VOA常速英语2008年-UN Appeals For $25 Million For Tajikistan

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
18 February 2008

The United Nations is urgently appealing for more than $25 million to help some two million people in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan who are suffering from severe cold and energy shortages. The United Nations describes the crisis affecting Tajikistan as life threatening. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Tajikistan is facing the most severe winter in 25 years. And, it is having a devastating¹ affect upon a country where 50 percent of the inhabitants live below the poverty line.

The United Nations estimates nearly one third of Tajikistan's population of seven million are suffering in different degrees from extreme cold, lack of fuel, food, clean water and ill health.

The country's hydroelectric power stations are barely producing any electricity, compounding the problems from the winter cold. This is causing a severe disruption of heating, water supplies and basic social services.

Gabriella Waaijman is the UN Humanitarian² Agency's Regional Disaster Response Adviser³ for Central Asia. In an interview from Almaty, Khazakstan, she tells VOA that people in Tajikistan's urban areas are most affected⁴ by the energy crisis.

"In some of the main urban centers, they have less than 10 hours of electricity a day," said Waaijman. "As a result, hospitals have frequent power outages and therefore access to health care is being affected. And, most importantly, or equally important, people have difficult access to clean drinking water because in urban areas, the drinking water is being pumped to the houses and a lack of electricity, of course, is affecting this ability to pump the water to the houses."

Waaijman says mass care facilities, such as schools, orphanages⁵, hospitals and homes for the elderly are hardest hit by the energy crisis. And, these facilities now rely heavily on generators⁶ for the most essential services.

The United Nations reports the economic and social shock resulting from the cold weather and lack of energy has worsened the food situation in rural areas.

Humanitarian agencies report at least one quarter of a million people need immediate⁷ food assistance and this number may reach one half million. The government says up to two million people may need food assistance through the end of winter.

U.N. official Waaijman says the coming of spring will be a mixed blessing⁸. As temperatures rise, the ice will melt and this, she says will make more water available for the power generating plants.

"The bad thing though about having more water available is that the snowfall this year has been so much more than normal, more than 200 percent more than normal, that we fear that if snow starts melting, that we will see an increase in flooding and mud slides and landslides⁹ in this region," said Waaijman.

Priority needs are for food, clean water, fuel, electrical power for heat and essential health care. The appeal also includes plans to avert¹⁰ life-threatening situations possible this spring.

Aid agencies will reinforce systems to warn people of impending¹¹ floods and landslides. They will provide critical shelter and livelihoods¹² to communities, if these events do occur.

1 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。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 orphanages   

孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
• Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来，她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。

6 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》

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

9 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

10 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

11 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

12 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。