voa 听力文本小整理.docx

1、voa 听力文本小整理UN Urges Increased Protection for Haitian RefugeesA new report by Refugees International, a Washington-based refugee advocacy group, is sharply critical of conditions in the refugee camps in Haiti. Nearly 10 months after the earthquake devastated the country, the report says the people of

2、 Haiti are still living in a state of emergency, with a humanitarian response that appears paralyzed. Refugees International says sexual, domestic and gang violence in and around the refugee camps is rising. The report adds there is an urgent need for experienced U.N. personnel and resources for hum

3、anitarian protection, and says that action is urgently needed to protect the basic human rights of people displaced by the earthquake. Questioned about the report, U.N. spokesperson Martin Nesirky said it highlights some very important matters including the protection, especially, of womenA woman st

4、ands next to makeshift tents at a camp set up for earthquake survivors left homeless in Port-au-Prince, one month after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti, Feb 2010 That has been a major concern for everybody right from the start, said Nesirky. And we obviously share those concerns and we also wa

5、nt to see increased protection capacity when it comes to tackling sexual violence, which, as you know, is primarily against women and girls. Measures have already been taken, as you know, to improve protection - and that includes patrolling camps and having a 24-hour presence of U.N. troops and poli

6、ce officers in some camps where the problems are particularly serious.The U.N. spokesperson said 559 U.N. police officers are permanently present in six of the Haitian refugee camps and that 614 U.N. military personnel are stationed in six of the largest camps.It is worth noting that sexual violence

7、 has been a serious problem in Haiti long before the earthquake, and it also continues to be a serious problem outside of the camps, as well. As I say, this is no comfort for the people in those camps and we need to work very hard on that, said Nesirky. Refugees International also acknowledges gende

8、r-based violence has always been a problem in Haiti, but notes there has been a significant increase in sexual violence reports since the January earthquake and there have been reports of increasing domestic violence in the stressful living conditions in the refugee camps.Joe DeCapua 11 October 2010

9、 Swaziland has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world - 26 percent for those between the ages of 15 and 29. But to deal with the epidemic, health officials must do more than increase treatment, care and prevention efforts. They must also address another disease thats targeting HIV-posi

10、tive people more and more often tuberculosis.Much progress has been made in extending the lives of people living with HIV, the AIDS virus. Anti-retroviral drugs or ARVs can literally pull people back from deaths door.Its estimated that about five million people worldwide are currently receiving the

11、drugs. However, its believed as many as 10 million people actually need them. Without ARVs, HIV can weaken or destroy the immune system, leaving the body defenseless against many opportunistic infections.One of them is tuberculosis, which can often kill much more quickly than HIV. So health official

12、s now look at HIV and TB in combination in dealing with the AIDS pandemic.HIV/TBDr. Mary Kathryn Linde, who recently visited Swaziland, says, Because of the prominence of AIDS in that country, the resistance to organisms like TB is much lowered in the general population. And so it is transmitted mor

13、e easily. And then once an individual has it they dont have the immune resistance to be able to combat it. And so its taken a terrible toll.ASCPDr. Mary Kathryn Linde in SwazilandTo help Swaziland deal with the growing TB threat, hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent to renovate a TB test

14、ing facility in Mbabane. Its a joint effort by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Doctors Without borders.Dr. Linde, who represents the pathology group, says a high quality lab plays a vital role in controlling the spread of TB.Its so importa

15、nt to have the correct diagnosis and a very rapid, timely diagnosis so that the patient can be treated. The patients cant be treated until they are diagnosed, she says.A lab that meets standards set by the Centers for Disease Control also makes it much easier for patients.Linde says, Another problem

16、 is that the people have to travel to get to the laboratory. And they dont have the money to actually do that. And then if they have to come back they may not be able to afford to come back or may not be physically able to come back. They need to be diagnosed as rapidly as possible and be treated as

17、 rapidly as possible.Dan Robinson | White House 11 October 2010 Photo: AP President Barack Obama pushes for his $50-billion infrastructure-investment proposal as a way to create more jobs, with Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner, left, and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, right, at the Wh

18、ite House in Washington, 11 Oct 2010 Saying the United States lags behind China and other nations in dealing with a crumbling infrastructure, President Barack Obama has renewed a call for action to repair roads, bridges and airports.A new report by the Treasury Department and White House Council of

19、Economic Advisers says the United States now spends two percent of its Gross Domestic Product on infrastructure, with overall spending falling by 50 percent since 1960.In contrast, it notes China spends about nine percent on infrastructure, and Europe about five percent. It is clear, the report stat

20、es, that persistent neglect will affect Americas competitive position with the rest of the world.President Obama met for about an hour with key state governors, city mayors and Cabinet officials. In the White House Rose Garden, he spoke about the consequences of woefully inefficient and outdated inf

21、rastructure for current and future economic growth.The bottom line is our short-sightedness has come due. We can no longer afford to sit still. What we need is a smart system of infrastructure equal to the needs of the 21st century, a system that encourages sustainable communities with easier access

22、 to our jobs, to our schools, to our homes.In September, the president asked Congress for an initial $50 billion to begin a six-year plan of infrastructure upgrades, spending he insists will be offset by ending a collection of oil and gas industry tax breaks.But legislative action will have to wait

23、until Congress returns after the November 2 midterm elections, at which point one or both chambers could be controlled by Republicans, who have sharply criticized Obamas stimulus spending.Saying there is no reason why the worlds best infrastructure should lie beyond U.S. borders, Mr. Obama cited exa

24、mples of other countries, including China, that he said are recognizing the importance of investing today for tomorrow.Right now China is building hundreds of thousands of miles of new roads. Over the next 10 years it plans to build dozens of new airports. Over the next 20 it could build as many as

25、170 new mass transit systems. Everywhere else they are thinking big, they are creating jobs today, but they are also planning to win tomorrow, said President Obama.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican, voiced optimism about prospects for bipartisan cooperation when Congress returns. He

26、also lashed out at critics of Obama economic stimulus.There are thousands of people working, 14,000 projects today. The idea that our stimulus did not work is nonsense, said LaHood.A separate recent study contained recommendations similar to the Obama administration report, and it estimated the fede

27、ral government, plus state and local governments, would have to spend as much as $194 billion simply to repair existing infrastructure.President Obama said the United States had deferred decisions on repairing aging highways, rail lines and other infrastructure for years, hindering economic growth.

28、He also indirectly linked the issue with the upcoming congressional elections, saying Americans face a choice between decline and prosperity, and between the past and the future. Brian Padden | Hanoi 11 October 2010 Photo: AP Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Chinas Minister of Defense Liang

29、 Guanglie shake hands before a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, 11 Oct. 2010At the ASEAN Defense Ministers meeting in Hanoi, Chinese Minister of Defense Liang Guanglie invited his U.S. counterpart Defense Secretary Robert Gates to visit China, in what seems like an easing of military tensions in the regio

30、n.Diplomacy appears to be making some progress in reducing tensions at the ASEAN Plus Eight defense ministers meeting. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations invited the United States, China, Japan, Russia and other regional powers to address security issues in the Pacific.China resumes military

31、 relationsBy inviting Defense Secretary Robert Gates to visit next year, China is resuming high-level military relations with the United States. Earlier in the year, China suspended military contacts because of U.S. planned arms sales to Taiwan.The Chinese Defense Minister also said talks with Japan

32、s defense officials were positive. Tensions between the two countries have increased after a Chinese fishing boat collided with Japanese coast guard patrol ships in waters claimed by both sides.U.S. support for Southeast AsiaEarlier in the day, speaking to members of the military and students at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi, Secretary Gates sent a message to reassure Southeast Asia.I think all Asia can be confident that the U.S. intends to remain engaged in Asia as we have been for so m