VOA慢速英語:西非人害怕埃博拉病毒會傳播

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Hello, my friends, and welcome back to the programthat gives you our world …As It Is, and lets you learnand improve your American English at the same time. I’m Jim Tedder in Washington. Today we hear fromWest Africa, where a virus …and fear …are spreading.

Then we talk about the word “gridlock.” It has beenused many times to describe the fact that very littlework is done by American lawmakers in Washington. Why is that so? What can be done about it?

VOA …As It Is …and you! That’s a good combination.

The Ebola virus is spreading in West Africa. Peoplethere are growing worried about Ebola, formerly knownas Ebola Hemorrhagic fever. The disease kills many of its victims. Thepresident of Guinea and other leaders are urging people to remain calm. Butmany West Africans say they are frightened.

Health officials say the first case was reported last month in Guinea’ssoutheastern forest area. The Ebola outbreak has caused widespread fear as the virus spreads, and the number of victims rises.

Government leaders in West Africa say there is no reason to be fearful. Butmany people are becoming increasingly worried. Steve Doe lives in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

“I’m afraid. I mean the way it attacks one, you know, and the way it kills, youknow. I’m afraid that the outbreak will be known in Liberia -- or anywhere for that matter. We’re all human beings, so yes, I’m afraid, yes.”

The aid group Doctors Without Borders said on Monday that at least 78people have died from Ebola since the first suspected case was treated onFebruary 9th. Officials now believe the virus has now infected more than 120people in three countries.

Last week, Guinea’s Ministry of Health reported that the virus had spread to the capital, Conakry. Aid groups are concerned about that because manypeople live close to one another in Conakry. And most do not have cleanwater or the use of a good waste treatment system.

In Liberia, medical workers have confirmed that at least two people wereinfected with Ebola. Sierra Leone has also reported suspected cases of thevirus.

Last Saturday, Senegal closed its land border with Guinea in the southeasternpart of the country. Officials hope the move will help stop the spread of thevirus.

Papa Konaté lives in Senegal’s capital, Dakar. He is worried that the closingof the border with Guinea will not keep Ebola from spreading to the city.

He says Ebola is a disease that can affect anyone, so yes, we are afraid. Wepass people on the streets and then we enter into our homes -- and you see,here in Dakar, there are many Guineans everywhere. He says, you havemany Guineans who come and go, who leave and come back without aproblem. It’s risky.

The World Health Organization says the Ebola virus is most often found inrural villages of Central and West Africa. It says most of these villages arenear rainforests.

Health officials say the Ebola cases that were confirmed in Liberia can belinked to individuals who recently travelled to Guinea.

The virus is spread through close contact with bodily fluids, such as sweat orblood of an infected person or animal. The disease causes severe bleeding. There is no vaccine to protect against Ebola and no medicine to cure it.

Doctors say the only way to keep the virus from spreading is to stop theinfections. Government officials in West Africa and aid organizations say theyare working hard to stop the spread of the virus. They are urging people to dowhatever they can to keep from becoming infected.

What Is Wrong on Capitol Hill?

Recent studies suggest that Americans are very concerned about politicalinaction in Washington and the inability of elected officials to compromise. Recently, a group of former politicians came together to discuss some waysin which current politicians can be more effective. Mario Ritter joins us withdetails.

Last year, a public opinion survey found that 83 percent of Americans askedwere dissatisfied with the way the nation is being governed. The survey was the work of CNN and the research group ORC International.

Because of findings like that, leaders from the two main parties came togetherat the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, Massachusetts. TheBipartisan Policy Center and the USA Today newspaper organized thediscussion. Speakers included former congressional leaders, Cabinetsecretaries, and White House chiefs of staff.

The U.S. Capitol building is where lawmakers meet.

There was little disagreement in the group about the causes of the currentpolitical problems in Washington. The Democratic Party has controlled theWhite House and the Senate in recent years. Republicans have held amajority in the House of Representatives. This combination, the speakerssaid, has led to inaction on major issues.

The situation has become such a problem that somelawmakers have decided to leave Congress. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine decidednot to seek re-election in 2012 because she was tiredof the political gridlock.

“It’s all about the next election. It isn’t about what wecan do to craft the best policies to solve the problems. Absent in all of this is that they are not problem-solvinganymore. It is always [about] scoring political points.”

Political observers note that members of Congress used to socialize morewith each other. They also met more often with the president. He would usesocial events and personal meetings to find compromises on major issues of the day.

Today, observers say, there is less interaction among lawmakers fromdifferent parties. Victoria Kennedy would like to change that. She wasmarried to Senator Edward Kennedy, who died in 2009. He was a Democratand co-founder of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United StatesSenate. Victoria Kennedy says Americans have to speak out and asklawmakers to meet.

“I think the people need to speak out and say this isn’t what we want of ourgovernment, this isn’t what we want of our elected representatives, and wewant you to break bread together.”

But former Republican Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi says lawmakers needto do more than speak to each other. He was the Republican majority leaderduring much of Bill Clinton’s presidency. Mr. Lott recalls many politicalbattles. However, he says the current politicians are less willing tocompromise, and that, he says, hurts the country.

“It takes give and take. Having been in those positions where you have tomake decisions, just hard-nosed partisanship where you say ‘it’s my way or the highway’ and we are not going to do anything unless we do it our way, it won’t work in a legislative body. It is a part of the democratic process, and weneed to honor that. You need to stand by your principles but you also have to be a pragmatist.”

Former Congressman Henry Bonilla of Texas says Americans have to getmore involved in elections and the political process if they want to changeWashington.

“You vote for these people, America. They reflect America’s attitude now,unfortunately. America really has to reflect upon itself now and how at thegrassroots level, they have helped create this situation in Washington and tryto fix it.”

Americans will have another chance to reshape Washington in congressionalelections in November. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 36seats in the Senate will be decided. I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington, reminding you that more Learning Englishprograms? will be coming your way in less than a minute. And there is worldnews at the beginning of each hour on VOA.