【一起听英语】毒品的战争

澳大利亚最近颁布了一项法令，来看看这项法令对毒品的限制有哪些？

Chris: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Chris.

Rosie: And I'm Rosie.

Chris: And today we are going to talk about a proposal in Australia to legalise the

possession of soft drugs. Rosie, let's start with a question for our listeners.

When was the first international treaty to combat the sale and use of drugs

signed?

Rosie: That's a difficult one. Go on, give me a clue.

Chris: Well, you'll have our usual three options. So listen carefully. When was the

first international treaty to combat the sale and use of drugs signed? Was it in:

a) 1962

b) 1945

c) 1912

Rosie: It helps to think about historical facts that took place at the time. So in the

60s we had the hippies and the so called counter-culture; in 1945, the end of

World War II and in 1912… well, the Titanic¹ sank!

Chris: OK, think about it. The answer will come by the end of the programme. Have

a crack at it!

Rosie: Crack?! Oh, to have a crack at something means to have a go or to try

something. In this case it means to try to guess the answer to the quiz. But

it's also the name given to a particular kind of drug sold on the streets. And

one considered very harmful to a person's health.

Chris: Yes it is. And it is not defined as a soft drug. Often drugs are classified, or

organised, according to the potential harm they can cause people. Hard drugs

are those that are classified as most harmful or addictive², such as cocaine³ or

heroin⁴. Crack cocaine would be one of them.

Rosie: And the soft ones are those that are sometimes seen as being less harmful,

such as marijuana and ecstasy⁵. These seem to be the ones now being

discussed in Australia.

Chris: That's right. The Australian foreign minister has announced that he would like

to see soft drugs decriminalised, or made legal.

Rosie: That's very controversial. Why has he decided⁶ to say this?

Chris: Well, let's listen to the BBC correspondent Duncan Kennedy in Sydney. See if

you can hear what personal experience the Australian minister has of drugs.

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012

Page 2 of 4

BBC Duncan Kennedy:

Bob Carr is known to be a straight talker on many subjects. Now Mr Carr says that when it

comes to what he calls soft drugs, there should be a policy of decriminalisation. Mr Carr,

whose younger brother died from a heroin overdose, says that police are wasting their

time and resources trying to stop individuals carrying these drugs.

Chris: So it has to do with his brother and a heroin overdose – he took an

excessive amount of this drug and died.

Rosie: Yes, his tragic⁷ experience of losing his brother to drugs has motivated him to

call for soft drugs to be legalised. And, as the reporter says, he seems to be a

straight talker indeed – someone who likes to speak very honestly and

directly.

Chris: But not everyone agrees with him. Let's hear from the BBC correspondent in

Australia.

BBC Duncan Kennedy:

Mr Carr's boss, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, said she didn't want to see any drugs

decriminalised. Ms Gillard said that people should continue to get help for their addiction⁸

and the police should carry on trying to stop drug usage.

Rosie: Ahhhh. Now I remember where I've heard this name! It was in the news. She

is the foreign minister' boss – Julia Gillard is the Australian Prime Minister!

Chris: And she didn't agree with him. She wants people to get help for their

addiction or their dependence⁹ on drugs but she does not want the

decriminalisation of any drug.

Rosie: But Bob Carr is not alone in his thinking, Chris. I've heard that there is a

think tank in Australia that believes he has a point. This organisation¹⁰

conducts research into social or economic issues for the government and it

wants the introduction of a carefully controlled system to deal with these

drugs.

Chris: In countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands they have organised

carefully controlled programs where drugs users are given small amounts

of drugs, such as heroin, to help them.

Rosie: Yes, it's a risky¹¹ strategy as heroin is highly addictive but by providing drugs

in a controlled and legal way they believe it can help to reduce crime and the

health risks associated with drugs. But, you know, I see the point of people

worried about the harm drugs can cause. It's is a difficult subject, Chris.

Chris: It is.

Rosie: Let's see what happens with this war on drugs during the next few months.

But for now, I am curious about the quiz. Chris, I still haven't answered the

question.

Chris: And the question was: When was the first international treaty to combat the

sale and use of drugs signed? And I gave you three options. Was it in:

a) 1962

b) 1945

c) 1912 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012

Page 3 of 4

Rosie: It must have been in 1962 because in the 60s there seemed to be many

drugs around.

Chris: How about 1912?

Rosie: No, I think that's a bit too early.

Chris: The answer is 1912! You see, 100 years ago, narcotics¹² passed from country to

country with minimal¹³ interference from the authorities but that all changed

with the International Opium¹⁴ Convention signed in the Hague. From then

onwards, countries were committed to stopping the trade in opium,

morphine and cocaine.

Rosie: Really? Was it that early?

Chris: Yes. And unfortunately we are now late by the way; we have to finish the

programme now. But we leave you with today's words.

Rosie: Yes, of course. They are:

a straight talker

decriminalisation

a heroin overdose

boss

addiction

think tank

carefully controlled

committed

Chris: Thanks very much Rosie. And that's all we've got time for today. Bye for now.

Rosie: Bye. 

1 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

2 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

8 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

9 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

10 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

11 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

12 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》

13 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

14 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。