VOA标准英语2020--第二波蝗虫即将达到非洲大陆

（单词翻译）

East Africa, particularly the Horn of Africa region, is facing the worst locust¹ outbreak in decades. City-sized swarms² of these insects are eating their way through vegetation and pastures, leaving little or nothing for local people and their cattle.

Desert locusts³ are the world’s oldest and most destructive migratory⁴ pest. Human history has recorded locust invasions going back thousands of years, and it just takes a confluence⁵ of just the right conditions, particularly warm weather and heavy rains, to promote rapid breeding. That is what happened last year. By late summer, huge swarms of these insects began moving from Yemen across the Red Sea and the Gulf⁶ of Aden, devouring⁷ enough green plants every day to feed 35,000 people.

Now the rainy season is once again approaching in East Africa, and with it, another wave of these pests is expected in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and other countries in the region. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, “if left unchecked, the number of locusts in East Africa could explode 400-fold by June. That would devastate⁸ harvests in a region with more than 19 million hungry people.”

The best way to stop desert locusts is by aerial and ground spraying, as well as through constant tracking of the swarms. Timing⁹ is critical. We must reduce locust numbers now, before the spring planting season gets underway, even as we face the added challenge of the global coronavirus pandemic.

That is why the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, is providing an additional $10 million in humanitarian¹⁰ assistance to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the hardest-hit countries. The funds will support regional operations to control desert locusts. This new funding brings the U.S. humanitarian response to the infestation¹¹ to $19 million.

Throughout the region, USAID has disaster experts who are evaluating humanitarian needs and coordinating¹² response efforts with local governments and aid organizations. They will work closely with these groups to determine whether additional assistance is necessary.

The United States calls upon other donors¹³ to contribute funds to address the immediate¹⁴ needs of communities throughout the Horn of Africa.