2007年VOA标准英语-Mozambican Floods Prompt Debate Over Permanent

By Scott Bobb
Ndere, Central Mozambique
15 March 2007

The government of Mozambique has appealed for $70 million to permanently¹ resettle 140,000 villagers who have been displaced by heavy flooding along the Zambezi River basin.  Relief workers are still struggling to reach thousands of victims who have been cut off by the high waters.  Correspondent Scott Bobb reports on the resettlement debate from the village of Ndere, on an island in the Zambezi River, about 150 kilometers from Indian Ocean coast.

 
Displaced people live in camps set up in Chupanga, Mozambique
It is late in the day and thunderstorms are looming² on the horizon when a relief helicopter lands in a muddy field outside Ndere camp.

The villagers rush to greet the first relief workers they have seen since floods destroyed their crops and homes weeks ago.

The camp was only discovered the day before by a pilot who spotted³ the straw and stick shelters from the air.

 
Villagers in Ndere
A village leader, Mavuto Alberto Barro, says the camp's several thousand inhabitants have received no aid since the floods more than a month ago.  He says their food stocks have run out.

He says several children have died in recent days for lack of food and many people are sick with malaria⁴, diarrhea and coughs.

A member of the Mozambican Red Cross, Simao Nyasengo, gives the villagers a stack of shovels⁵ and a stack of molded latrine covers.

He shows them how to dig holes for the latrines, which will help control disease.

He says the helicopter will return the next day with plastic sheets to cover their shelters.  And he will report their location to the government's relief coordination⁶ agency so that they can begin receiving food.

This is the worst disaster since floods six years ago killed 700 people and displaced more than 200,000 more.

 
Displaced students study in tent classrooms
The Mozambican government wants to resettle these people on higher ground where they will be safer and can be provided with social services.

The Deputy-Director of the Disaster Relief Agency (Instituto Nacional de Gerao de Calamidades), Joao Ribeiro, says it is a waste of money to build schools and health clinics in flood-prone areas.

"The government is not going to build facilities on the islands because of the cost," he said.  "But we plan to do public works, build water points, schools and health units where they can be utilized⁷ long term."

Ribeiro believes that the lower casualty rate from this year's flooding is due in part to the fact that some of the displaced people six years ago heeded⁸ the government's advice and moved to safer zones.  He says people in more accessible areas are less marginalized.

"It is also a way for the people in these accommodation centers to be provided with identification papers and registered as the Mozambican citizens that they are," he added.

The plan has its critics.  Some displaced communities do not want to be resettled and prefer to return to their crops and ancestral lands when the waters subside⁹.

And some communities hosting displaced people do not want them to become permanent residents, because they strain meager¹⁰ local resources.

U.N. Children's Fund coordinator¹¹ Lisa Doherty says relief agencies are following the debate.

"As the U.N. we are not coming out with a strong position on this until we are sure that the communities involved, the displaced and host, that their preferences and needs are taken into account," she noted¹².

But she says if there is consensus¹³ on the plan her agency will support it.

World Food Program coordinator Peter Rodrigues says the most important challenge at this time is to help these people survive until they can harvest their next crop in six months.

"We are here to support the government-led plan in a very neutral way making sure that the most needy¹⁴ get food," he said.  "But then apart from the resources which we need now, our challenges are to make sure that the food gets to the people in a timely manner."

He says that WFP food stocks in Mozambique have been exhausted¹⁵ by the disaster.  As a result, the WFP has appealed for millions of dollars to help meet the needs of the flood victims during the next few months.

1 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

2 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

5 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

6 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

7 utilized   

v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In the19th century waterpower was widely utilized to generate electricity. 在19世纪人们大规模使用水力来发电。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The empty building can be utilized for city storage. 可以利用那栋空建筑物作城市的仓库。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 subside   

vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降

参考例句：

• The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。

10 meager   

adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的

参考例句：

• He could not support his family on his meager salary.他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
• The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal.两个男人同一个女人围着火，开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。

11 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？

12 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。

13 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

14 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

15 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。