Without water there is no life
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2009-06-16 01:26 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The United Nations Development Program says the world is facing a water crisis. It says each year, more than 2 million children die from diseases caused by unclean water. Most of these deaths are fromdiarrheaand other sicknesses caused by unclean water polluted by human waste.

The warning is in this year's Human Development Report, released by the U.N. agency on November 9. Kevin Watkins is the lead writer and head of the Human Development Report office. He says these deaths could be prevented with clean water and toilets. The report also finds that almost half the people in developing countries suffer from health problems due to unclean water and lack of waste removal systems.

Mister Watkins says the crisis in health care also reduces economic growth in many developing nations. The report says more than 100,000 million people in the world do not have clean water and sanitation1.

The Human Development Report proposes a three-part action plan to help solve the crisis. First, Mr. Watkins say that governments need to take action to make water a human right. He says national legislation is needed that provides citizens with the right to twenty liters of water a day.

Second, the action plan calls on each nation to spend more on water and sanitation. It proposes that each nation spend at least one percent of the value of all the goods and services the country produces. Third, the plan calls for increased international aid. This would require an additional 400,000 million dollars a year, or two times as much international aid, in the next ten years.

Mr. Watkins says the world is not running out of water. The crisis is not because of scarcity2. He says there is about the same amount of water in the world every year. The real problem, he says, is the governance of water. Governments need to think of water as a limited, valuable resource. The report also urges governments to consider fairness, equality and social justice when supervising water. Mister Watkins says the poorest people and those with limited land rights are the first to lose their ability to get water.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss3. To read our reports and download audio, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Shep O'Neal.


diarrhea: 痢疾



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 sanitation GYgxE     
n.公共卫生,环境卫生,卫生设备
参考例句:
  • The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看,这个地段非常糟糕。
  • Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。
2 scarcity jZVxq     
n.缺乏,不足,萧条
参考例句:
  • The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
  • The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。
3 moss X6QzA     
n.苔,藓,地衣
参考例句:
  • Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
  • He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。
TAG标签:
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:点击我更换图片