VOA标准英语2008年-Kenya Violence Sparks Fuel Shortage in Rwanda

By Noel King
Kigali
04 January 2008

Post-election violence in Kenya has crippled the delivery of fuel to Rwanda, forcing authorities to institute petroleum¹ rationing². Rwandans who depend upon their cars for business say they fear a continuation of the crisis may have devastating³ economic consequences. Noel King has more in this report from the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

Rwanda imports most of its petroleum from the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, but ethnic⁴ clashes have blocked roads across Kenya following the nation's hotly contested Presidential election.

Rwanda's Minister of Commerce, Industry, Investment and Tourism, Protais Mitali, says Rwanda will now turn to neighboring Tanzania for help importing petroleum.

"We are trying to take measures to avoid a crisis. We are trying to use the Dar Es Salaam⁵ port and the road from Tanzania to Rwanda," he said.

Rwandan drivers have been limited to ten liters of gasoline per day for small cars and twenty liters for larger vehicles. Those who depend upon their vehicles to make a living say they fear the economic consequences of a long-term conflict in Kenya may be devastating.

Adrian Nzabire is a driver who ferries tourists and businesspeople around Rwanda.  "If it continues, it will be a big problem, because all of our petrol and many things come from Kenya," he said.

The future is not grim for everyone, though. Sam Dargan is the chief executive officer of Great Lakes Energy, a Kigali-based company that sells and installs solar panels. He told VOA that the current fuel shortages illustrate⁶ the importance of solar energy in countries where many people depend upon fuel-based generators⁷ for electricity.

"When there's a fuel shortage two things happen:  the price of fuel goes up, which makes solar [energy] a more economical investment than it already is; and they struggle to get fuel for the generators they need, which makes solar [energy] an urgent priority," he noted⁸.

Rwandan authorities said they are not making plans to end the fuel rationing at this time.

Rwanda's neighbor, Uganda, has also been hit hard by the shortages. Prices of staple⁹ foods in the country have risen by as much as 30 percent, as farmers struggle to get their crops from outlying areas to the capital, Kampala.

1 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

2 rationing   

n.定量供应

参考例句：

• Wartime austerities included food rationing and shortage of fuel. 战时的艰苦包括食物配给和燃料短缺。
• Food rationing was abolished in that country long ago. 那个国家早就取消了粮食配给制。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 salaam   

n.额手之礼，问安，敬礼；v.行额手礼

参考例句：

• And the people were so very friendly:full of huge beaming smiles,calling out "hello" and "salaam".这里的人民都很友好，灿然微笑着和我打招呼，说“哈罗”和“萨拉姆”。
• Salaam is a Muslim form of salutation.额手礼是穆斯林的问候方式。

6 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

7 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。