欢迎来到今天的VOA慢速专区。

While living conditions in many areas have improved in recent years, a child's place of birth is still the biggest predictor of its future.

虽然近年来许多地区的生活条件有所改善，但是孩子的出生地仍然是其未来最大的预测因素。

Oh, yes – and no matter where you are born, life is more difficult if you are a girl.

哦，没错——不管你出生在哪里，如果你是女孩，生活会更困难一些。

These claims come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization for health and development.

这是来自比尔及梅琳达·盖茨基金会的结论，该基金会是一家重要的健康和发展慈善组织。

The group reports that some 500 million people worldwide lack basic health care or education.

该组织报告说，全世界大约有5亿人缺乏基本的医疗保健或教育。

It also found that girls everywhere suffer from discrimination.

该组织还发现，世界各地的女孩都受到歧视。

The new report is the foundation's third on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

这份新报告是该基金会关于联合国可持续发展目标发表的第三份报告。

The report looks at efforts to reduce inequality and poverty and improve health around the world.

该报告着眼于为减少世界各地的不平等、贫困以及改善健康所做的努力。

It follows progress on 17 measures that most UN member countries have said they will try to reach by the year 2030.

此前，大多数联合国成员国表示，他们将努力到2030年实现17个可持续发展目标。该报告跟踪调查了这一进展。

Those efforts are falling short, says Bill Gates, the 63-year-old co-founder of Microsoft Corporation.

微软公司63岁的联合创始人比尔·盖茨表示，这些努力还远远不够。

He sat down with VOA at the foundation's offices in Seattle, Washington, before the report's release.

在报告发布之前，他在基金会位于华盛顿西雅图的办公室接受了美国之音的采访。

"As much progress as we're making, a child in many countries still over 10% are dying before the age of five. And in richer countries, it is less than 1%," said Gates.

盖茨说：“尽管我们取得了很大的进步，但许多国家仍有超过10%的儿童在五岁前死亡。而在富裕国家，这一比例不到1%。

"So the idea that any place in the world is still 10%, some almost 15%...should galvanize us to do a better job."

因此，想到这世界上还有些地方的儿童死亡率达10%，甚至接近15%，这都激励我们要做得更好。”

The results "prove that the world's investments in development aren't reaching everyone," the report said.

报告称，结果“证明，世界对发展的投资并没有惠及所有人”。

It noticed progress in the education of girls.

报告指出对女孩的教育取得了进展。

But it also found that women's opportunities are limited by social customs, discriminatory laws, and violence.

但是报告也发现，妇女的机会受到社会习俗、歧视性法律和暴力的限制。

"If you reduce the child death rate, families…choose to have less children.

盖茨表示：“如果降低了儿童死亡率，家庭会选择少生育。

As you educate women, more families…choose to have less children," Gates said.

随着女性受教育程度的提高，越来越多的家庭选择少生孩子。”

Smaller families can reduce poverty.

家庭成员减少可以减少贫困。

Gates Foundation chief executive Sue Desmond-Hellmann says the clearest warnings from the report were of the dangers of "gender and geography."

盖茨基金会首席执行官苏·德斯蒙德-赫尔曼说，报告中最明显的警示是“性别和所在地”的威胁。

She said the report showed that more children die in Chad every day than in Finland every year.

她说，报告显示，乍得每天死亡的儿童比芬兰每年死亡的儿童还要多。

Also, Finland's average education is up to college level, while in Chad the average child does not finish primary school.

此外，芬兰的平均教育水平达到了大学水平，而乍得，一般儿童连小学教育都没有完成。

"It's just not okay that a child in Chad is 55 times more likely to die than a child in Finland," Desmond-Hellmann said.

德斯蒙德-赫尔曼表示：“乍得儿童死亡的可能性比芬兰高55倍，这是不应该的。”

She added that a girl born in Africa has her gender and her geographic location affecting her future.

她补充说，非洲出生的女孩，其性别和所在地会影响她的未来。

Generally, the report noted "unabated" development progress, with life, health and economic success improving on average across the world.

总体而言，报告指出，世界各地的发展进程“不会减退”，世界各地的生活、健康和经济成就平均有所改善。

But it also pointed out the large number of people who are being left behind.

但报告也指出，有很多人都远远落后。

I'm Susan Shand.

苏珊·尚德为您播报。