VOA慢速英语2019 联合国报告：朝鲜人为生存行贿

 

UN Report: Many North Koreans Paying Bribes² Just to Survive

A United Nations report says many North Koreans are forced to pay bribes to receive food and other necessities of life.

联合国的报告指出，很多朝鲜人被迫行贿来获取食物和其他生活必需品。

The U.N. Human Rights office published the report this week. It was based on discussions with more than 200 North Korean “escapees” who fled their homeland.

联合国人权办公室本周公布了这份报告。该报告是基于200多位逃离家乡的朝鲜人士口述。

The report said North Korea’s economy has long been failing and that the government is unable to provide its citizens with “life’s basic necessities.”

报告指出，朝鲜经济一直以来不断衰退，并且政府无力为民众提供基本的生活必需品。

Michelle Bachelet is the U.N. High Commissioner³ for Human Rights. In a statement, she said the U.N. believes people in all countries of the world should be given “rights to food, health, shelter, work and freedom of movement.”

米歇尔·巴切莱特（Michelle Bachelet）是联合国人权事务高级专员。她在一份声明中称，联合国认为，世界各国人民都应享有“食物、健康、住所、工作和行动自由的权利”。

In North Korea, however, such rights “depend primarily on the ability of individuals to bribe¹ state officials,” Bachelet said.

然而在朝鲜，这些基本权利却“主要取决于民众贿赂政府官员的能力”。

“Since the economic collapse⁴ of the 1990s, (North Koreans) have been unable to survive through a state-led model of centralized economic planning and distribution,” the U.N. said in a statement.

联合国在一份声明中指出：“自从上世纪90年代经济崩溃以来，朝鲜民众一直无法在国家主导的中央经济规划和分配模式下生存。”

This situation has forced North Koreans to seek out activities outside the country’s official economic system to survive, the report said. It added that seeking out such activities to get food and other necessities has become an important part of survival.

报道称，这种情况迫使朝鲜人寻找官方经济体制之外的交易活动来生存。报告中补充称，寻找这样的经济活动以获得食物和其他必需品已经成为生存的重要组成部分。

However, citizens who take part in this kind of economic activity risk being arrested and detained, the report noted⁵.

然而，报告指出，参与这种经济活动的公民有被逮捕和拘留的风险。

U.N. officials estimated earlier this month that about 10 million North Koreans are experiencing severe food shortages and lack safe drinking water. The 2018 Global Hunger Index called North Korea’s hunger situation “serious” and “bordering on alarming.”

本月早些时候，联合国官员估计，约有1000万朝鲜人正面临着严重的食品和安全饮用水短缺。2018年全球饥饿指数称，朝鲜的饥饿状况处于“严重”阶段，“接近警戒水平”。

Experts say further cuts to already low government food rations⁷ are expected, following the worst harvest in 10 years.

专家称，在经历了10年来最糟糕的收成后，预计政府会进一步削减已经很低的粮食配给。

North Korean officials rejected the U.N. report. The country’s U.N. office in Switzerland said in a statement, “Such reports are nothing more than fabrication.”

朝鲜官员拒绝接受联合国的这份报告。朝鲜驻瑞士的联合国办事处在一份声明中称：“这样的报道纯属捏造。”

North Korea has blamed its economic problems and humanitarian⁸ situation on economic restrictions⁹ the U.N. has placed on the country. The restrictions were put in place to punish North Korea for its nuclear and missile development programs. The new U.N. report accuses the North Korean government of increasing military funding while carrying out “economic mismanagement” in other areas.

朝鲜将其经济问题和人道主义局势归咎于联合国对该国实施的经济限制。这些制裁措施是为了惩罚朝鲜的核计划以及导弹研制计划。联合国的这份新报告指责，朝鲜政府在增加军事经费的同时，却在其他领域“经济管理不善”。

Michelle Bachelet said she is concerned that the North Korean nuclear issue is continuing to limit the attention on “the terrible state of human rights for many millions of North Koreans.”

巴切莱特说，她担心朝鲜核问题将进一步削弱外界对“数百万朝鲜民众糟糕的人权状况”的关注。

Words in This Story

bribe – n. money or a gift given to someone to get them to do something for someone else

primarily – adj. mainly

distribution – n. the activity of supplying or delivering things to people

alarming – adj. worrying or frightening

ration⁶ – n. the amount of something a person is permitted to have when supplies are low

fabrication - n. an invention of facts

mismanagement - n. controlling or handling something badly

1 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

2 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 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。

6 ration   

n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应

参考例句：

• The country cut the bread ration last year.那个国家去年削减面包配给量。
• We have to ration the water.我们必须限量用水。

7 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

8 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。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制