VOA慢速英语--盖茨基金会称性别与环境决定孩子的未来

Gates Foundation¹: Sex, Environment Determine Child’s Future

While living conditions in many areas have improved in recent years, a child’s place of birth is still the biggest predictor of its future.

Oh, yes – and no matter where you are born, life is more difficult if you are a girl.

These claims come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization for health and development.

The group reports that some 500 million people worldwide lack basic health care or education. It also found that girls everywhere suffer from discrimination.

The new report is the foundation’s third on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The report looks at efforts to reduce inequality and poverty and improve health around the world. It follows progress on 17 measures that most UN member countries have said they will try to reach by the year 2030.

Those efforts are falling short, says Bill Gates, the 63-year-old co-founder of Microsoft Corporation². He sat down with VOA at the foundation’s offices in Seattle, Washington, before the report’s release³.

“As much progress as we’re making, a child in many countries still over 10% are dying⁴ before the age of five. And in richer countries, it is less than 1%,” said Gates. “So the idea that any place in the world is still 10%, some almost 15%...should galvanize us to do a better job.”

The results “prove that the world’s investments⁵ in development aren’t reaching everyone,” the report said. It noticed progress in the education of girls. But it also found that women’s opportunities are limited by social customs, discriminatory laws, and violence.

“If you reduce the child death rate, families…choose to have less children. As you educate women, more families…choose to have less children,” Gates said.

Smaller families can reduce poverty.

Gates Foundation chief executive⁶ Sue⁷ Desmond-Hellmann says the clearest warnings from the report were of the dangers of “gender⁸ and geography.”

She said the report showed that more children die in Chad every day than in Finland every year. Also, Finland’s average education is up to college level, while in Chad the average child does not finish primary school.

“It’s just not okay that a child in Chad is 55 times more likely to die than a child in Finland,” Desmond-Hellmann said. She added that a girl born in Africa has her gender and her geographic⁹ location affecting her future.

Generally, the report noted¹⁰ “unabated” development progress, with life, health and economic success improving on average across the world. But it also pointed¹¹ out the large number of people who are being left behind.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

No matter – phrase. it is of no importance

philanthropic – adj. the practice of giving money and time to help make life better for other people

galvanize – v. to cause people to become so excited or concerned about an issue that they want to do something about it

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

gender – n. the state of being male or female¹²

geography – n. the study of the physical nature of the earth and its atmosphere

primary – adj. relating to the education of young children

unabated – adj. without reduction in strength or intensity

1 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

2 corporation   

n.公司，企业&n.社团，团体

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation. 这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• The inflation did the corporation up. 通货膨胀使这个公司破产了。

3 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

4 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

5 investments   

n.投资( investment的名词复数 )；投资额；（时间、精力的）投入；值得买的东西

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All their money was tied up in long-term investments. 他们所有的钱都搁死在长线投资上了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

7 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

8 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

9 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 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。

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。