2006年VOA标准英语-US Senator Tours Pakistan Quake Zone

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
15 January 2006

U.S. Senator John Kerry visited Pakistan's hard hit quake zone Saturday. The former Democratic presidential candidate toured a sprawling¹ tent village in northern Pakistan, distributing new school uniforms for children and meeting with local leaders.

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John Kerry, U.S. Senator for Massachusetts second from right, talks with Pakistani boy who survived the October 8, 2005 earthquake at a camp in Shangla district near Mansera, Pakistan
  

Dozens of children lined up Saturday, as Senator Kerry handed out new school uniforms.

The senator spent the afternoon touring the massive tent village in Meira, Pakistan, which houses some 18,000 earthquake survivors².

Last October's 7.6 magnitude quake killed an estimated 80,000 people, and left up to three-million others homeless.

The senator's visit comes as weather forecasters predict more snow and cold weather for the high altitude quake zone.

International relief organizations say they are working around the clock to deliver as many winterized tents as possible before the next storm hits.

Speaking in front of the Meira camp Saturday, Mr. Kerry applauded the global response to Pakistan's relief effort. "I'm really impressed (with) the cooperative effort of countries from around the world, all of whom are sharing in the pain, the dislocation and the agony of what has happened here," he said.

Also joining Senator Kerry for the camp tour was U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker.

Local leaders from the Himalayan quake zone asked both men to help make sure international support remains³ strong, even after winter passes.

Ambassador Crocker reiterated⁴ America's commitment to Pakistan's long term recovery. "We will work through the winter, and will be Pakistan's partner in reconstruction⁵, not just rebuilding, but building better for people who deserve it," he said.

The United States has pledged more than half-a-billion-dollars for Pakistan's relief and reconstruction. U.S. military helicopters, many pulled from combat operations in neighboring Afghanistan, are also supporting Pakistan's emergency programs.

Senator Kerry, who ran against President Bush in the 2004 presidential election, is midway through a 12-day international tour. He is scheduled to visit Afghanistan later this week.

1 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

5 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。