2006年VOA标准英语-Fund Shortage Threatens Vital Airlift to P
时间:2019-01-07 作者:英语课 分类:2006年VOA标准英语(二月)
By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
15 February 2006
Four months after the devastating 1 South Asian earthquake, more than 300,000 survivors 3 still depend on United Nations airlifts for lifesaving food and supplies. The flights, sometimes more than 100 a day, are a critical lifeline for thousands of remote mountain villages in the Himalayan quake zone. But U.N. officials say that without fresh donations they may be forced to scale back the operation. VOA's Benjamin Sand visited Zeff Kapoor, a village in the Himalayas, where residents warned that without the relief flights they may not survive the region's harsh winter.
----------------------------------------------------------
The villagers of Zeff Kapoor start a small fire near where they want the helicopter to land.
The rising smoke can help the chopper pilot anticipate wind conditions in the narrow Himalayan valley.
The tiny hamlet is perched midway up an imposing 4 snow-capped mountain, almost 17 hundred meters above sea level.
As the fire grows the men wait, straining to hear the distinctive 5 hum of the approaching U.N. helicopter.
Pakistani volunteers arrive in remote village of Nehar Bala with food supplies for cut off earthquake survivors
Four months after a massive earthquake nearly flattened 6 the village and left it cut off from the rest of the world, their food is running out. Abdul Shakur says the U.N. aid airlift is their only hope to survive the winter.
Without the helicopters, he says, we would all be dead.
The nearest market town is more than nine hours walk away and local food supplies are almost exhausted 7.
Usman Nasir coordinates 8 the U.N. World Food Program's Quake Jumper team, a group of experienced mountaineers who scout 9 remote locations for the aid flights.
On the ground in Zeff Kapoor, he says the village is virtually sealed off until spring, almost two months away. Ice and snow have blocked mountain passes and landslides 10 have buried the footpaths 11 that connect the remote Himalayan villages.
"That's why they do not move at all. They'll stay put here at whatever condition but they do not move. It's too risky 12 for them," he said.
Whatever comes in, he says, can only come by air. If it does make it, this day's flight will deliver enough flour, beans and cooking oil to last the village for at least another month.
Last October's earthquake killed at least 70,000 people, most of them in Pakistan, and left three million others homeless.
The World Food Program is feeding more than a million of them, nearly a third in villages like this one, completely dependent on relief flights for food.
To ship the supplies, the W.F.P. maintains its own fleet of 20 helicopters, with six others provided by the United States and Germany.
Earthquake survivor 2 waits for relief
It is the U.N.'s largest and most complex humanitarian 13 airlift, providing more food, to more isolated 14 communities, than ever before.
It is also one of its most expensive. Each chopper costs around $7,000 an hour to operate and so far the project has cost $50 million.
And now the funding is running out. In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, Philip Clarke, the W.F.P.'s special envoy 15 to Pakistan, says the agency needs at least $13 million to avoid a drastic cut in operations in just a few weeks.
"If we don't get the 13 million at the end of February, first week of March, that's it, we have to stop," he explained.
That money would carry the effort through the end of the winter. Clarke says the W.F.P also is seeking funding to extend the aid flights through the end of the year.
Even after the emergency phase winds down next month, he says that many of the more isolated villages will still require air support.
Recent U.N. surveys suggest the mountain roads are severely 16 damaged. Small cracks are appearing in most of the dirt tracks and Clarke says they can not safely support cars or trucks.
"Now we are realizing that the roads are destroyed in such a way that it would be impossible for the people to carry the construction materials and all the seeds and fertilizer for spring sowing up in the hills," he said.
If it does not come by air, he says the villagers simply will not be able get the supplies needed to rebuild their communities.
But back in Zeff Kapoor, the summer and reconstruction 17 remain a long way off. For now, the priority remains 18 making sure their families have enough food for the next few weeks.
And finally, just before noon, the helicopter sweeps across the valley floor. As soon as it lands the men rush forward to help unload the cargo 19. The food will be distributed among the local families, each one getting enough basic supplies to last four to six weeks. Enough, says one village elder, to get them through the winter.
- 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。
- The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
- There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。
- The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
- survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者
- The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
- He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。
- She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
- This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
- She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
- I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。
- It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
- Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
- The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下,负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵,受了重伤。
- The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。
- Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
- The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。
- There are a lot of winding footpaths in the col. 山坳里尽是些曲曲弯弯的羊肠小道。
- There are many footpaths that wind through the village. 有许多小径穿过村子。
- It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
- He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
- 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。
- His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
- Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。
- Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
- The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。
- He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
- He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
- The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后,该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
- In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期,技术决定一切。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。