VAN ALLEN 注：通过长期与网友交流，发现有很多的人学习 VOA Special English 都只是停留上随便听听，随便看看的层次。以这样消极的方式学习越久，你就越会发现虽然自己花了相当的时间学习英语，但除了知识面有所增长，英语语言能力水平几乎没有提高，导致丧失学习兴趣，最后逐步放弃，以失败告终。

孔夫子说“学而不思则罔”真是太有道理了，其实事事洞明皆学问，细细品读、分析 VOA Special English 的每篇文章，我们学到了文章主题所透露的知识，更能学到了英语英语语言的词汇、短语、表达技巧等。学习英语不要贪多，太多了就会消化不良，细嚼慢咽，真正用心去学，就能体验到学习的乐趣。

欢迎大家通过回帖的形式发表自己的学习笔记。

-----------------

阅读原文：IN THE NEWS - UN Seeks $187 Million in Aid for the Victims of Cyclone in Burma

The United Nations is appealing to its members for one hundred eighty-seven million dollars in aid for victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma. The powerful storm hit the country also called Myanmar a week ago.

Friday's emergency appeal said the aid would help meet the needs of more than one and a half million people over the next six months.

After the storm hit, Burmese leaders made a rare appeal for foreign help. But aid officials have largely faced delays and refusals of visas in their efforts to bring supplies and workers into the country. The Red Cross, though, has had greater success.

United Nations officials say deaths are likely to rise sharply unless food, clean drinking water, shelter and medicine arrive quickly.

On Friday the military government seized two planeloads of food and equipment flown in by the United Nations World Food Program. The government has said it wants to distribute foreign aid itself. The seizure led the World Food Program to suspend its flights. But agency officials later decided to send in two flights as planned on Saturday.

Also, American officials said Burma agreed to let the United States send a single planeload of supplies to the country on Monday.

Burmese officials say the cyclone left more than one million people homeless. About twenty-four million people live in the five areas struck by Cyclone Nargis. Complete villages were destroyed, and many roads are blocked. The Irrawaddy Delta River area was hit the worst.

Burmese reports say more than twenty thousand people are dead and forty thousand missing after the cyclone. American and other officials have warned that the number of dead could reach one hundred thousand because of disease. The Indian Ocean tsunami in two thousand four killed more than two hundred thousand people in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Weather experts in India say they warned Burma of the cyclone in enough time to save lives.

Burma is one of the world's most closed societies. The military has controlled the country since nineteen sixty-two. On Saturday the ruling generals plan to carry out a vote for a new constitution. The vote will be delayed in disaster areas until May twenty-fourth.

State media carried messages Friday reminding citizens that it was their patriotic duty to approve the new constitution. The leaders of Burma say the constitution is part of what they call a "road map to democracy" that will lead to general elections in two years. The opposition National League for Democracy says the constitution will only strengthen military control.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the government to postpone the vote nationwide. He says all available resources should go into efforts to recover from Cyclone Nargis.

appeal to：an urgent request for something important
Cyclone：a very strong wind that moves very fast in a circle
Burma：缅甸(东南亚国家)
Myanmar：缅甸[东南亚国家](即Burma)
Emergency：an unexpected and dangerous situation that must be dealt with immediately
meet the needs：provide something that people want or need
refusal of：when you say firmly that you will not do, give, or accept something
visa：an official mark put on your passport that gives you permission to temporarily enter or leave a foreign country
planeload：the number of people or amount of something that an aircraft will hold
seizure：the act of suddenly taking control of something, especially by force
suspend：to officially stop something from continuing, especially for a short time
tsunami：technical a tidal wave （a very large ocean wave that flows over the land and destroys things ）
patriotic：having or expressing a great love of your country
postpone：to change the date or time of a planned event or action to a later one
nationwide：happening or existing in every part of the country

appeal to sb/sth for sth: an urgent and direct request for money, help or information, especially one made by a charity or by the government
Cyclone Nargis: 纳尔吉斯飓风 题外话：该强热带风暴于2008年5月2日袭击东南亚邻国缅甸，造成很大的人员伤亡和经济损失，中国政府5日向缅甸政府提供100万美元的援助，胡锦涛主席还表示将进一步的加强援助。全世界的许多国家都行动起来，对缅甸伸出援助之手。
PS: The Cyclone Nargis attacked Burma in the southeastern Asia adjacent to our country on May 2nd, 2008, which made a great deal of injuries and deaths, economic loss .At present, the chinese government has already supplied one million dollars to help Burma, and the President of China Hu jingtao represents that we will do more efforts to aid the disaster country. Many countries of all the world are also taking actions to give the hands to Burma.
planeload：the amount of goods that can be carried in a plane.
distribute：share something with a number of people.
seizure：take control of something or somebody by force or violence.
suspend：put off; postpone; delay sth officially; arrange for sth to happen later than planned
tsunami：an extremely large wave in the sea caused by an earthquake etc;
disaster：a very bad accident that cause a great deal of damage,deaths
nationwide：all areas of the country
The Irrawaddy Delta River area：Delta可以指（河口的）三角洲，在网上查看相关消息的时候发现伊洛瓦底省是缅甸受灾的五个重灾区之一，因此猜测这里的The Irrawaddy Delta River area应该是指伊洛瓦底河三角洲流域，另外由于本人世界地理知识有限，大家可以看一下仰光、孟邦、勃固省、克伦邦等地区是否处于这个流域，以便查证这里所说的地域究竟是指哪儿;

另外，下面两段话我在阅读的时候虽然会意了，但是有些地方感觉并不能顺畅地表达出来，因此，在这里提出来希望得到大家的指点，以求博采众长，帮助我更好地理解和翻译下面的两段话，盼各位不吝赐教，我先在这里谢谢过各位大侠！
1 State media carried messages Friday reminding citizens that it was their patriotic duty to approve the new constitution. The leaders of Burma say the constitution is part of what they call a "road map to democracy" that will lead to general elections in two years. The opposition National League for Democracy says the constitution will only strengthen military control.

2 He says all available resources should go into efforts to recover from Cyclone Nargis

1 State media carried messages Friday reminding citizens that it was their patriotic duty to approve the new constitution. The leaders of Burma say the constitution is part of what they call a "road map to democracy" that will lead to general elections in two years. The opposition National League for Democracy says the constitution will only strengthen military control.
2 He says all available resources should go into efforts to recover from Cyclone Nargis

我个人的翻译,还望共同探讨:
1.国家媒体在星期五报道消息提醒公民赞成新宪法的通过是爱国的义务.缅甸的领导者说宪法可以被称为”通向民主地图”的一部分并引导两年后的普选.反对派全国民主联盟表示宪法只会加强军队对国家的控制 (这里的Friday放在这里有点不是太理解,希望探讨.)
2.他说所有可利用资源都应该努力去恢复因Cyclone Nargis造成的破坏.

road map to democracy可否译为“民主路线图”

Weather experts in India say they warned Burma of the cyclone in enough time to save lives.
意思是不是“印度的气象专家曾发出缅甸暴风的预告，那时缅甸有足够的时间挽救人们的生命。”
总觉得不通畅，请各位指教一下应该怎样理解

还有一句
Burma is one of the world's most closed societies.
是说“缅甸是世界上最严重的封闭式国家之一”？？？

首先谢谢楼上二位的建议，看了楼上两位的建议后，我又重新读了文章并再次翻译了下面两句话，不妥之处还希望大家指正。
1 State media carried messages Friday reminding citizens that it was their patriotic duty to approve the new constitution. The leaders of Burma say the constitution is part of what they call a "road map to democracy" that will lead to general elections in two years. The opposition National League for Democracy says the constitution will only strengthen military control.
国家媒体在星期五发布消息称支持新宪法是公民爱国的义务。缅甸的领导层说宪法是被称作”民主路线图”的一部分，是两年后的举行普选的前奏。反对派国家民主联盟表示宪法只会加强军队对国家的控制

PS: 杨昆，我起初也觉得很别扭，总觉得这里Friday之前应该有个介词on，但是我仔细边听了录音材料，发现确实没有on，估计这是一种口语化，特殊的说法吧

2 He says all available resources should go into efforts to recover from Cyclone Nargis
这个句子的意思我基本理解了，但是我第一次见到”should go into efforts to”这个表达方式，所以我的疑惑点在于该怎样去理解它，甚盼高人指点迷津！

TO 糊涂猫：road map to democracy 译为“民主路线图”，很确切，很妙，受益了
另外，我试着翻译了以下两句话，仅是个人浅见，希望能对你有所帮助，不妥之处还盼相互探讨。

Weather experts in India say they warned Burma of the cyclone in enough time to save lives.
印度的气象专家称在尚有充足的时间挽救生命的时候就曾向发出缅甸发出暴风预警。

Burma is one of the world's most closed societies.
缅甸是世界上最闭塞的国家之一。

你们的回复建议太棒了,太精彩了,让我受益非浅.
thank you very much.

Two heads are always better than one. I am learning more from you. Thanks friends.