VOA慢速英语--盖茨基金会:新冠使极端贫困人口增加了百分之七

Gates Foundation: COVID-19 Caused 7 Percent Rise in Extreme Poverty

A new report says the COVID-19 health crisis has greatly harmed worldwide efforts to reduce poverty and improve healthcare.

The Goalkeepers Report was released this week by the nonprofit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The report is published yearly to present the latest progress by the organization and its partners.

An introductory statement notes that, in past reports, the organization has "celebrated¹ decades of historic progress in fighting poverty and disease." This year, however, "We have to confront the current reality with candor²: This progress has now stopped."

The Goalkeepers Report follows progress on 17 goals that world leaders set in 2015, in an agreement known as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The goals center on ways to end poverty, fight inequality and reduce climate change by 2030.

The report said progress was stopped or slowed in nearly all areas of the UN goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the extreme poverty level worldwide to 7 percent. The health crisis has ended a 20-year run of progress, the report found.

"Already in 2020, the pandemic has pushed almost 37 million people below the $1.90 a day extreme poverty line."

The numbers are based on information gathered by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation³ (IHME). The institute is a research center at the University of Washington. It shares data with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The report also noted⁴ a sharp drop in overall vaccine⁵ coverage⁶. The IHME said coverage fell to levels last seen in the 1990s. Child vaccinations⁷ for diseases such as measles⁸ and diphtheria dropped from a record high of more than 80 percent last year to 70 percent in 2020.

"In other words," we've been set back about 25 years in about 25 weeks," the report said.

The report also noted International Monetary⁹ Fund predictions that the world economy will lose $12 trillion or more by the end of 2021. That would be the biggest worldwide GDP loss since the end of World War II.

The report said, "There is no such thing as a national solution to a global crisis. All countries must work together to end the pandemic and begin rebuilding economies."

Speaking to The New York Times, Bill Gates said he was saddened by the findings of the latest report. But he expressed hope that the world could recover within "two to three years."

Before this can happen, money supplies from tourism and earnings¹⁰ from relatives working overseas will need to begin flowing again. So does World Bank assistance. Gates also said things cannot return to normal until there is a vaccine available for everyone. He predicted that could happen by 2022.

Words in This Story

decade – n. a period of ten years

candor – n. honest talk, especially about something that is unpleasant or embarrassing

pandemic – n. when a disease spreads very quickly affecting many people over a very large area or throughout the world

GDP – n. Gross Domestic Product: the total value of goods and services a country produces in a year

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

3 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

4 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。

5 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

6 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

7 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

10 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。