VOA标准英语10月-Climate Change, Global Credit Crisis Deepen Pover

Aid agencies warn that East Timor faces a food crisis and more than half of its youngest children are going hungry as global food prices soar. A new survey reveals that more than 70 percent of households across East Timor are unable to find enough to eat each day for almost half the year. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
　

Elderly vendor1 waits for customers (File)

A group of international aid organizations says that East Timor's "hungry season", which usually lasts for a couple of months, now extends for almost half of the year.

The number of children under age five suffering from chronic² malnutrition³ has hit as high as 59 percent in many areas. In some districts the food crisis has touched 90 percent of households.

Aid workers say the global financial meltdown has contributed to the problem, as jobs are lost and donors⁴ cut back aid, while food prices have spiraled upward. Charities estimate that an extra 100 million people have been pushed closer to hunger in other parts of Asia, the Pacific and Africa, as well.

Andrew Hewett, the executive director of Oxfam Australia, says changing weather patterns have cut into East Timor's harvests.

"We are finding that climate change is causing problems for people's livelihoods⁵ and people's food security in that country," Hewett said. "It was already a pretty desperate situation in East Timor. People were used to the idea that for at least a couple of months a year that they just did not have enough food. The problem is that that period has got greater."

Despite turmoil⁶ in international financial markets, charities urge wealthier countries to support emergency food programs.

Aid workers have reported similar problems in Cambodia and the Solomon Islands, where children are increasingly surviving on just one meal a day.

It has been a hard road for East Timor since independence from Indonesia in 2002. It suffers ethnic⁷ and regional divisions, and youth unemployment is above 60 percent.

In addition, a rebellion by disaffected⁸ soldiers in 2006 triggered violence that killed more than 30 people and forced 150,000 residents from their homes. Thousands remain in refugee camps.

1 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

2 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

3 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 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。

8 disaffected   

adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的

参考例句：

• He attracts disaffected voters.他吸引了心怀不满的选民们。
• Environmental issues provided a rallying point for people disaffected with the government.环境问题把对政府不满的人们凝聚了起来。