时间:2018-12-08 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(五月)


英语课
By Ron Corben
Bangkok
31 May 2008


U.S. Defense 1 Secretary Robert Gates says the Burmese military government's rejection 2 of aid soon after the May second cyclone 3 may have cost the lives of 'tens of thousands' of people. As Ron Corben reports from VOA's South East Asia Bureau, the concern expressed by the defense secretary comes amid concern Burma's military is attempting to force local populations out of shelters and back to devastated 4 villages.


Speaking to a regional Asian security and defense seminar in Singapore Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' assessment 5 was blunt.  He accused Burma's military government of being "deaf and dumb" to offers of foreign aid.


 


He said Burma's rejection of international and regional assistance stood in sharp contrast to the response of other nations to similar tragedies, such as the 2004 tsunami 6 in Indonesia and the cyclone that hit Bangladesh in 2007.


"With Burma, the situation has been very different - at a cost of tens of thousands of lives," he said.  "Many other countries besides the United States have also felt hindered in their efforts."


International aid workers say they continue to face bureaucratic 7 delays over access to the regions in the Irrawaddy Delta 8 region that bore the brunt of Cyclone Nargis.


At least 77,000 people have died with a further 56,000 still reported missing, while over two million people are still in need of food, shelter and medicine.


The United States, Britain and France dispatched naval 9 vessels 10 with emergency aid to the Bay of Bengal but the offers were rejected by the Burmese military. The military had also rejected offers by Asian regional partners to supply military helicopters to assist in the immediate 11 aftermath of the cyclone.


Regional countries have backed Mr. Gates' concerns over the delays, restrictions 12 on aid and access to populations devastated by the cyclone.


International aid organizations say less than 30 percent of the more than two million people most seriously affected 13 by the cyclone have received adequate assistance. 


Australian Ambassador to Thailand, Bill Paterson, in an interview with VOA, said Burma needed to provide "unfettered access" on humanitarian 14 grounds to assist the populations still in desperate need.


"These people are living in terrible conditions with the risk of disease outbreaks," he said.  "They have lost their homes, they have lost their families. It's terribly important we get in there quickly. A lot of them probably have lost their lives since the cyclone because aid has not been able to be distributed."


The United Nations, along with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), reached agreement with Burma's military for access for international aid workers during the lead up to a donor's conference last weekend.


But human rights groups Saturday accused the military of evicting 15 victims from emergency shelters currently housing thousands of people in a bid to force them to return to their devastated villages in the Irrawaddy delta region.




1 defense
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
2 rejection
n.拒绝,被拒,抛弃,被弃
  • He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
  • The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。
3 cyclone
n.旋风,龙卷风
  • An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
  • The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。
4 devastated
v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词);摧毁;毁灭;在感情上(精神上、财务上等)压垮adj.毁坏的;极为震惊的
  • The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
  • His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。
5 assessment
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
6 tsunami
n.海啸
  • Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
  • Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。
7 bureaucratic
adj.官僚的,繁文缛节的
  • The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
  • In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔,也必须通过繁琐的手续。
8 delta
n.(流的)角洲
  • He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
  • The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔,形成了一个三角洲。
9 naval
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的
  • He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
  • The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
10 vessels
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
11 immediate
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
12 restrictions
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
13 affected
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。
14 humanitarian
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。
15 evicting
v.(依法从房屋里或土地上)驱逐,赶出( evict的现在分词 )
  • Money spent on evicting sex offenders cannot be spent on treating them. 花在打击性侵犯者上的钱并不能花在治疗这一社会问题上。 来自互联网
  • Money spent on evicting sex offenders cannot be spent on treating them. Does this matter? 钱被花费在驱逐性犯罪者而不是用做教育他们,这样做真的好么? 来自互联网
学英语单词
alternating tidal current
ANEC (American Nuclear Energy Council)
antiseptic process
arresting apparatus
articles of roup
assemblances
backstock
balloon clocks
banking legislation
belgraves
Belpora
bezils
bridesman
bucerotidaes
bugle-horns
bus routes
cannon proof
charge transfer reaction
commercial run
condenser mirror
continuity of strength
copper-clad
Corispermum puberulum
declairs
deed of pledge
dibenzodioxane
diminished respiration
DT (data transmission)
edir
electrocorrosion
erSthrocytometry
ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer
extension card
exterminatable
Fafa
family Mycobacteriaceae
fraternizes
georectification
Glycosmis citrifolia
heavy-duty tyre
high-helix drill
home currency bills receivables
horsewhip
hyperactivity of yang due to yin deficiency
image processing techniques
integrated decision support system (idss)
Krivoi Rog
lightly pitching coal
long backs
Lyubimovka
manola fertilizers
mesozonal metamorphism
middle hanger
milk-ripe stage
mold fitter
Monumentum Ancyranum
Mumbondo
mysoline
Navy Department
on good security
one-game
opening prices
ordinary cares
party fouls
Pediococcus albus
permeability of polymer
personal computer mode
pfui
phase equalizing network
pheochromoblast
photoelectric engraver
picule
pifflings
polenov
preheating method
product of area
profile machine
pseudocercospora cinnamomi
Rai Bahadur
Ricci calculus
Richian
ruder
self reinforcing
statement label listing
straight from the tin
suncoast
t-line
teklu
three-part fugue
triabodies
tsi
tufted centaury
unscripturality
update install
vicargeneral
w.b.a
water-tight garment
Whim Creek
wind split
yarn length counter
yellowcard
zymographs