VOA标准英语2008年-US Raises Burma Relief Donations to $16 Million

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok, Thailand
12 May 2008

The United States has delivered its first load of humanitarian¹ supplies for victims of Cyclone² Nargis in Burma, and announced it is raising its relief donation to more than $16 million. A U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo³ aircraft landed in Burma's main city, Rangoon, in what Washington hopes is the start of a larger effort to help cyclone victims. The Burmese government now says more than 28,400 are confirmed dead and more than 33,000 remain missing. VOA Southeast Asia Correspondent Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.

The U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo aircraft left a Thai air force base in the town of Utapao loaded with pallets of bottled water, mosquito netting, and blankets - the first shipment that Burma's military government has allowed the United States to deliver.

Burma's government had been reluctant to accept any U.S. aid, even as thousands, perhaps millions, faced the threat of hunger and disease in the aftermath of the disaster. U.S. officials called Burma's acceptance of the first planeload of supplies an important step in getting the country to start receiving more aid that survivors⁴ desperately⁵ need.

On the first relief flight was the top commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Admiral Timothy Keating, who met with Burmese officials in Rangoon Monday. Upon his return to Bangkok, the admiral told reporters he had offered the full help of the U.S. military. He said 4,000 U.S. Marines in the region, along with a fleet of C-130s, and helicopters which are part of joint⁶ exercises in Thailand, are prepared to help now.

"They are in place in Thailand ready to go forward as soon as the Burmese would give us permission to do so," Admiral Keating said. "We have three ships that are approaching the southwest Burmese coast in international water very close to the shoreline in 36 to 48 hours. So, we have a broad array of personnel and equipment and we're ready to respond as soon as the Burmese give us permission. We did not get that permission today."

U.S. officials describe their meetings with Burmese deputy ministers and other officials as cordial, but indicated the Burmese made few concessions⁷. Henrietta Fore⁸, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, - also on Monday's relief flight - says progress was made.

"We left Utapao with the hope that we could lay the groundwork for a broader United States assistance effort and I believe that our discussions were a good first step,' she said. "We see it as a beginning, but this will take time."

 

Fore announced the United States is raising its contributions to relief efforts in Burma from $3.2 million to more than $16 million. She said the additional $13 million will go to the United Nations World Food Program for hunger relief efforts in Burma.

The announcement came as WFP officials said they have been able to meet only 20 percent of the needs of the storm survivors who are going hungry. At the same time, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday the price of rice has gone up 50 percent in Burma's markets since the cyclone hit.

International aid agencies are keeping up their calls for the Burmese government to issue visas to relief workers and allow more aid to go in. They warn deteriorating⁹ sanitary¹⁰ conditions and the spread of disease could kill millions, especially as forecasts this week call for heavy rains in hard-hit regions of the Irawaddy Delta¹¹.

Burma's reclusive military government has been accepting small quantities of aid, but has been reluctant to admit large numbers of western relief workers.

1 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。

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 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

8 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

9 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

10 sanitary   

adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的

参考例句：

• It's not sanitary to let flies come near food.让苍蝇接近食物是不卫生的。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

11 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。