VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Renews US Commitment to Fight Malaria in A

By Scott Stearns
White House
25 April 2008

U.S. President George Bush marked Malaria¹ Awareness² Day by renewing America's commitment to turning the tide against malaria in Africa. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush says it is a day to remember those who have died from malaria, especially the children who have lost their lives to a disease spread by a mosquito bite.  But Mr. Bush says it is also a day of hope.

"Nations once trapped in fear because of malaria are now tackling malaria head on," he said.  "And they are doing so with our help. It is a day of hope, because more Americans are recognizing the timeless truth: to whom much is given, much is required."

Mr. Bush spoke³ at a youth center in the Northeast state of Connecticut. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America have raised about $25,000 to buy more than 2,500 bed nets for families in Africa.

The World Health Organization says the effects of malaria account for 20 percent of deaths among African children.  More than one million people die from the effects of the disease each year, and bed nets are an inexpensive way to slash⁴ the number of people infected.
 
The president's five-year, $1.2 billion malaria initiative aims to cut malaria-related deaths by half in 15 African countries by distributing insecticide-treated bed nets, expanding indoor insecticide spraying, and providing drugs to those in need.

The malaria initiative launched in 2005 was a centerpiece of the president's February trip to Africa. He highlighted the program's impact on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar where infant infection rates fell from 20 percent to less than one percent in two years.

Mr. Bush said it is an act of compassion⁵ that also advances America's security interests. "From experience, we understand that the terrorists and extremists can only find fertile recruiting grounds where they find hopelessness," he said.  "Their ideology⁶ is so backwards⁷, so distorted, so hateful nobody really wants to follow it unless you are so hopeless that it becomes appealing. And so the best way to defeat this ideology of hate is with acts of compassion and love."

The United States is the leading contributor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis⁸, and Malaria with about $2.5 billion contributed so far.

At last year's G8 summit, Mr. Bush got other leading industrialized nations to commit to cutting malaria deaths by half in an additional 15 countries. The president said he will diplomatically hold other leaders to that promise at this year's G8 summit in Japan.

1 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。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

5 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

6 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

7 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

8 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。