VOA标准英语2008年-G8 Leaders Examine Goals, Shortcomings on Emerg

Leaders of the world's advanced economies have been meeting with counterparts from some of the world's poorest African nations on the first day of the G8 summit in northern Japan. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Hokkaido, the G8 leaders are facing criticism for failing to come through on promises they made to Africa's neediest inhabitants.
　
Group of Eight leaders pose for a photograph in Toyako, Japan, 07 Jul 2008

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Monday the main challenges facing the G8 summit are of special importance to Africa.

"Food and fuel, sustenance¹ and energy, malnutrition² and health, it does not get more basic than that," he said.

G8 leaders discussed those themes with invited leaders from eight African nations here in northern Japan, at a secluded³ resort hotel in Toyako. Two years ago, at a similar gathering⁴ in Scotland, the G8 promised to boost aid to Africa to $50 billion per year by 2010.

Max Lawson, representing the aid group Oxfam, says only a trickle⁵ of that amount, about $3 billion a year, has actually been sent. He says he is closely watching drafts of this summit's final communiqué.

"You can see that the G8 are keen to gradually step away from the promises they made ... to increase aid by 50 billion [dollars]. If we don't see this in the communiqué, then that's the betrayal of a promise," said Lawson.

Lawson says ordinary Africans are suffering because of misplaced priorities among rich nations.

Aid groups like Oxfam say international funds help buy life-saving drugs crucial in fighting Africa's epidemics⁶ of AIDS and malaria⁷.

Kumi Naidoo, South African head of the group Global Call to Action Against Poverty, is frustrated⁸ at the apparent lack of urgency on Africa among wealthy nations.

"If 6,000 people were dying every single day from HIV/AIDS in North America and Europe, would the G8 not have long time ago found the resources and fixed⁹ the problem?" asked Naidoo.

Oliver Buston, with the anti-poverty group One, says soaring food prices are also taking their toll¹⁰ on Africa.

"In London, where I'm from, the price of pasta goes up 40 [pence] - it's annoying. But when the price of food goes up 40 percent, and you're living on a dollar a day, it's life threatening," said Buston.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, also joining the summit, said Monday the effects of global warming are already harming Africa's agriculture. Aid groups say the drive by large corporations to produce agriculturally derived¹¹ biofuels in Africa are further squeezing the continent's food supply, while pushing up prices.

Joseph Ssuma, a farmer and activist¹² from Uganda, says the biofuel industry is "easily one of the most threatening interruptions of African production."

"This is slowly exerting pressure on land, and pressure on people who are involved in farming, because it is flagged as an alternative, 'you'll make money.' But the costs that this will bring to people are not clearly articulated," said Ssuma.

European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced Monday about $1.5 in unused European farm subsidies¹³ will now be channeled to Africa. But aid groups and African leaders are hoping for a far more robust¹⁴ aid commitment before the summit ends Wednesday.

 

1 sustenance   

n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• The urban homeless are often in desperate need of sustenance.城市里无家可归的人极其需要食物来维持生命。

2 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。

3 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

6 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

7 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

8 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

10 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

11 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

13 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。