DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Motomen' Bring Cambodian Villagers into

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Motomen' Bring Cambodian Villagers into E-Mail World
By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, February 09, 2004

This is Robert Cohen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

Thirteen villages in northern Cambodia now have e-mail through a project that organizers hope other countries will copy. A group called American Assistance² for Cambodia organized the project. It says the idea could serve as a way to help reduce economic differences between rich and poor nations.

A group of schools and a medical center in Ratanakiri Province have been equipped with solar panels³. These devices⁴ capture⁵ energy from the sun to power computers in the schools. Students use electronic mail to write messages to villages nearby. The messages are sent over the Internet, but with the help of what are called "motomen."

Every day, five people ride motorcycles into the villages to collect outgoing messages and bring incoming mail. The motorcycles are equipped with a computer to store the data. At the end of the day, each "motoman" returns to a computer center in the local capital, Ban Lung. The information is sent from there by satellite to the Internet.

All this work is not just so students can write to nearby villages. Currently⁶, a person in Ratanakiri Province earns about forty dollars a year. Organizers say they hope the project will help farmers and villagers sell their products on the world market over the Internet.

In addition, the computers serve as a learning⁷ tool for hundreds of students. Local citizens can use the computers to communicate with the government. And newspapers can send their stories electronically to the villages.

Local health care workers also use the computers. They communicate with doctors in other parts of Cambodia and in the United States. This means they are able to send medical pictures and discuss possible treatments for patients.

 
Graphic⁸ Image
A company in the United States developed the technology for the "motoman" project. The company is called First Mile Solutions. Organizers say a team of thee people put the project into action in one month. The technology cost about five-hundred dollars per village.

You can learn more about the project on the company Web site. The address is firstmilesolutions.com. The postal⁹ address is First Mile Solutions, four-three-two Columbia Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, zero-two-one-four-one, U-S-A.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Robert Cohen.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。

3 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

4 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

5 capture   

vt.捕获，俘获；占领，夺得；n.抓住，捕获

参考例句：

• The company is out to capture the European market.这家公司希望占据欧洲市场。
• With the capture of the escaped tiger,everyone felt relieved.逃出来的老虎被捕获后，大家都松了一口气。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

8 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

9 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。