About 65 million girls are not able to go to school, a new report shows
一項新報導指出，約有六千五百萬名女孩無法進入學校就讀
　
　
1.
Going to school each day may not seem like 1)a big deal. But in many countries all over the world, where education is a 2)luxury instead of a basic right, going to school is something special. According to a new report, 121 million children around the world are kept out of school. More than half of these kids－65 million－are girls.

每天上學好像不是什麼了不起的事。但是在世界上許多國家，教育是項奢侈品而非基本的權利，所以上學是件很特別的事。根據一項新報告，全世界有一億二千一百萬名兒童被拒於校門之外，其中超過一半──六千五百萬──是女孩。

1)a big deal (n.) （口語）大事，了不起的事
2)luxury (n.) 奢侈
　
　
2.
The report, called The 1)State of the World's Children 2004, was prepared by the United Nations Children's 2)Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF is an organization that 3)provides millions of children in the world with 4)access to clean water, 5)improved 6)nutrition, education, and help in 7)emergencies.

這份名為《二○○四年世界兒童現況》的報告是由聯合國兒童基金會（UNICEF）所籌劃。UNICEF這個組織幫助全世界千百萬的兒童能夠取得淨水、改善營養、教育機會，以及急難救助。

1) state (n.) 狀態
2) fund (n.) 基金
3) provide (v.) 提供
4) access (n.) 管道，接觸
5) improve (v.) 改善，改進
6) nutrition (n.) 營養
7) emergency (n.) 緊急事件
　
　
3.
The report shows that girls don't have the same opportunities to go to school as boys. When poor families are forced to make a choice about who to send to school, they usually decide to send their sons. UNICEF wants to 1)get rid of school 2)fees so girls all over the world can go to school, too. “The single largest 3)obstacle to girls going to school is school fees,” said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.

這份報告顯示女生上學的機會不如男生。當清寒之家被迫要選擇送哪一個子女入學時，往往會決定選擇男孩。UNICEF希望能免收學費，使全世界的女生也都可以上學。UNICEF常務董事卡蘿貝勒米說：「女生就學最大的阻礙就是學費。」

1) get rid of (phr.) 消除，排除
2) fee (n.) 費用
3) obstacle (n.) 阻礙
　
　
4.
In Arab countries in the Middle East, the problem is especially serious. Of the 11 million children who are not in school in Arab countries, most are girls, UNICEF said. According to the report, countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco and 8Yemen have very high 1)rates of 2)adults and kids who cannot read. In all, about 70 million Arabs are 3)illiterate.

在中東地區的阿拉伯國家，這個問題特別嚴重。UNICEF指出，阿拉伯國家的一千一百萬名失學兒童中大部份是女生。根據這份報告，像是埃及、蘇丹、阿爾及利亞、摩洛哥及葉門等國家都有相當高比率的成人與兒童不識字。總計大約有七千萬名阿拉伯世界人口是文盲。

1) rate (n.) 比率
2) adult (n.) 成年人
3) illiterate (a.) 不識字
　
　
5.
Not all the news is bad. In Africa, a push to get kids into school is 1)working. Over the last five years, the number of kids 2)enrolled in school has risen by 15% in Guinea, 12% in Senegal, and 9% in Benin. Afghanistan has also shown 3)improvement. Before 2001, because of 4)strict religious law, girls weren't allowed to go to school at all. But since 2001, an education 5)campaign has allowed four million children, including one million girls, to go to school.

也不全是壞消息。在非洲有一項推動兒童入學的計劃逐漸奏效。過去五年內，幾內亞的註冊入學兒童增加了百分之十五、塞內加爾增加百分之十二、貝寧增加百分之九。阿富汗的情況亦有起色。二○○一年之前因為有嚴格的宗教律法，完全不准女生就學。但是二○○一年以來，一波教育宣導運動已經讓四百萬名兒童能夠入學就讀，其中有一百萬是女生。

1) work (v.) 收效，奏效
2) enroll (v.) 註冊
3) improvement (n.) 改進
4) strict (a.) 嚴格的
5) campaign (n.) 宣傳運動
　
　
6.
UNICEF 1)estimates it will cost about US$60 2)billion between now and 2015 to make sure all young girls receive a free education. The report 3)called on 4)politicians and other leaders to make girls’ education a 5)priority. The UN 6)agency wants to make sure 7)primary school, at least up to fifth 8)grade, is free for kids all over the world.
(based on Time For Kids, Dec. 11th, 2003)

聯合國兒童基金會估計，從現在到二○一五年之間，將耗費六百億美金才能確保所有女生能得到免費教育。這份報告呼籲政壇人士以及其他領導者將女生就學列為首要議題。聯合國這個單位（UNICEF）則希望確保全世界的小學，至少到五年級，都能免費。

1) estimate (v.) 估計
2) billion (n.) 十億
3) call on (v.) 呼籲
4) politician (n.) 政客
5) priority (n.) 優先事項
6) agency (n.) 機構
7) primary school (n.) 小學
8) grade (n.) 年級