2007年VOA标准英语-Dakar Marks 150 Year Anniversary, Struggles to

By Selah Hennessy
Dakar
25 May 2007

Traffic hawkers in the streets of Dakar, Senegal

Friday marks 150 years since French colonists¹ first established a port in what is now the Senegalese capital of Dakar. Originally a small fishing village, Dakar has become the political, economic, and cultural center of the country. But with a population of over two million, the city is facing serious infrastructure² problems and is struggling to maintain basic sanitation³ and transportation for its ever increasing population. For VOA, Selah Hennessy reports from Dakar.

In his makeshift studio in a garden in the impoverished⁴ Dakar suburb of Pikine, artist Birame Ndiaye is painting a city scene with heavy brown and gray hues⁵.

Ndiaye says his art is inspired by the many decaying walls of Dakar; the deteriorated⁶ remnants of grand colonial buildings.

For him, the history of the walls, which are now crumbling⁷ and covered with flyers and graffiti, reflect the history and deterioration⁸ of Dakar.

He says it is through the walls that he understands the life of the city.

In his studio he is surrounded by dozens of paintings, all in the same heavy colors, depicting¹⁰ gray ghetto¹¹ scenes and indistinct figures.

He says the figures depict⁹ the faceless, anonymous¹² poor who struggle everyday in the ghettos of Dakar.

The population of Dakar is now over two million, having more than doubled in the last three decades.

Ndiaye says that as the population of Dakar has ballooned and the city has rapidly expanded, the poor have been pushed to the outskirts¹³ and forgotten.

Ibrahima Aidara, of Oxfam America, says Dakar is struggling to keep pace with the mass influx¹⁴ of people.

"You can see a lot of tension on land. Land is a big issue, because Dakar is a quiet island and it is very small comparatively to the population living within the city," he said.

He adds that Dakar does not have a sufficient infrastructure to provide health care, education, and water and sanitation facilities to the impoverished city suburbs.

"You can see in a lot of suburb areas in Dakar where people are getting, its unbelievable but true, people are getting water from wells, which is to me not acceptable," he said.

The economist¹⁵ Moubarak Lo says Dakar is now entering a new phase of its history, one in which the government is re-emerging and playing an active role in improving the city. He uses as an example the expansion of the corniche, a main road that runs the length of Dakar, along the coast.

"The government wants to promote development of hotels and conference facilities all along the corniche. And you have also extension of the roads, not new roads, but just there used to be say two lines, making them four, building many bridges, and also lighting¹⁶ more the city to make it in the standard of the big metropolises¹⁷ in the world."

scavenger18 at Dakar's dump collects trash to sell" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070607/0950181.jpg" width="170" vspace="2" border="0" />

A scavenger at Dakar's dump collects trash to sell

He says these are good steps, but that basic needs such as sanitation and electricity must still be met.

"You can build a new building, nice building, but if the jobs and other advancements¹⁹ do not follow, you will have a third world in a first world city," he said.

The artist Ndiaye says that though the suburbs of Dakar are marked by poverty, they are also filled with color and creativity, and may bring new life to Dakar.

1 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

4 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 hues   

色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点

参考例句：

• When the sun rose a hundred prismatic hues were reflected from it. 太阳一出，更把它映得千变万化、异彩缤纷。
• Where maple trees grow, the leaves are often several brilliant hues of red. 在枫树生长的地方，枫叶常常呈现出数种光彩夺目的红色。

6 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

7 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

8 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

9 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

10 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

11 ghetto   

n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区

参考例句：

• Racism and crime still flourish in the ghetto.城市贫民区的种族主义和犯罪仍然十分猖獗。
• I saw that achievement as a possible pattern for the entire ghetto.我把获得的成就看作整个黑人区可以仿效的榜样。

12 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

13 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

14 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

15 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

16 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

17 metropolises   

n.一国的主要城市（不一定是首都）( metropolis的名词复数 )；中心；大都会；大城市

参考例句：

• That season, you ride it, all metropolises achieve what one wishes! 那时节，您骑上它，一切都会如愿以偿！ 来自互联网
• Carl has carried the banner in infernal metropolises. 卡尔曾经在那些地狱般的大都市流浪街头。 来自互联网

18 scavenger   

n.以腐尸为食的动物，清扫工

参考例句：

• He's just fit for a job as scavenger.他只配当个清道夫。
• He is not a scavenger nor just a moving appetite as some sharks are.它不是食腐动物，也不像有些鲨鱼那样，只知道游来游去满足食欲。

19 advancements   

n.（级别的）晋升( advancement的名词复数 )；前进；进展；促进

参考例句：

• Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来，人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网