VOA标准英语2010年-Niger Faces Severe Food Shortages

Across the Sahel, more than 10 million people are affected¹ by poor rains that have led to the collapse² of agricultural and livestock³ production in many parts of Chad, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Sixty percent of Niger's population is facing severe food shortages.

At the Karakara II primary school in Niger's southern Mirriah district, women and children are registering for a blanket feeding program for all children between the ages of six months and two years. This will be their first food distribution since last year's poor rains cut Niger's cereal harvest by one-quarter and drove up the price of millet⁴ nearly 40 percent.

The U.N. World Food Program is doubling its estimate of the number of families in Niger who need food assistance. WFP is now targeting more than 1.5 million people for a general food distribution and as many as 500,000 children under the age of six for specialized⁵ therapeutic⁶ feeding.

The U.N. has stocks of rice, sugar, salt, oil, and beans in the administrative⁷ capital Zinder. But its Office for the Coordination⁸ of Humanitarian⁹ Affairs says it has raised less than a third of the $190 million it needs to respond to the crisis in Niger.

Children under two in the Mirriah district will receive a four-month ration¹⁰ of sugar, oil, and a nutritionally-rich blend of corn and soybeans.

The registration¹¹ also allows aid workers to gauge¹² the level of malnutrition¹³ in the community. The program is being conducted by the local aid group Karkara.

Youssifi Midou Bawa is Karkara's director of technical operations:

"The children come and they are measured to see who is malnourished," said Youssifi Midou Bawa. "The children who are severely¹⁴ or moderately malnourished are referred to the local medical center where they get supplemental feeding."

The U.N. children's agency says at least 200,000 children in Niger face severe acute malnutrition that will require hospital treatment.

In a region where malnutrition is affecting more than one-quarter of the population, officials at this feeding center say they have supplies to feed only half of those affected.
 

1 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。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 millet   

n.小米，谷子

参考例句：

• Millet is cultivated in the middle or lower reaches of the Yellow River.在黄河中下游地区，人们种植谷子。
• The high quality millet flour was obtained through wet milling.采用湿磨法获得了高品质的小米粉。

5 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

6 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

7 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

8 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

9 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。

10 ration   

n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应

参考例句：

• The country cut the bread ration last year.那个国家去年削减面包配给量。
• We have to ration the water.我们必须限量用水。

11 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

12 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

13 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。

14 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。