时间:2019-02-12 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(十月)


英语课

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
16 October 2009
 
Fisherman rows canoe on Lake Chad (Nov 2006 file photo)
The Food and Agriculture Organization held a special event Friday to raise awareness 1 and mobilize funds to save Lake Chad, which was once one of the world's largest fresh water lakes. The United Nations organization says a humanitarian 2 disaster looms 3 due to the shrinking of the lake and this must be urgently addressed.


Lake Chad, which is bordered by four African nations: Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, was once one of the world's largest. But a combination of climate change, drought and bad use of resources, have shrunk the basin by 90 percent in the past four decades.


The drying up of the lake has not only caused an ecological 4 catastrophe 5 but a humanitarian one looms as well. The director for the Land and Water division at FAO, Parviz Koohafkan, says there are enormous consequences for the populations who live in the lake region.


"Between 20 and 30 million people are affected 6, especially from the point of view of food security," said Parviz Koohafkan. "They are the poorest of the poor and they are most insecure in terms of food and nutrition."


He says something must be done urgently to reverse the tragic 7 disappearance 8 of Lake Chad if the livelihoods 9 of this vast area are to be safeguarded. He explains some of the steps that need to be taken.


"Helping 10 the local communities to better use resources, through participatory approach, through development, through capacity building, through helping them in coping with water scarcity 11, with land degradation 12, development projects but particularly in investment," he said.


One project being considered at the moment is the transfer of water from the Lake Congo basin to the Lake Chad basin. The minister of Energy and Water in Congo, Jean Richard Itoua, says this is an option that needs to be carefully examined.


"We need to do this feasibility study; we need also an impact study to be sure that the consequences of transferring water will not be bigger than the solution we're trying to bring to Lake Chad," Itoua said.


Experts say it is urgent to address the problem because at the current rate, Lake Chad could dry up and disappear in 20 years.



n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者
  • 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。
n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近
  • All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙,男的耕田,女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.生态的,生态学的
  • The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
  • Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.
n.大灾难,大祸
  • I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
  • This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。
adj.不自然的,假装的
  • 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。
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的
  • The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
  • Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。
n.消失,消散,失踪
  • He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
  • Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。
生计,谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )
  • First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者,他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小,他们的传统生计受到了威胁。
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
  • 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。
n.缺乏,不足,萧条
  • The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
  • The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。
n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变
  • There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
  • Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。
学英语单词
absolute zero temperature
addition of failure rates
Aldreth
anorexy
arsonous
arthonia tumidula
backstep welding
basic subroutine reference
bearded seal
Bible-clerk
Bifrost
biochemical degradation
Birch Hills
black clip
bleaching agent I for wool
boom cut
buried wire
businesses-to-businesses
Caltra
carvan
catechol-oxydase
char combustion
cluster fly
communifaking
constant value conrol
cordyceps sinensis (berk) sacc
depaves
divisibleness
Djerba, I.de
exophthalmos-producing
external definition symbol
frankl
frequency response testing
gelled patterning and gilding
hazeless
hexamethyl
hole semi-conductor
human T-cell leukemia virus
hump day
iatrogenic impotence
inclination angle of an orbit
information processing systems
internal beam current
kernel of multi-microprocessor operating system
Kira-gawa
latern (ring)
liquid-saturation curve
long keeping
luster of wood
mailbox name
malleable cast-iron
manganese(iv) hydroxide
mareogram
mask pitch
mesh division
metellis
Middenmeer
mucilago tragacanthae
myeloparalysis
Newaygo County
not know if one is coming or going
nuristans
osyter bed
Pacahuaras, R.
paganised
palette(s)
panentheist
pantomycin
peck and hale
photoefficiency of photocathode
photreceptors
piosity
preamble clause
prioritisings
Purnea
relative growth method
repeating circle
retromandibular
scroll bone
second level interrupt
securities market line
separate body and frame
simke
Sinnamary
spectrohelioscope
squamose structure
St Andrews's cross
starded
sulcus infrapalpebralis
tatkal
team project
tetrachordos
tige
unloaded spring
unsightliest
urodelian
Valdemembra, R.
vehicle actuated signal
wature
wihtig
wild purslanes
with a yawn