VOA标准英语29014--滋病大会为MH17遇难专家哀悼

 

AIDS Society Mourns Researchers, Experts Killed in MH17 Crash 艾滋病大会为MH17遇难专家哀悼

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA —

The International AIDS Society has confirmed that at least six high-level researchers and AIDS experts were among those killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight downed Thursday over volatile¹ eastern Ukraine. The victims include the former president of the society, which is holding its annual week-long conference beginning Sunday in Melbourne. Officials say this blow will not deter² their work.

International AIDS Society officials say the death of their colleagues comes as a serious blow on the eve of the annual conference.

The society’s president, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi spoke³ to reporters outside the conference hall Saturday; a cloudy, windswept Melbourne day.

“The International AIDS society has today confirmed the devastating⁴ news that at least six delegates travelling to the AIDS 2014 conference in Melbourne were on board, including our former president, Joep Lange, and his partner, Jacqueline van Tongeren," she said. "The extent of our loss is hard to comprehend and express. Our colleagues were travelling because of their dedication⁵ to bringing an end to AIDS. We will honor their commitment and keep them in our hearts as we begin our program on Sunday.”  

The other victims include Pim de Kuijer of STOP AIDS NOW!, Lucie van Mens and Maria Adriana de Schutter of AIDS Action Europe, and Glenn Thomas of the World Health Organization.

Incoming International Aids Society President Chris Beyer said organizers want to honor their fallen colleagues’ work. The theme of this year’s conference is “stepping up the pace” in the fight against AIDS. Beyer said this tragedy cannot slow them down.

“We discussed this of course, among ourselves, our friends, our colleagues, and what we agreed, and I think we had a real consensus⁶, everyone agreed, that the colleagues we lost were people who committed their lives and their work to HIV/AIDS, and they would want this conference to go forward and that they would want us to have them in our hearts during the conference,” he said.

The crash has thrown a conflict across the world into sharp relief for Australians. Pro-Russian rebels have in recent months laid siege to eastern Ukraine, a Russian-speaking area, and in June shot down a Ukrainian military plane, killing⁷ all 49 people aboard.

Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said again that he believes Russia-backed separatists shot down the Malaysian plane, possibly with Russian assistance and equipment.

Abbott also called for an independent international investigation⁸ into the crash, which killed all 298 people on board.

1 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

2 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

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 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

6 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？

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。