VOA常速英语2008年-Severe Flooding Expected During Afghan Spring T

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
17 February 2008

United Nations aid agencies warn the onset¹ of spring in Afghanistan is expected to bring severe flooding in many parts of the country. They say they are gearing up to help tens of thousands of Afghans survive the worst of the spring thaw². Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

U.N. officials say people in Afghanistan's Western Region are living through one of the harshest winters in nearly 30 years. The United Nations reports more than 800 people have lost their lives so far this winter in the four provinces of Herat, Farah, Badghis, and Ghor.

In addition, 135,000 livestock³ have died from cold and lack of fodder⁴. The United Nations says tens of thousands of people have lost their homes and possessions due to the heavy snow and severe cold.

UN humanitarian⁵ spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs says these people are living in the open in freezing conditions, exposing them to many illnesses.

"We have seen because of this cold, many respiratory problems and hypothermia cases among the population," she said. "Over 170,000 people with pneumonia⁶ and other acute respiratory infections have been diagnosed and treated at health centers across Afghanistan in the past months. We are concerned about the spread of winter diseases especially in Ghor and in Nooristan provinces."

Byrs says many remote villages are cut off to outside assistance because of the snow. And the authorities are doing their best to clear the roads to make these places accessible.

She says the coming spring will bring no respite⁷. The melting snows will simply add to the misery⁸ already endured by the Afghan people.

"We have to get prepared for landslides⁹, for avalanches¹⁰ and also for flooding. That is why the international assistance and international donors¹¹ will be requested for their preparedness measure in order to avoid more disasters in those poor villages which have already suffered from this bad weather," said Byrs.

Byrs says 25 provinces are in danger from spring flooding and preparations are underway to head off the worst. She says more than 840,000 sandbags and thousands of other barriers have been bought to provide protection to vulnerable communities.

She says these protective measures will benefit more than 75,000 people who are particularly exposed.

1 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

2 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

5 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。

6 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

7 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

8 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

9 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

10 avalanches   

n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道，铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句

11 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》