VOA标准英语2014--Remote South Africa Village Gets Electricity for First Time -- in 2014 南非偏远村庄终于通电

 

Remote South Africa Village Gets Electricity for First Time -- in 2014 南非偏远村庄终于通电

GWAKWANI, SOUTH AFRICA — South Africa is the African continent's most advanced nation -- yet an estimated 3 million of its residents live without electricity. The government says it's working to improve its infrastructure¹ to reach those people -- many of them in remote areas -- but it is simultaneously² struggling to provide enough power for its growing urban population. In a remote South African village - actually called "armpit" in the local language -  electricity is available for the first time in 2014.

Wilson Tshitande has lived in the remote village of Gwakwani for as long as he can remember. He boasts that he knows every stick, every rock and every plant in this settlement of less than 100 people.

But one thing the 70-year-old never thought he would see has finally come to this village in South Africa's largely rural Limpopo province: electricity.

In the local Venda language, the name "Gwakwani" literally³ means "armpit."  It's so named because it's wedged under the nearest river and other important landmarks⁴.  But perhaps, residents say, the village's modesty⁵ has also led to their being overlooked in their request for electricity.

"We have been expecting that there would be electricity, but since we are poor we have nothing.  So we've just been hoping that someday something would happen," said Tshitande.

Despite the villagers' appeals to the municipality, the power lines stop at the next village over.

Local ward⁶ councilor Rabelani Gadabeni said the power utility and municipality don't have the budget to bring the lines to Gwakwani. Instead, electricity is coming through a private initiative led by the University of Johannesburg.

"We see that that thing, it will take time. So that if we even happen to engage with the University of Johannesburg so that if maybe they can do a solar project, it will help our people faster than when we have to budget for the main line," said Gadabeni.

A team from the university's electrical engineering department recently travelled 800 kilometers to the village to install solar panels donated by a local business.

Engineering lecturer M. Hove helped the university choose the village.

"There are a number of these communities that are needy⁷. But we found this village as the most needy.  As I often say, I call it the 'forgotten village,'" said Hove.

The small amount of power generated by the solar panels will initially⁸ fuel a water pump that until now has run on diesel⁹ fuel.  Hove said that is just the start of the project -- the next phase will include more improvements.

Godfrey Nefuluphudwe has operated the aging pump for four years. He travels once a month to the nearest town to buy the diesel fuel.

He said he's grateful for the small amount of electricity, but he and his neighbors would like more.

"It's going to help us a lot. But we need you to come back and electrify¹⁰ all of our houses.  Because, without electricity, we live hard. Because we must move from that village to another village to charge even your phone or laptops. We must buy batteries for our radios," said Nefuluphudwe.

 

Gwakwani has always been a sleepy little village. But now that electricity is finally coming, maybe its residents -- young and old -- will get a better connection to the modern world.

1 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。

2 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

5 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

6 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

7 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

10 electrify   

v.使充电；使电气化；使触电；使震惊；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The country is now making effort to electrify and informationize manufacture.国家正在致力于制造业的电气化和信息化。
• He needs money to electrify his surface lines.他需要钱把他的地面线路电气化。