VOA常速英语2008年-Bangladesh Struggles to Cope with Shortage of A

By Steve Herman
New Delhi
02 April 2008

Bangladesh is seeking three million tons of rice and wheat, in the next several months, to counter the lingering effects of a devastating¹ cyclone² amid soaring prices for staple³ foods. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman, in our South Asia bureau in New Delhi, reports Bangladesh is hoping purchases from India and donations from the United States will meet some of the pressing demand.

Bangladesh is confronting a double blow, as it attempts to feed its impoverished⁴ people. Damage from Cyclone Sidr, five months ago, has destroyed this year's staple food harvest. What is available is quickly becoming less affordable⁵.

Government officials say they will need an additional three million tons of rice and wheat in the next three months. They say they hope to buy some of the rice from India, at $430 per ton, and sell it in the market below cost. That is expected to triple the amount of subsidized rice in government-run shops in the country.

There are reports that those who can afford rice in Bangladesh are hoarding⁶ it, worried about further price increases.

The United States is to donate 90,000 metric tons of food this year, worth nearly $70 million.

U.S. Agency for International Development Mission Director Denise Rollins says one third of that will go to those affected⁷ by the cyclone.

"The people who are most affected by the cyclone they typically have only one cropping season a year. And, that crop was ready to be harvested when the cyclone hit. So it was completely destroyed."

The American food aid will include wheat, yellow split peas and vegetable oil.

Rising food prices, which are affecting much of Asia this year, are particularly troublesome for the people of Bangladesh. Nearly half of the population lives on less than one dollar a day and spends most of its income on food.

USAID Bangladesh Mission Director Rollins says the situation has become even more critical for those hit by floods last July and August and last November's cyclone.

"There's no employment. There's no livelihoods⁸ that have returned. Most people are involved in agriculture. Without the farms operating now, because you don't have a crop in the field, it means people are unable to work and so, with rising prices for basic commodities, it means people are eating considerably⁹ less.

The combination of rocketing prices and unemployment has given rise to what Bangladesh's former finance secretary, Akbar Ali Khan, terms a "silent famine" in the country.

The United Nations last month urged the developed world to boost food and monetary¹⁰ aid to Bangladesh.

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 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

3 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。

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 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

6 hoarding   

n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• After the war, they were shot for hoarding. 战后他们因囤积而被枪决。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Actually he had two unused ones which he was hoarding up. 其实他还藏了两片没有用呢。 来自英汉文学

7 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。

8 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。

9 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

10 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。