VOA标准英语2012--Dispute Over Supplies Leaves Gaza Short on Electricity

Dispute Over Supplies Leaves Gaza Short on Electricity

Evening in Gaza. Because of a shortage of fuel, many neighborhoods get only six hours of electricity per day. Few cars pass along usually congested streets. Long lines form when a station has fuel. And the price for fuel and cooking gas has tripled, when they can be found at all.

Ayman Ghabain is a tailor. He says he, like most businessmen, hardly works because there is no electricity and no fuel for generators¹. "Today the only thing working is construction. This is where most of the people are working in Gaza. The rest of the industrial sectors², you could say 90 percent, maybe more, are totally stopped," he said. 

Abu Mohammed repairs and sells used generators. He says any other business is impossible. "We cannot sell chicken. We cannot open a garage because there's no electricity. We cannot buy hay for the animals because there is no water. One day they cut the water. [The next day] they cut the electricity," he said.

Analysts³ say the crisis is due in part to a political standoff with Egypt, which supplies Gaza's fuel. Hamas controls Gaza and wants the fuel to come directly from Egypt instead of through a cargo⁴ crossing with Israel.

Egypt reportedly refuses to allow the fuel to pass because it wants Israel, which has an economic blockade on Hamas, to continue to be seen as responsible for Gaza's problems. Israel views Hamas as a terrorist group.

Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan blames the crisis on the Israeli government. "The problem is not us. We are trying our best to ease the pressure on the Palestinian people. The problem is because of the siege, the oppressive, immoral⁵ and inhuman⁶ siege," he said.

Regardless of who is to blame, Gazans are growing increasingly angry over the crisis and are demanding a solution be found. On Friday, March 23, Israel and Hamas allowed nine fuel tankers⁷ to cross from the Jewish state. But the delivery of around 450,000 liters of industrial diesel⁸ will only power a plant for one day. More deliveries are being negotiated.

1 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 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。

5 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

6 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

7 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

8 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。