VOA常速英语2017--东非人道主义危机即将爆发

 

Over the past two decades, much of East Africa has suffered through recurrent droughts resulting in failed crops, dying cattle and escalating¹ food prices. The result is hunger, undernutrition and suffering for millions of people.

过去二十年，东非大部分地区都经历了多次干旱，导致庄稼歉收、牲畜死亡、粮价急速上涨。结果导致上百万人处于饥饿、营养不良和痛苦之中。

This year, the rains have been scant², more so than usual. This is exacerbating³ drought in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, where around 15 million people are suffering from food insecurity as a result.

今年，雨水依旧稀缺，情况甚至比以往更加严重。而这也加剧了非洲之角的旱情，尤其是索马里、埃塞俄比亚和肯尼亚地区，这些地区约有一千五百万人正在遭受粮食短缺的痛苦。

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia, are sounding the alarm in Somalia. They estimate that half of Somalia’s population of 12.3 million people is facing hunger or starvation. The southern agricultural and pastoral areas and northeastern pastoral areas have been hardest hit.

美国国际开发署创办的饥饿预警系统网（FEWS NET），以及索马里粮食安全与营养分析署都对索马里粮食问题敲响了警钟。他们估计，1230万的索马里人口中有一半都处于饥饿当中。其中以南部和东北部农牧区最为严重。

Over the past few years, food insecurity has been dropping in Ethiopia.The number of people requiring humanitarian⁴ assistance there has declined by half since late 2015.But as last year’s October-to-December rains failed and drought conditions developed in the country’s southern and south eastern regions,farmers and herders who had been unable to recover from the previous drought, are once again in need of assistance. According to the Government of Ethiopia and its relief partners, some 5.6 million people will need relief food assistance between January and December 2017.

过去几年里，粮食短缺问题一直困扰着埃塞俄比亚。到2015年后期，其需要人道主义帮助的人数已减少一半。但是，由于去年十月到十二月，埃塞俄比亚南部以及东南部地区迟迟未降雨，旱情加重，未能从之前旱灾中恢复过来的农牧民们，需要再次援助。据埃塞俄比亚政府和其援助国称，从2017年一月到十二月，将会有大约560万人需要粮食救助。

Kenya is also suffering from inadequate⁵ rainfall during both the March-to-May 2016 long rain season and the October-to-December short rain season.In some parts of northern Kenya, 70 percent of water sources are already dry, and people are already suffering hunger.FEWS NET projected in January that without sustained relief assistance,crisis-level acute food insecurity could occur in some drought-affected areas of Kenya in the coming months.

在2016年三月到五月的多雨季节，以及十月到十二月的阵雨季节里，肯尼亚都受到了降雨量不足的影响。其北部某些地区，70%的水源都已经干涸，人们也一直处于饥饿当中。一月份时饥饿预警系统网预测，如果得不到持续援助，肯尼亚干旱地区在接下来的几个月会产生严重的粮食危机。

So far this year, the United States government has committed more than 282 million dollars for critical relief interventions⁶ in the Horn of Africa. We call on our global partners to join us in this effort.

今年到目前为止，美国政府已许诺提供2.82亿美元，用于解决非洲之角的严重粮食危机问题。我们呼吁全球伙伴一道为此做出努力。

 

1 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

2 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

3 exacerbating   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
• High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

6 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网