VOA文化艺术2022--阿富汗国家体育项目布兹卡希在危机中回归

Buzkashi, Afghanistan’s National Sport, Returns amid¹ Crisis²

Dust rises as men bring their horses onto a large field. Another game of buzkashi is about to begin.

Buzkashi is Afghanistan's national sport. Its name in English loosely means "goat pulling." The sport has been played across Central Asia for hundreds of years. It involves two teams on horseback trying to pull a headless, dead goat to one area in a field. A team earns points each time it gets the goat in that area. These days, the "goats" used for the game are usually not real.

Through foreign invasions³, civil wars and the recent return of Taliban rule, Afghans have continued to gather to cheer on their favorite buzkashi riders.

National league games restarted⁴ on February 24 for the first time since the Taliban took over in August 2021. The Kandahar and Badakhshan teams played in front of about 5,000 Afghans, including members of the Taliban.

In the past, some games often brought fears of attacks. Players faced threats from people in their own province if they played for another provincial⁵ team.

But the Taliban's severe crackdown on crime has eased⁶ the minds of many, including Gulbuddin Ismail Khail. He is captain of the Kandahar team, last year's league winner.

"We had a good year last year, but this year is even better, because people are cheering for all teams with a calm mind," said the 37-year-old Khail. He is from Balkh province, but has chosen to play for the Kandahar team.

For fans, the sport's importance will survive the country's current crisis, just as it has outlasted⁷ wars of the past.

Abdul Saboor attended the recent game. He said, "Although there is a lot of poverty and unemployment in our country, we still came from Balkh province to watch this game, because we are very interested in the sport."

Words in This Story

league - n. a group of sports teams that play against each other

province - n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

crackdown - n. an increased effort to enforce a law or rule

1 amid   

prep.在…中间，在…之中，被…围绕

参考例句：

• The government collapsed amid budget quarrels.政府因预算问题争吵不休而倒台。
• This book was written amid many difficulties.这本书是在困难重重中写成的。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 invasions   

n.武装入侵( invasion的名词复数 )；（尤指烦扰的）涌入；侵犯；干预

参考例句：

• barbarian invasions of the fifth century 五世纪时野蛮人的入侵
• The result of these invasions was the near obliteration of ancient Egypt. 这几次入侵使古代埃及几遭毁灭。 来自辞典例句

4 restarted   

v.重新开始，重新启动( restart的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The trial restarted on January the 5th. 审判于一月五日重新开始。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• When the computer is stopped in this way, it can only be restarted by the operator. 当计算机按这个方法停止时，只有操作员才能使它重新启动。 来自辞典例句

5 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

6 eased   

adj. 放松的 动词ease的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• After the patient received acupuncture treatment,his spasms eased off somewhat. 病人接受针刺治疗后，痉挛稍微减轻了。
• The news that her child was safe eased her mind. 孩子平安的消息使她放心了。

7 outlasted   

v.比…长久，比…活得长( outlast的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I outlasted several downsizings but the last one included me. 虽然我坚持到了最后，还是逃不过被裁的命运。 来自互联网
• This clock has outlasted several owners. 这座时钟的寿命比它的几个主人的寿命都长。 来自互联网