时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2015年(九月)


英语课

Yemen ‘on Brink 1 of Disaster’ as Medical Shortages Soar


LONDON—


Aid agencies warn Yemen is on the brink of humanitarian 2 disaster – with up to half a million children facing severe malnutrition 3, and hospitals running out of basic medicines. There are fears Yemen's civil war could escalate 4 as the coalition 5 led by Saudi Arabia tries to drive back Houthi rebels, who seized control of much of the country earlier this year.


Standing 6 amid bombed out buildings in the heart of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, the Al Sabeen Hospital is a lifeline for children and pregnant women; but, it’s on the brink of collapse 7.


The aid agency Save the Children provides support to the hospital.  Its spokesperson, Mark Kaye, has just returned from Sana’a – and he spoke 8 to VOA via Skype from Jordan.


“Before the crisis it had a catchment population of about 300,000; but, since the crisis that number has risen to almost 3 million, with the entire governorate reliant on it for specialist care," said Kaye.


Managers say the hospital has run out of some medicines including intravenous fluids, anesthetics, blood transfusion 9 tests and Valium.


In the nearby Al Olfi clinic, doctors are noticing a worrying trend – a sharp rise in the numbers of malnourished children.  More than half a million people are expected to suffer severe malnutrition in 2015.  Pediatrician Najibah Ali Al-Ghasal says the situation is critical.


“We are facing famine with our children,” she said. “We can't be sit by and wait. We call on the United Nations to look at the children who are innocent and shouldn't be experiencing malnutrition like this, their fear, and the anxiety we are facing.”


Aid agencies blame the acute shortages on the Saudi-led blockade and bombing of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida. Up to 90 percent of hospital supplies were routed through the port. Again, Mark Kaye:


“So what we really need to see is unhindered access for these absolutely critical goods, otherwise more children and pregnant women will pay the price," he said.


Aid agencies warn that across Yemen, around 15 million people lack access to basic health care – and that will likely prove the deadliest consequence of the conflict. 



1 brink
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿
  • The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
  • The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。
2 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。
3 malnutrition
n.营养不良
  • In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
  • It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。
4 escalate
v.(使)逐步增长(或发展),(使)逐步升级
  • It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
  • Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。
5 coalition
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
6 standing
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
7 collapse
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
8 spoke
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
9 transfusion
n.输血,输液
  • She soon came to her senses after a blood transfusion.输血后不久她就苏醒了。
  • The doctor kept him alive by a blood transfusion.医生靠输血使他仍然活着。
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abominating
aerotire
air zero
Alfredia cernua
Amaryllidaceae
Anping District
antielite
antiferroelectric ceramics
Argentomelane
Aristobulus II
aspirated-dry-wet bulb hygrometer
ballhawks
beef curtain
body pad
bosinos
Bradshaw and Carruthers
breast cylinder
buckets pitch
bulk sales statute
bull's-eye arch
Burton, Mount
Casa View
chingiz
cleansing agent
clover oil
concurrent force system
conditional sales contract
crystal-controlled clock
Dalsfjord
dammar resin
decompactions
deductive database
diaphyses
discrete additive valuation
disglorifying
downgoing reflection
eatons
electric clock synchronizer
element of first generation
fire pack
flour treatment agent
fluctuation echo
giambolognas
gomez-pompa
grandads
harmonic current constant
herbaceous plant
hinge articulation
hollow roll
hot-setting
hyperpolyhedron
IMUX
integrabel
laminaria culture
lexicalities
life buoy light marker
linear eccentricity
little leaf disease
Lysimachia quadrifolia
main motor power
Masserac
Mimulicalyx
molecular combining heat
non-skid varnish
nondurable goods
oil-well drive
operator services
palmityl-ACP-thioesterase
partition sth off
pentapanax henryi harms
Pentetra-Paracote
pianissimo
pick-off unit
plumed tussocks
praiseworthiness
prothrombogenic
railings
relative temperature index
restoration of natural resources
ripel
rubinsky
Sondheim
state model
step up transformer
Stjernoya
stromile
TBO (time between overhaul)
tellurite culture-medium
Tinospora crispa
to sb's scandal
traveling paddle mixer
tris(hydroxymethyl)amino-methane
tritransitive
two-hinged arch truss
unable to do
unidos
unjolly
wield a skillful pen
writing down
xvideos
zair
Zovilav