BBC新闻：非洲医疗系统面临挑战
燕山大学 刘立军 供稿
【TRANSCRIPT】
Hello, I'm Eileen McHugh with the BBC news. The International Committee of the Red Cross is warning that health care systems across Africa could collapse under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic. In many places, clean water and soap essential in preventing the spread of the virus are in short supply or non-existent. Imogen Foulkes reports.
Africa has so far been the continent least affected by the virus, but that could be about to change. The ICRC is especially worried about countries in conflict. In northern Mali, 93% of health care facilities have already been destroyed. In Burkina Faso, as people flee fighting, the population of the town of Djibo has doubled. Meanwhile, travel restrictions being introduced by some African states mean aid programs are grinding to a halt.
The United Nations has warned that the lives of many Congolese children will be destroyed unless the country's failing health care system receives urgent support. Our Africa editor Mary Harper reports.
The vast conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to cope with five deadly diseases—malaria, measles, cholera, coronavirus and Ebola. Last year, 16.5 million malaria cases were reported. Congo suffered the world's worst measles epidemic, which killed thousands of children under five. And now there's COVID-19. There are fears of a catastrophe if it takes off. UNICEF has called on the government of this mineral-rich country to allocate more resources to the failing health system. Mary Harper.
【VOCABULARY】
1. grind v..to rub together, or to make hard objects tub together, often producing an unpleasant noise 摩擦（发出刺耳声）。例如：Parts of the machine were grinding together noisily. 机器零件摩擦发出刺耳的声音。
2. halt n.（单数）an act of stopping the movement or progress of sb./sth. 停止；阻止；暂停。例如：Work came to a halt when the machine broke down. 机器一坏，工作便停了下来。
3. grind to a halt 慢慢停下来
4. catastrophe n. a sudden event that causes many people to suffer 灾难；灾祸；横祸。例如：Early warnings of rising water levels prevented another major catastrophe. 提前发出的洪水水位上涨警报防止了又一次的重大灾害。
5. allocate v. to give sth. officially to sb./sth. for a particular purpose 拨……（给）；划……（归）；分配……（给）
【QUESTIONS】
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. Health care systems across Africa could collapse under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic because medical mask and soap essential in preventing the spread of the virus are in short supply or non-existent in many places.
2. Africa has so far been the continent least affected by the virus, but that could be about to change.
3. The WHO is especially worried about countries in conflict.
4. In Burkina Faso, 93% of health care facilities have already been destroyed.
5. The United Nations has warned that the lives of many Congolese children will be destroyed unless the country's failing health care system receives urgent support.
6. The vast conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to cope with four deadly diseases—malaria, measles, cholera, and Ebola.
7. Congo suffered the world's worst measles epidemic, which killed thousands of children under six.
8. ICRC has called on the government of this mineral-rich country to allocate more resources to the failing health system.
【KEY】
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).
(F) 1. Health care systems across Africa could collapse under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic because medical mask and soap essential in preventing the spread of the virus are in short supply or non-existent in many places.（正确表达）Health care systems across Africa could collapse under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic because clean water and soap essential in preventing the spread of the virus are in short supply or non-existent in many places.
(T) 2. Africa has so far been the continent least affected by the virus, but that could be about to change.
(F) 3. The WHO is especially worried about countries in conflict.（正确表达）The ICRC is especially worried about countries in conflict.
(F) 4. In Burkina Faso, 93% of health care facilities have already been destroyed.（正确表达）In northern Mali, 93% of health care facilities have already been destroyed.
(T) 5. The United Nations has warned that the lives of many Congolese children will be destroyed unless the country's failing health care system receives urgent support.
(F) 6. The vast conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to cope with four deadly diseases—malaria, measles, cholera, and Ebola.（正确表达）The vast conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to cope with five deadly diseases—malaria, measles, cholera, coronavirus and Ebola.
(F) 7. Congo suffered the world's worst measles epidemic, which killed thousands of children under six.（正确表达）Congo suffered the world's worst measles epidemic, which killed thousands of children under five.
(F) 8. ICRC has called on the government of this mineral-rich country to allocate more resources to the failing health system.（正确表达）UNICEF has called on the government of this mineral-rich country to allocate more resources to the failing health system.