VOA标准英语2008年-FAO Presses for Urgent Assistance for Burmese F

By Ron Corben
Bangkok
19 June 2008

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is calling for urgent aid for thousands of farm families that suffered losses during last month's cyclone¹ in Burma. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, while aid experts say that many victims of Cyclone Nargis are beginning to rebuild their lives, about 52,000 farmers will not be able to plant a new crop without help.
　

A farmer outside the village on Chaungtha beach in the Irrawaddy Delta2 region west of Rangoon, Burma, plows3 a field with a home-made machine, 03 Jun 2008

The Food and Agriculture Organization says $83 million is needed to allow farmers in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region to plant a vital second rice crop during the monsoon⁴ season.

The Irrawaddy Delta is known as the rice basket of Burma, producing more than 60 percent of the country's rice.

An FAO team just spent two weeks in the delta, assessing the damage from the cyclone that came ashore⁵ May 2.

The FAO deputy regional representative, Hiroyuki Konuma, says tens of thousands of farmers lost everything they need to plant a crop.

"A majority of the victims lost their production assets such as seed, fertilizer, agricultural tools drought animals. Without external support they will suffer from hunger and poverty for a long time, they would remain dependent on external aid for a long time," said Konuma. "On the other hand, time is not on our side. The window is very narrow to meet the seasonal⁶ deadline [for] monsoon cropping."

An FAO consultant⁷, Albert Lieberg, told reporters that it appears less farm land was severely⁸ damaged by the storm than originall y feared. He also says that that not all townships in the delta suffered flooding.

Te damage will probably cut Burma's rice harvest by two percent this year.

Lieberg says aid groups are focusing on those who suffered losses. He says without help for farmers, more than 180,000 hectares will go unplanted.

"It would be a fatal error, a fatal error if we just concentrate on this figure of two percent," he said. "What is important is the number of families suffering, that need urgent assistance and we are talking about a substantial number of families - this is the only point which really matters."

Cyclone Nargis, which hit southwestern Burma, claimed the lives of about 78,000 people, with 56,000 still missing. Lieberg says at least 30,000 fishermen lost their lives in the cyclone.

For weeks, Burma's isolated⁹ military government blocked most international aid. It was nearly three weeks after the storm hit, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless, before the government promised the United Nations to allow in foreign aid workers.

The delay created concerns that even more people could die of hunger or disease, but in recent days, aid groups have said the recovery has been better than feared, and thus far there have been no signs of disease outbreaks.

1 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。

2 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。

3 plows   

n.犁( plow的名词复数 )；犁型铲雪机v.耕( plow的第三人称单数 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• Alex and Tony were turning awkward hands to plows and hoe handles. 亚历克斯和托尼在犁耙等农活方面都几乎变成新手了。
• Plows are still pulled by oxen in some countries. 在一些国家犁头仍由牛拖拉。

4 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

5 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

6 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

7 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

8 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。