VOA慢速英语 2008 0521a

Health Report - WHO Chief Says World Faces Three Growing Threats
Chan, at World Health Assembly in Geneva, warns of dangers of food security, climate change and pandemic influenza¹. Transcript² of radio broadcast:
20 May 2008

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A yearly meeting of all the member countries in the World Health Organization is this week in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates from the one hundred ninety-three countries discuss progress and set policy for the coming year. The W.H.O., a United Nations agency, is sixty years old this year.
　

Margaret Chan

But Director-General Margaret Chan, as she opened the World Health Assembly, noted³ that the delegates are meeting at a time of tragedy. She expressed sympathy to the millions of people affected⁴ by the recent cyclone⁵ in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and the earthquake in China.

Doctor Chan said three crises lie ahead that are international security threats and will all affect human health. One is food security, another is climate change and the third is the threat of a worldwide outbreak of influenza.

She said the world produces enough food to feed everyone -- in fact, she added, far too many people are overfed. Yet now, food prices have risen sharply. She noted that the crisis hits the poor the hardest, and that the more a family spends on food, the less it has for health care.

The W.H.O. chief said climate change will also hit the poor the hardest but, to a greater or lesser⁶ extent, will affect all countries. She said more droughts, floods and storms mean greater demands for humanitarian⁷ aid. And she warned it will mean a growing number of environmental refugees.

And, thirdly, Doctor Chan warned of a continued threat of pandemic influenza. She said it would be very unwise for governments not to prepare. She urged delegates to support a W.H.O. resolution on the sharing of influenza viruses for research and to make vaccines⁸ widely available.

The W.H.O. this week also released its World Health Statistics report for two thousand eight. Agency officials say fewer people are dying of infectious diseases. In more and more countries, they say, the chief causes of death are conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

By two thousand thirty, non-communicable conditions are expected to cause more than three-fourths of all deaths. Almost one-third of all deaths will result from cancer, heart disease and traffic accidents.

The number one cause of preventable deaths is tobacco. More than eight million tobacco-related deaths are predicted in two thousand thirty -- eighty percent of them in developing countries.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁹. Archives of our reports, with transcripts¹⁰ and MP3s, are at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

1 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

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 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• 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。

5 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• 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。

6 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

7 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。

8 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

9 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

10 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句