2006年VOA标准英语-US Says Taleban Attacks Hampering Progress, Opi

By Dan Robinson
Washington
12 September 2006

U.S. officials say security problems in Afghanistan, amid escalating¹ attacks by Taleban forces, continue to hamper² efforts to rebuild and stabilize³ the country. The officials testified Tuesday before a congressional panel seeking a progress report on efforts to eradicate⁴ opium⁵ cultivation⁶ in Afghanistan that is fueling the worldwide heroin⁷ market.

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For several years since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, U.S. officials have returned to Capitol Hill to report on the status of U.S. and allied⁸ reconstruction⁹ efforts in Afghanistan.

What lawmakers have heard, for the most part, is a story of progress in the area of national elections and forming a government and national legislature, human rights, training of an army and police force, and road-building.

But the news has not been good when it comes to efforts to slow the growth of opium poppy cultivation, despite support from the U.S. and NATO nations to help the Karzai government build eradication¹⁰ capabilities¹¹ and encourage crop alternatives.

Frustration¹² was obvious in these comments by Republican Congressman¹³ Don Sherwood. "The drug problem in Afghanistan can undo¹⁴ all of the hard work that we have done over the last four years, and the sacrifice," he said.

U.S. officials are troubled by the explosion in opium production, projected at over 6,000 metric tons, constituting 90 percent of the global supply. 

Anne Patterson

Anne Patterson, Assistant Secretary of State for Narcotics¹⁵ and Law Enforcement, is most concerned about the situation in southern Helmand province where U.S. officials say the Taleban is encouraging opium growing: "Taleban are protecting drug routes, and protecting traffickers, and they are encouraging farmers to plant opium. Whether they are getting revenue from it, or just encouraging an anti-government statement is not clear, but yes we are seeing increasing links between Taleban and the drug trade," she said.

Even as the U.S. and NATO countries work with the Karzai government on building (opium) eradication teams, and strengthening education and other efforts, officials say the security situation drains money from reconstruction.

Congressman Jim Kolbe, chairman of the House Foreign Operations Committee, had this exchange with Mark Ward¹⁶, Senior Deputy Administrator¹⁷ for Asia and the Near East of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

KOLBE: "In Iraq we have had to spend a staggering amount [of our USAID budget] on security. What percentage of your budget in Afghanistan are you spending on security?"

WARD: "Twenty to 25 percent. Depending on where in the country. There are parts of the country where it is not that big an issue, particularly in the West, but down in the south it is quite a drain."

John Gastright, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, says narcotics, and a Taleban resurgence¹⁸ in the south are a reminder¹⁹ that more remains²⁰ to be done.

But he asserts the overall U.S. and allied strategy, combining military support with reconstruction and good governance, is working with eradication making strides in some provinces:

"We have made progress. President Karzai has replaced a number of officials at the most senior levels, including the former governor of Helmand province, Sher Muhammad, who was famously caught with about 10 tons of opium in the basement of the governor's mansion²¹. He is gone. He is [now] up in the [Afghan] Senate, obviously that would be a better place for him to be but he is not in the chain of command," he said.

However, many lawmakers are not persuaded the U.S. military or NATO are doing enough, or that the Afghan government is sufficiently²² determined²³ by, among other things, approving aerial spraying of opium.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, a Democrat²⁴, says production is outstripping²⁵ eradication efforts, while security deteriorates²⁶ and the government appears to demonstrate political will. "If we are to salvage²⁷ the peace and defeat the Taleban it will require a renewed focus and commitment from the U.S. and other donors²⁸ to provide the necessary security and resources. But it will also require a sincere and sustained effort from the Karzai government to tackle the entrenched²⁹ corruption³⁰ in many of his ministries³¹ and to extend the reach of his government to the provinces."

Without aerial spraying , says (Republican) Congressman Mark Kirk, there will be little progress on eradication, while Taleban activity benefits from the opium trade:

KIRK: "Does the opium economy directly support the Taleban and terrorism against the Afghan government and against the NATO mission?"

PATTERSON: "Increasingly we think so. More and more information from sources you are familiar with, is coming in that suggests that is the case."

Tuesday's hearing coincided with a call by a United Nations official, Antonio Maria Costa, for NATO to become more involved in destroying the burgeoning³² opium trade.

Congressman Henry Hyde, Republican chairman of the House International Relations Committee, welcomed the U.N. official's statement.

Hyde earlier sent a letter to President Bush cautioning that U.S. counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism policies risk creating, what he called, a failed narcotics state in Afghanistan.

The lawmaker has set another hearing on the Afghanistan narcotics problem for next week, saying U.S. policies need to be revisited.

1 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

2 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

3 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

4 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

5 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

6 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

7 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

8 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

9 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

10 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

11 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

13 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

14 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

15 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

17 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

18 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

19 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

20 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

21 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

22 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

23 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

24 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

25 outstripping   

v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Demand is outstripping supply. 需求快超过供给了。
• Demand is outstripping current production. 现在需求逐渐超过了生产能力。 来自辞典例句

26 deteriorates   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• After a few years' planting, the quality of the potato crop deteriorates. 土豆种了几年之后就会退化。
• Virus activity deteriorates in plasma stored at room temperature. 在室温下储藏的血浆中病毒活动逐渐衰退。

27 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

28 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

30 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

31 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

32 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句