VOA慢速英语20060513b

IN THE NEWS - Drug Control Officials Are Warned of Growing Threat From 'Meth'By Brianna Blake

Broadcast: Saturday, May 13, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.


Different types of meth

Among illegal drugs, methamphetamine now has more users worldwide than cocaine¹ and heroin² combined. That statement comes from the chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States.

Karen Tandy spoke³ this week at the International Drug Enforcement Conference, held by the D.E.A. and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. More than three hundred high-level officials from eighty countries gathered in Montreal.

Karen Tandy says marijuana is still the most widely used illegal drug, with an estimated one hundred sixty million users. But she said more than twenty-six million people use amphetamines, largely methamphetamine.

Meth is relatively⁴ easy to make and low cost. Users become highly dependent. And they can become violent or depressed⁵. The drug is destructive to the body and the environment. The chemicals used to make it are poisonous and explosive. Even small laboratories in homes can require costly⁶ cleanup.

Last year the National Sheriffs' Association said: The war on drugs in America is currently facing its most difficult and most dangerous challenge to date as a result of methamphetamines.

The increase in production is of growing concern to law enforcement officials around the world.

Officials say they have made some progress over the past year. Miz Tandy said officials last November raided a major methamphetamine laboratory in Indonesia. The seizure⁷ was a joint⁸ effort of the D.E.A. and agencies in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.

Also, Afghanistan cooperated with the United States to surrender two accused drug leaders who supported the former Taliban government. And Israel surrendered one of its citizens to face American charges of being a major trafficker of the drug ecstasy⁹.

Among Arab governments, the New York Times reported this week that Dubai is moving aggressively to fight drugs. Efforts include educational campaigns and drug treatment programs. United Nations officials estimate that Arab countries have at least five hundred thousand users of illegal drugs.

The United Nations estimates that users worldwide spend more than three hundred twenty thousand million dollars each year. Miz Tandy noted¹⁰ that the amount is bigger than the economies of almost ninety percent of all countries.

She told the officials that cooperation and information-sharing are more important than ever. This is because drug intelligence can also aid terrorism investigators¹¹.

Opponents of criminal drug laws held their own meeting near the conference. They argue that United States policy has not been successful. Karen Tandy, however, said the number of adults, including young adults, who use illegal drugs has dropped.

Next year, the twenty-fifth anniversary International Drug Enforcement Conference will take place in Spain.

IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English was written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

1 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

2 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。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》