美国国家公共电台 NPR--第一批人道主义援助已抵达太平洋国家汤加

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The first humanitarian¹ aid has arrived in the Pacific nation of Tonga

Transcript²

The flight arrived in Tonga five days after a massive underwater volcano erupted there – killing³ three people and leaving extensive tsunami⁴ damage and a blanket of fallen ash in its wake.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The first international shipment of humanitarian aid has arrived in the Pacific nation of Tonga. A military plane from New Zealand has landed five days after an underwater volcanic⁵ eruption⁶ killed three people and left behind extensive tsunami damage and also a thick blanket of fallen ash. Here to tell us more about the international relief effort is reporter Ashley Westerman, who joins us from Manila. Ashley, why did it take so long for aid to arrive?

ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE⁷: So the eruption damaged an underwater fiber⁸ optic cable that knocked out the internet and phone across Tonga, and that made communication with officials nearly impossible. And the blackout also made it difficult to assess the damage and really know what Tonga needed. But, A, a New Zealand air force plane was only able to land today on Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu, after the Tongan military cleared the runway there of volcanic ash by hand. Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour, the commander of Joint⁹ Forces New Zealand, told the press back in Wellington that the plane is carrying relief supplies, such as food, water, generators¹⁰ and personal hygiene¹¹ kits¹².

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JIM GILMOUR: And that is now being unloaded as we speak. No contact. COVID protocols¹³ are being adhered to rigorously. And that aircraft will return to New Zealand tonight.

MARTINEZ: Returning tonight - so they're not going to stay and help out?

WESTERMAN: They're not because the Tongan government has kept their COVID restrictions¹⁴ on outside visitors in place. Tonga has only recorded one COVID-19 case the entire pandemic, and officials want to keep it that way. Here's Jonathan Pryke with the Lowy Institute in Sydney on how Tonga managed to use its remoteness in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to its advantage during the pandemic.

JONATHAN PRYKE: Tonga was able to quickly put the barriers up between itself and the outside world to implement¹⁵ quarantine systems, to stop international travel and to closely monitor freight coming in and out of the country. So, you know, they acted swiftly, and I think that's - a lot of that's been driven by the history of Tonga's experience with the outside world and particularly Westerners and bringing disease to the country.

WESTERMAN: And even though Tonga has a pretty high vaccination¹⁶ rate, letting in international workers could put their population at risk, and officials are just not willing to do that. But this also means that aid groups are going to have to work with Tonga remotely, which is not easy. But the groups I've spoken with say they'll do whatever it takes to help out, and that includes the International Federation¹⁸ of the Red Cross. I spoke¹⁷ with their partnership¹⁹ and program director Sai Nayana Roko Okago (ph).

SAI NAYANA ROKO OKAGO: If there is a need for quarantine of the relief items, the need for quarantine for the team, we will also consider that.

WESTERMAN: Now, a lot of aid organizations like IFRC have people already based in Tonga, and many of those staffers have already been mobilized.

MARTINEZ: All right, so what does Tonga need right now? What's their priority as they begin to clean up?

WESTERMAN: Experts I've spoken with say the main concern right now is the volcanic ash that's blanketing everything. If left for too long, it could contaminate the drinking water, and Tongan officials say that's already started to happen. It could also harm crops and even livestock²⁰. Volcanologist Shane Cronin at The University of Auckland says the ash itself isn't so dangerous, but what happens later can be.

SHANE CRONIN: The ash is coated with mineral salts, and they're mainly sulfur²¹, chlorine and sometimes fluorine. And what happens when water gets onto the ash is it dissolves up these salts, then creates acid.

WESTERMAN: And these acids, he says, make the water taste bad and can harm plants. Meanwhile, food security is also an issue. There's been reports of widespread damage to crops, and scientists say the eruption likely killed pretty much any marine²² life nearby. And, of course, fixing that broken underwater fiber optic cable, that's important, but it could take weeks.

CRONIN: Reporter Ashley Westerman in Manila. Thanks a lot.

WESTERMAN: Thanks for having me.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• 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。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• 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。

5 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

6 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

12 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

13 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

14 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）

参考例句：

• 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

15 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

16 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

17 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

参考例句：

• 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。

18 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

19 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

20 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

21 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

22 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。