VOA标准英语2008年-UN Says North Korea Food Crisis Worsening

The U.N. World Food Program says North Korea is facing its worst food shortage in nearly a decade. The agency says in the next year North Korea needs more than $500 million for food aid or it will risk famine. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
　

Young children at a nursery in Myongchon County eating bread made with cereals from WFP, 29 Aug 2008

The World Food Program says bad weather, high food prices and fewer donations from neighbors have dangerously reduced North Korea's food supplies.

In the past year North Korean farms suffered devastating¹ floods and grain prices increased four times.

Also, South Korea has also not given as much aid to the North this year because relations between the two governments have chilled.

The WFP says this year North Korea will be more than 1.5 million tons short of the food it needs.

Tony Banbury, the WFP's regional director for Asia, just finished a weeklong tour of North Korea, where he says malnourishment is widespread.
　

Tony Banbury says more than half of households in N. Korea are surviving on just two meals a day

"Now more than half of the households in the country are surviving on just two meals a day at best," said Banbury. "And, there is a significantly increased reliance for foraging² for wild foods as a coping mechanism³."

Banbury says the food crisis is probably the worst since the late 1990s when an estimated million North Koreans died of hunger.

He says food exports from China, a traditional supplier, dropped by half in the past few years.

China limited food exports to help battle rising inflation at home and ensure its own supply.

Anthea Webb, the WFP's China director, says the agency is urging Chinese officials to allow the export of 50,000 tons for food to North Korea and Burma.
　

Anthea Webb, World Food Program's China director

"We understand the priority is to take care of the Chinese population first. But, a modest request," said Webb. "We are hoping, very hopeful, for a positive answer. And, it is clear that the need is more urgent than ever now."

The WFP says it needs $503 million to maintain adequate operations in North Korea until November 2009 and is asking donors⁴ for $60 million of it now.

The food is mainly for children, the elderly, and mothers.

The North Korean government has in the past been suspected of diverting food aid to its powerful military.

The WFP says that is no longer a concern as Pyongyang in June granted it unprecedented⁵ oversight⁶ of aid operations.

The WFP feeds more people in North Korea than in any other country. More than six million North Koreans, one quarter of the population, depend on the donations.

The U.S. government is one of the biggest donors and has pledged 400,000 tons of food to help with the crisis.

1 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。

2 foraging   

v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西）

参考例句：

• They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句

3 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。