VOA标准英语2011--Afghan Civilians Bear the Brunt of War C

Afghan Civilians² Bear the Brunt of War Casualties

Statistics posted on iCasualties.org, an independent monitoring group, show that more than 2,700 foreign troops have died during the past 10 years in Afghanistan. But since the start of the decade-long war, Afghans themselves have suffered the brunt of the conflict with thousands of civilians being caught in the cross-hairs of the fight.
The start of the U.S.-led invasion against the Taliban 10 years ago marked the beginning of a new chapter in Afghanistan. Representatives with human rights groups say it should have ushered³ in a time of peace and prosperity after decades of war.
"After the Taliban regime was toppled, the public assumed that the wars had ended and innocent people would not be harmed and killed anymore," said Ahmad Nadir⁴ Nadiry, Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.
But those hopes did not last long, as insurgent⁵ and coalition⁶ attacks resulted in civilian¹ deaths.
Four years ago, the United Nations' Assistance Mission to Afghanistan started keeping track of the casualties.
Each year, the civilian death toll⁷ has risen, from more than 1,500 dead in 2007 to more than 2,700 in 2010. And in the first half of this year, the U.N. office reported there were 2,400 civilians killed in war-related incidents, causing grief to new families.
"Karzai has to name a street after my son," said one Afghan mother. "He was killed in the war. Karzai needs to make up for our lost income."
U.N. officials admit the process for recording⁸ casualties is not perfect.
Nazifullah Salarzai, United Nations Assistance Mission, said, "I think civilians should receive a lot more information about where the casualties occur, the areas they should avoid, and who commits the attacks targeting civilians."
A recent U.N. report said in the first eight months of 2011, the average monthly number of violent incidents in Afghanistan was more than 2,100, a nearly 40-percent increase from the same period a year earlier.
And as insurgents⁹ conduct even more complex suicide attacks, fears remain that the Afghan people's suffering is far from over.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 nadir   

n.最低点，无底

参考例句：

• This failure was the nadir of her career.这次失败是她事业上的低谷。
• The demand for this product will reach its nadir within two years.对此产品的需求在两年内将达到最低点。

5 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网