Emergency Aid Being Sent to Stranded Chadians.doc

Emergency aid is being sent this week to about one thousand people mostly children stranded in a remote area of Chad. The International Organization for Migration says the Chadians fled violence in neighboring Nigeria between government forces and the militant group Boko Haram.The displaced migrants are in the village of NGbouboua in the Lac region of western Chad, about 48 kilometers from the Nigerian border. Their presence there was first discovered late last month. A truck convoy loaded with emergency supplies is being readied thanks to a donation by the United States.“I would like first of all to sincerely thank the U.S. embassy here in Chad that has made this timely donation to the IOM to assist this vulnerable group of migrants that are still stranded in this very, very unsafe area. The situation is very precarious,” said Dr. Qasim Sufi is the country director for the International Organization for Migration.Koranic studentsThe IOM is working with the Chadian government, International Committee of the Red Cross, World Food Program and UNICEF to gather the needed supplies.“Food, temporary shelter, medication, psychosocial support and so on. But then our ultimate goal is really to assist them, the kids, to reunite with their families, biological family members, and then other people elderly and families also to take them to their final destination,” he said.The stranded children are Koranic pupils called Talebs. They fled with their teachers, the Marabout, from four eastern Nigerian villages three weeks ago.Sufi said, “They stay with them until they become big and one day they come back home. So this is sort of a traditional business that they do because even the area where they come from it is predominantly inhabited by Chadians. Some of them are as small as five years, six years (old).”Sufi likens their stay in Nigeria to an education scholarship program. Earlier reports said some of the villages they fled were destroyed in the fighting between Nigerian forces and Boko Haram.Family tracingUsually, the Koranic students live in eastern Nigeria for many years. Sufi said some cant remember who their parents are. Thats where the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Chadian Red Cross / Red Crescent Society step in with a program called family tracing.“This is the most complicated part of the whole operation I must say. And I have doubts that this will last only for three weeks,” he said.The four wheel drive truck convoy carrying emergency aid will travel hours on unmarked desert roads and make a ferry crossing to reach the migrants. Besides being remote, the area also has roaming elephants and packs of possibly rabid dogs. One child was bit, but humanitarian workers did manage to get serum to the child for treatment.词汇讲解：1. strand vt. 使处于困境例句：I was left stranded penniless in a strange city.我流落在一个陌生的城市里,身无分文,一筹莫展。2. displace vt. 移走；迫使（某人）离开家园例句：The war has displaced thousands of people.战争使成千上万的人背井离乡。3. convoy n. (有护航的)船队,车队;护航(队);护送队例句：Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here.车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。4. precarious adj. (情势)不稳的; 不确定的; 不保险的; 危险的例句：He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。5. gather vt. 收集;召集;使聚集例句：He is gathering materials for a new book.他正在收集资料准备写一本新书。6. reunite v. (使某人或某物)再次联合, 重聚例句：She is trying her best to reunite with her father.她想方设法与父亲团聚。7. inhabit vt.居住于, 栖居于例句：Woodpeckers inhabit hollow trees.啄木鸟栖息在中空的树中。8. operation n. 操作, 运转, 经营例句：The company will soon begin operation.那家公司不久就要开始营业。9. remote adj. 远离的, 遥远的; 偏僻的例句：At night I like to look at the remote stars in the clear sky.晚上我喜欢观看晴朗的夜空中遥远的星星。10. roam v. 随便走, 漫步, 漫游例句：They roamed about in the park.他们在公园里漫步。短语讲解：1. A truck convoy loaded with emergency supplies is being readied thanks to a donation by the United States.load with使装满; 使受重压例句：The cart was loaded with fruit.那辆车上装满了水果。thanks to幸亏, 多亏, 由于例句：Thanks to your help, we were successful.由于你的帮助, 我们得以成功。2. They stay with them until they become big and one day they come back e back回来例句：Im going away and I may never come back.我要走了, 可能永远不再回来。3. So this is sort of a traditional business that they do because even the area where they come from it is predominantly inhabited by Ce from出生于例句：She came from a long line of singers.她出身于一个歌手世家。4. Sufi likens their stay in Nigeria to an education scholarship program.liken to把比作例句：She likened the building to a ship.她把这座楼房比作一条船。5. Thats where the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Chadian Red Cross / Red Crescent Society step in with a program called family tracing.step in干涉, 介入例句：Father stepped in and forbade me to go camping.父亲干涉, 禁止我去野营。Along with reading and arithmetic, school children in the East Coast U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland, are learning yoga.The aim is to help inner-city children stay out of trouble on tough city streets, by giving them better tools to solve problems.First, the students do their homework. Then, they sit together to meditate and practice yoga.A breathing exercise, called Breath of Fire, is 9-year-old Janaisa Browns favorite.When you breathe, it just brings all your senses together, she says, and it calms you down really a lot.Atman Smith is one of the founders of the Holistic Life Foundation, which sponsors the after-school program. He says yoga can help young people deal with lifes difficulties.Its like a serious cycle in most inner cities where people dont know how to resolve conflicts peacefully, thats why there is so much violence and abuse, Smith says. I see in us teaching these kids meditation and giving them these tools to self-regulate, that it is going to change, I guess, the social construct and the way the inner city works and is thought of.Tyrone Boykins has participated in the program for two years at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School. Yoga and meditation have become part of his daily life and he even teaches some classes.When I wake up and I get ready, I do the sunrise yoga position because I was told that, when you do the sunrise, it helps you when you are confused, he says, and it helps you wake up and when you go to school you have a good day.Principal Carlillian Thompson brought the program to her school two years ago. She places some of her most troublesome students in the class instead of suspending them - and says for one group of fifth-grade boys, it has made a difference.When the boys got in the program, their behavior didnt change overnight. But I could see, over time, that they learned how to, instead of using their fists, to resolve different situations, that they started with the breathing techniques. They began to talk about their problems, instead of reacting like they used to, Thompson says. So I said there must be something really good about this program if it can change them.She wants to expand the program at her school and hopes other schools will join in.词汇讲解：1. solve vt. 解决; 解答例句：He finally solved the difficulty of transportation.他终于解决了运输的困难。2. meditate vi. 深思, 沉思, 冥想例句：He meditated for two days before giving his answer.他在作出答复之前考虑了两天。3. breathe v. 呼吸例句：He has gone; you can breathe again.他已经走了, 你可以松口气了。4. sponsor vt.赞助, 发起, 主办例句：The company sponsored several TV programs.这家公司赞助了几个电视节目。5. resolve vt. 解决(问题、疑问.、困难等）例句：The Cabinet met to resolve the crisis.内阁开会, 寻求解决危机的办法。6. abuse n. 滥用, 妄用, 虐待例句：Im afraid the position is open to abuse.恐怕这个职位容易使人滥用职权。7. construct n. 构思的结果,构想;概念例句：I am slow at learning theoretical constructs.我学理论概念相当迟钝。8. confuse vt.使困惑, 把弄糊涂；混淆, 把混同；混乱, 搞乱例句：They asked so many questions that they confused me.他们问了许多问题, 都把我弄糊涂了。9. troublesome adj. 引起麻烦的, 令人讨厌的, 令人烦恼的例句：He is a troublesome person.他是一个讨厌的人。10. suspend vt. 使停职;使暂停参加活动;使休学例句：Tom was suspended from school for bad conduct.汤姆因行为不端被停学。短语讲解：1. The aim is to help inner-city children stay out of trouble on tough city streets, by giving them better tools to solve problems.stay out避开, 不插手例句：Please stay out of my business and Ill stay out of yours.请别管我的事, 我也不管你的事。2. When you breathe, it just brings all your senses together, she says, and it calms you down really a lot.calm down（使）平静，镇静，安静例句：She tried to calm him down.她设法使他平静下来。3. Atman Smith is one of the founders of the Holistic Life Foundation, which sponsors the after-school program. He says yoga can help young people deal with lifes difficulties.deal with应付, 处理; 对待例句：He must deal with many difficulties.他必须应付许多困难。4. Tyrone Boykins has participated in the program for two years at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School.participate in参加例句：How many people participated in the opening ceremony?多少人参加了开业典礼?5. When I wake up and I get ready, I do the sunrise yoga position because I was told that, when you do the sunrise, it helps you when you are confused, he says, and it helps you wake up and when you go to school you have a good day.wake up醒来; 唤醒, 弄醒例句：Please wake me up at six.请在六点钟叫醒我。6. She places some of her most troublesome students in the class instead of suspending them - and says for one group of fifth-grade boys, it has made a difference.instead of (用)代替, (是)而不是, (用)而不用例句：He has been playing all afternoon instead of getting on with his work.他整个下午一直在玩, 没有继续工作。7. She wants to expand the program at her school and hopes other schools will join in.join in参加, 加入例句：They came out for their morning exercise. I also joined in.他们出去做早操, 我也参加了。U.S. car company General Motors has made some tough business decisions regarding its electric-powered Chevrolet Volt. Some analysts are wondering what this means for the future of electric cars in America. Fate of the US electric carVolt owner Frederico Goodsaid can practically sneak up behind people. He says he likes the sheer silence of his electric car.Goodsaid also enjoys driving by these. I pass over 50 gas stations as Im coming to work, he said. Yes.The Volts battery runs for 75 kilometers (45-50 miles). Then it can switch over to a gasoline-powered generator for another 550 kilometers (340-350 miles). Goodsaid recharges his car in a regular outlet at home, or he can check his smartphone for battery charging locations near his office.Neil Kopit is with a Maryland car dealership. He says his Volts are not idling on his lot. My guys are out looking for two truckloads of them right now because I dont have enough to sell to the people who want them, he explained.Thats the kind of excitement President Obama hoped for when he visited a Volt manufacturing plant after the government bailed General Motors out of bankruptcy with billions of dollars in loans. Youre producing the cars of the future, he told automakers.Slow salesBut Volt didnt hit sales targets for 2011 and saw slow sales in January and February. So General Motors will temporarily stop production for five weeks. That has some questioning the future of electric cars in the U.S.Lacey Plache is with E, a car information website that gets 14 million hits a month. We spoke with her via Skype. The basic problem is that these vehicles are so much more expensive than their gasoline-powered counterparts, Plache stated.Plache says gasoline would need to double in price ($8-10) before drivers would see a benefit. But at the same time, she says, automakers are building cars with better fuel economy. That provides very strong competition to electric vehicles and plug-ins, she said.Alternative to high fuel costAnother issue is the lack of public electrical outlets. They are not special - just regular plugs. But without them, drivers worry about taking the car too far from home. Despite the slowdown in Volt production, other American carmarkers are not putting on the brakes. Mark Vaughn writes for Autoweek Magazine. Heres what he says, via Skype. Within two years, we will have in the United States car market 20 electric vehicles available and as word gets out that they work, he said. I think this market in the United States will really grow.Back in his Volt, Goodsaid tells us a few years is nothing. When I got my drivers license I was driving my moms car, which was a 1967 Peugeot, so, times have changed, he noted.But it may be a long road ahead before technology totally takes the wheel.词汇讲解：1. wonder v. 对感到疑惑；想知道例句：I wonder how you came to miss your way.我想知道你是怎样迷路的。2. sheer adj. 完全的; 十足的例句：He achieved his aim by sheer strength of will.他纯粹靠意志力达到了目的。3. switch v. 改变;转移;调动例句：They switched the talk to a more interesting subject.他们把谈话转到比较有趣的题目上去了。4. recharge vt. 充电, 给(电池)再充电; 给(枪)再装弹药例句：Does your battery need recharging?你的电池需要充电吗?5. bankruptcy n. 破产；倒闭例句：The company is on the brink of bankruptcy.该公司已濒临于破产的边缘。6. target n. (欲达到的)目指标例句：The factory met its production target ahead of time.工厂提前完成了生产指标。7. counterpart n. 与对方地位相当的人, 与另一方作用相当的物例句：The sales directress phoned her counterpart in the other firm.销售部的女经理给另一家公司的销售部经理打了电话。8. double v. 是的两倍, (使)加倍例句：The house has doubled in value since I bought it.自从我买下这幢房子以来, 它的价值已增加了一倍。9. lack n. 欠缺;不足;没有例句：He can not buy it because of his lack of money.他因缺钱买不起这个。10. license n. 许可证;执照,牌照例句：We are applying for a license to sell wine.我们正申请执照卖酒。短语讲解：1. Volt owner Frederico Goodsaid can practically sneak up behind people.sneak up偷偷地走例句：I didnt notice Tom sneaking up behind me.我没有注意汤姆从我后面偷偷走了上来。2. My guys are out looking for two truckloads of them right now because I dont have enough to sell to the people who want them, he explained.look for寻找例句：She is looking for her lost child.她正在寻找失去的孩子。3. Thats the kind of excitement President Obama hoped for when he visited a Volt manufacturing plant after the government bailed General Motors out of bankruptcy with billions of dollars in loans.hope for希望, 希望得到例句：I hope for the weather to improve soon.我希望天气会很快转好。bail out帮助(某人)脱离困境例句：My friends bailed me out with economic aid.我的朋友们从经济上帮助我使我脱离困境。4. But without them, drivers worry about taking the car too far from home.worry about担忧, 烦恼例句：He worried about how to make his living.他为如何谋生发愁。5. Despite the slowdown in Volt production, other American carmarkers are not putting on the brakes.put on穿上, 戴上; 把放在上例句：Put the plates gently on the table, they are very delicate.把碟子轻轻放在桌上, 这些碟子非常易碎。6. Within two years, we will have in the United States car market 20 electric vehicles available and as word gets out that they work, he said.get out (使)出现, (使)逃出开始被人知道; 泄漏出例句：To his surprise the news soon got out.使他惊奇的是, 消息很快就泄露出去了。Mary Ellen Taylor sells her produce at weekend farmers markets near Washington, D.C. The heads of lettuce, still attached to their roots, are popular and she has many repeat customers.“The lettuce just tastes fabulous, says Betsy Kulick, one of her regulars. We can come here year round even in January, February and March. The lettuce is very green and tastes just as good then as it does in summer.”Taylor grows the lettuce and other salad greens on her family farm in Loudoun County, Virginia, about 80 kilometers from Washington. She grows the food plants in a greenhouse, without any soil, on a diet of nutrient-rich water.Its called hydroponic farming. Although the technique has been around for thousands of years, it has filled a very small niche in modern agriculture, especially in the United States, where large tracts of land and other resources are available. Taylor harvests 4,000 heads of lettuce weekly in her two hydroponic greenhouses all year round. Thats why she named her farm Endless Summer Harvest. She has a dozen part-time employees and frequent visitors from around the world. “Several weeks ago an investor group from Botswana came to visit with us, Taylor says. We had farmers from Afghanistan here that were visiting, because this would be an ideal controlled environment to bring to Afghanistan where the climate is so harsh.Taylors hydroponic crops are protected from the harsh elements from planting to harvest.It starts with seeds being planted in the nursery. After they germinate, the little plants stay in the nursery for two weeks. Then theyre moved to a greenhouse and placed into gutters, where theyll grow to market size.VOA - J. SohMary Ellen Taylor grows lettuce and other salad greens in a greenhouse, without soil, on her family farm in Loudoun County, Virginia.Theyre nourished sustainably, using recycled water.“The tank has 600 gallons 2000 liters of water with nutrients, Taylor says. It continuously flows in and out of that tank after it has gone through the system and all of the plants roots.”According to Taylor, the two greenhouses take up a little over 1,000 square meters of land but produce the equivalent of a conventional five-hectare farm.“We have established that it is so productive on small pieces of land, Taylor says, that it can be closer to major metropolitan areas.” Besides farmers markets, Taylor sells her fresh produce to specialty grocery stores.“It is incredibly popular, says Don Rodon, owner of The Organic Butcher of McLean. We have a great following.” At 1789, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., chef Anthony Lombardo uses the hydroponic lettuces in his signature salads.“They the clients really like the salad a lot, he says. We get a lot of positive feedback about the salad.”And thats translating into brisk business for hydroponic farmer Taylor.“People are so into buying local food. Ninety percent of Americans eat lettuce every day. Our business, while other businesses are tanking, is just exploding, she says. We ar