Part B   Billions in Aid Wasted in Afghanistan

 

Vocabulary Preparation:

 

shambles   n. a situation in which there is a lot ofconfusion or disorder 凌乱不堪；一片狼藉

taxpayer n. personwho pays taxes (especially income tax) 纳税人

rot   v. to decay by a gradualnatural process, or to make something do this（使）腐烂

incinerator   n. furnace or enclosed container for burning rubbish, etc（烧垃圾等的）焚化炉

donate   v. to give something, especially money, to a person or anorganization in order to help them 捐赠；赠予

document   v.  to prove or support something withdocuments 用文件证实或证明（某事）

reconstruction   n. (act of) reconstructing or being reconstructed 重建；再现

septic truck  a truckinto which sewage flows and where it remains until the action of bacteria makesit liquid enough to drain away 化粪车

crank/ krANk / n. L-shaped bar and handle for converting to-and-fro movement tocircular movement 曲柄；曲轴

certify   v. to declare formally,especially in writing or on a printed document （尤指书面）证明（某事物）

overwhelm   v. too much or too difficult to deal with 使…难以承受；使…无法应付

sterilize   v. to make something free from bacteria 为（某物）消毒或杀菌

pressure cooker a cooking panwith a tightly fitting lid which allows food to cook quickly in steam underpressure 高压锅

intensive care unit (ICU) the part of a hospital which provides special medicaltreatment of a dangerously ill patient, with constant monitoring 重症加护病房

jaundice  n. disease caused by an excess of bile in the blood which makes theskin and the whites of the eyes become abnormally yellow 黄疸

fluorescent  adj. of, having orshowing fluorescence 荧光的；有荧光的

 

 

Notes:

 

Afghanistan (/Af5gAnIstAn/) is a landlocked country that is locatedapproximately in the center of Asia. Since the late 1970s the country hassuffered continuous and brutal civil war in addition to foreign interventionsin the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the 2001 U.S.-led invasion thattoppled the Taliban government. 阿富汗（亚洲中西部的内陆国家）

San Diego is the second largest city in California and theeighth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean onthe west coast of the United States. 圣地亚哥（美国加州太平洋沿岸城市）

The Pentagon the headquarters of the United States Departmentof Defense, located in Arlington, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military,"the Pentagon" is often to refer to the Department of Defense ratherthan the building itself. 五角大楼（美国国防部所在地）

 

Exercise:Listen to the news report and choose the best answer to the followingquestions.

 

1.    Who is Dave Warner?

A. A public health expert fromAmerica.

B. A hospital director.

C. An Afghanistan engineer.

D. An investigator from thePentagon.

 

2.    What was Dave Warner doing in Afghanistan?

A. He was monitoring thereconstruction.

B. He was appealing for morefinancial aid.

C. He was revealing the poorquality of the projects done by the US government..

D. He was investigating who shouldbe responsible for the failing system.

 

3.    Which of the following is the evidence DaveWarner produced to the reporter?

A. Medical waste could be foundeverywhere.

B. Thehospital did not know how to operate the waste incinerator.

C. The seemingly brand-new septictruck did not work well.

D. Thehospital's plumbing system needed repair work.

 

4.    How did the Pentagon respond to DaveWarner’s findings?

A. The Pentagon promised toconduct an investigation.

B. The Pentagon refuted thefindings as the evidences were insufficient.

C. The Pentagon confirmed thefindings.

D. The Pentagon intended toconceal the findings.

 

5.    Which of the following statements is NOT true about the condition in thehospital?

A. The hospital used a pressurecooker to sterilize surgical instruments.

B. Patients had to take turns for the oxygen because there was only onemachine.

C.Babies with jaundice had to share fluorescent lights because the power waslimited.

D. The new-born intensive careunit was in poor condition.