VOA慢速英语--中东、非洲基础设施建设是腐败的温床

AS IT IS 2016-05-15 Many Pay Bribes² for Basic Services in Middle East, Africa 中东、非洲基础设施建设是腐败的温床

In the Middle East and Africa, about 50 million people paid bribes last year to get basic services like water and electricity.

Transparency International surveyed almost 11,000 adults in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen over the 12 months beginning in September 2014.

It found that about 30 percent said they paid a bribe¹ during the year.

The survey is called “People and Corruption³: Middle East and North Africa.”

The bribes were not to get special treatment. They paid for basic services like health care, education and access to water.

The report also says 61 percent of people say they believe government corruption has worsened in the past year.

Kinda Hattar is the regional coordinator⁴ for the organization in Jordan. She says that little has changed since the Arab Spring uprising of five years ago.

Hattar says women paid bribes to doctors and healthcare workers to deliver babies. If they did not pay the bribes, they would have to deliver the baby at the door of the hospital.

“People do have to pay a bribe in order to get their basic health services,” she says.

The next problem, Hattar says, is that some governments do not take corruption seriously. People asking for bribes are not prosecuted⁶ effectively. One reason people do not report corruption is they are afraid of retaliation⁷.

The report says money is not the only trade of corruption. Sometimes those in power will withhold⁸ services, like trash collection, until the other party supports them.

Letting trash pile up on streets is smelly and unhealthy. It causes public outcry, and that pressures opposing politicians.

The report says that is what happened in Beirut, Lebanon in 2015.

Hattar says an important step to fight bribes, also called graft⁹ or baksheesh, is to protect people who report corruption. These people are called whistleblowers.

Tunisia has enforced some anti-graft laws. But people there, Jordan and Palestine are also worried about being punished for reporting corruption.

Few people report corruption, the report says. People in Yemen, Lebanon and Sudan report that corruption and bribes are common. They say they do not think anything can be done about it.

Words in This Story

outcry – n. an expression of strong anger or disapproval¹⁰ by many people : a reaction showing that people are angry or unhappy about something

retaliate¹¹ – n. to do something bad to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly : to get revenge¹² against someone

prosecute⁵ – v. to hold a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty

uprising – n. a usually violent effort by many people to change the government or leader of a country

bribe – n. something valuable (such as money) that is given in order to get someone to do something

1 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

2 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

6 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

7 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

9 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

10 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

11 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

12 revenge   

v.报...之仇，为...报仇 ；n.报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• She poisoned his mind with ideas of hate and revenge.她用复仇的思想来毒害他的心灵。
• There was anger in his eyes and revenge in his heart.他两眼闪现怒火，一心只想复仇。