VOA标准英语2010年-Kabul Factory Gearing Up to Make Boots

Afghan factory workers make preparations to manufacture boots at the Milli Factory in Kabul, Afghanistan

Milli Boot Factory in Kabul could be a model for the future of Afghanistan. Its owners have invested millions of dollars developing a sturdy boot with the hope of becoming a supplier to the fledgling Afghan security forces. The family-run company has been around since 1979. The factory illustrates¹ NATO's wider strategy of sustainability - if Afghans have jobs, they won't fight.

For owner Ihsan Saffi, it's a return to what he knows. He started making boots in Afghanistan in 1979.  He fled when the Taliban arrived and returned in 2002 to find everything destroyed.

"I want to help my own country," Saffi said. "I want to help my own people. There are many poor people. I want to bring them here and give them jobs."

Saffi employs 450 people at his Kabul Milli Factory, paying them between $400 and $900 per month, which is well above the average wage here. He is hoping he will get a big contract to supply boots to the Afghan military.

 The sewing machines are quiet now, but soon the owners hope, 3,000 pairs of boots a day will be produced here.  This is not just about getting boots on the ground. This is part of NATO's strategy for getting Afghanistan back on its feet.

All over the country, Afghans are working on projects to help build their country's infrastructure². Ten billion dollars a year is earmarked to develop Afghanistan's security forces. NATO officials say they are trying to spend as much of that as possible inside Afghanistan.

Colonel John Ferrari says the policy seems to be working.  "By letting the local economy and the local vendors³ know that we are going to be buying things locally, manufacturing has increased," he said.

At the boot factory, the owners are so worried about their competitors that they didn't want their new modern injection molding machine shown in full. They think it will give them an edge over other businesses.  Improving the quality of the boots was a requirement to be able to bid for the military contract. Afghanistan's hot and harsh terrain⁴ can be hard on footwear. And NATO wants boots that will last.

At Kabul Milli, the owners have invested about $4 million in improvements, new machinery⁵ and expanding the warehouse⁶ so there's somewhere to store all the boots. Saffi says it is worth it.

"If every businessman invested here and opened a factory, people would have work," he says, "and everyone knows if people had jobs, there wouldn't be fighting.  Everyone would be busy earning money for their children, so they wouldn't fight."

That sums up much of NATO's strategy for Afghanistan:  Get Afghans working so they can sustain their own country.  Its success will depend on whether people like this bootseller of Kabul prosper⁷.
 

1 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

5 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

6 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

7 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。