.N. agencies, the medical organizations -- to provide them in the support they need in terms of storing equipment, of transport – getting things moving to finally overcome this virus,” he said.

The first flight Wednesday -- from Brindisi, Italy to Liberia -- carried nearly 60-metric tons of such things as water tanks and generators⁶. In all, hundreds of tons will eventually be delivered.

Masciarelli said the World Food Program is also helping⁷ with the construction of four Ebola treatment centers in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. They’ll provide an additional 400 beds.

“Normally, we are the agency that is fighting hunger around the world. So, obviously we are still doing that. And so far, since our first food distribution that was at the end of March just a week after the outbreak was declared there, we’ve distributed food to over 500,000 people,” he said.

Masciarelli said that food is being provided to those in the Ebola treatment centers.

“So they can have something nutritious⁸ to eat – something of good quality. If they don’t get enough food, even if they get the treatment, they obviously can’t get better. We’re also providing food to the families of the people who’ve been affected, who are currently under treatment or who have died. [We’re providing] o people who’ve actually been cleared and have managed to beat the disease and are going home, but they’re still too weak to go back to get an income. And we’re also going to larger communities – areas in particular in Sierra Leone – that have been put under quarantine by the government.”

Recent assessments⁹ indicate deteriorating¹⁰ food security in the Kailahun and Kenema districts of Sierra Leone.

Besides the airlifts, a WFP-contracted ship is carrying 7,000 metric tons of rice from Benin to Sierra Leone and Liberia. 

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 emanate   

v.发自，来自，出自

参考例句：

• Waves emanate from the same atom source.波是由同一原子辐射的。
• These chemicals can emanate certain poisonous gases.这些化学药品会散发出某些有毒的气味。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

5 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。

6 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

9 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

10 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。