VOA常速英语2018--委内瑞拉女性绝育难如上青天

Dubraska has been sitting down outside this ambulatory care center for hours, waiting to see if there is a vaccine¹ her 11 month-old baby needs is available here.

杜布拉斯卡坐在这回廊外已经有数小时之久了，她一直在苦等，想看看这里是否能给自己11个月大的孩子打上疫苗。

I’m looking for the pentavalent and polio vaccines². I haven’t found it anywhere. Let’s see if they have it here,

我想要的是五价疫苗和脊髓灰质炎疫苗，其他地方都没找到过，所以来这儿寻觅出路。

The 22-year-old makes daily searches to find medicine for her baby. Her situation is common for many mothers and young woman in Venezuela. And it’s one reason many are considering sterilizations.

22岁的她每天都为孩子寻药。她的境遇是委内瑞拉很多妈妈和年轻女子都经历过的。这也是很多人考虑绝育的原因之一。

Thinking in our situation and considering to the obligation, because bringing another baby into this world in these circumstances is not fair.

考虑到我们的境况，也考虑到肩上的责任，才不得以选择绝育，因为将孩子带到这样的环境里是不公平的。

In the maternity⁴ center in Caracas, Lilisbeth expects to be treated for a medical condition before her due date. This is the second hospital she visited that day.

在加拉加斯的妇产科中心，莉里斯贝丝大概会在预测长期之前接受治疗。这是她那天去的第二家医院了。

I’m thinking about sterilization³ if I end up having the baby through c-section or a natural birth. I’m considering it.

如果我要通过剖腹产或者自然分娩的方式来生孩子的话，那我会考虑绝育。我现在就正在考虑。

Even though Venezuela has a free health system, expectant mothers must bring their own supplies to their hospitals including things like syringes and catheters.

虽然委内瑞拉的医疗体系是免费的，但孕妇必须自带用品带到医院，比如注射器和导管。

We don’t have money to support our children. We don’t even have the money to support ourselves, let alone pay for a tubal ligation.

我们养不起孩子，我们甚至没钱养活自己，更别说做结扎了。

And find them the medicine they need is almost impossible.

为他们找到所需的药物更是难如上青天。

The medicines that were prescribed for my cesarean operation, I can’t find them, I can’t find anything. And I have to buy them. If I don’t, I’m going to rot inside.

我做剖腹产手术后开了药，但是这种药我根本就找不到，我什么药都找不到。但我还是不得不重新买。因为如果我不买，我体内就会腐烂。

Problems continue after the baby’s born. Formula cost around 9 dollars, 15 days of minimum wage and a pack of diapers takes the equivalent of four days of pay.

孩子出生后，问题依然存在。配方大概要花9美元，这是15天的最低工资。而纸尿布的价格是4天的工资。

Milk and diapers are almost non-existent and if you find them they’re really expensive.

牛奶和纸尿布基本没得卖，就算有得卖，也是天价。

The price of contraceptives is also rising. 3 condoms cost Venezuelans 2 days of work at the minimum wage.

避孕药的价格也在上涨。3个安全套的钱就相当于2天的最低工资。

You can’t place an intrauterine device because it costs a lot of money.

也放不起宫内节育器，要花很多钱。

This year, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro approved given each pregnant woman 6 dollars a month in assistance.

今年，委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗批准给每位孕妇一个月援助6美元。

We’re going to protect all pregnant women.

我们会保护所有孕妇。

The Pan American Health Organization rated Venezuela as the country with the highest algorithm pregnancy⁵ rate in South America, with a total of 80 unwanted pregnancies⁶ for every 1000 women.

泛美卫生组织通过算法计算，将委内瑞拉评为南美洲国家里受孕率最高的国家，每1000名女性中就有80人意外怀孕。

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

3 sterilization   

n.杀菌，绝育；灭菌

参考例句：

• Sterilization by filtration is subject to one major theoretical limitation. 过滤灭菌具有一个理论上的局限性。 来自辞典例句
• Sterilization is a treatment that frees the treated object of all living organisms. 灭菌处理是从处理对象排除一切生活的生物。 来自辞典例句

4 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。