2006年VOA标准英语-US Lawmakers Concerned About Stability, Op

By Dan Robinson
Washington
10 March 2006

U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns about stability in Afghanistan, saying insurgent¹ attacks and expanding opium² production continue to threaten U.S. and allied³ efforts there. Top U.S. officials and experts testified in four separate hearings about challenges facing the Afghan people.

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Afghanistan was in the spotlight⁴ as Congress considers a multi-billion dollar spending bill for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

U.S. officials delivered a mixture of optimism and blunt realism.

James Kunder, of the U.S. Agency for International Development points to steady important progress but adds there is a very long way to go.

State Department Afghanistan Coordinator⁵, Maureen Quinn, points to successes such as elections, and legislative⁶ and judicial⁷ reforms, but says Afghanistan has more work ahead. "This includes taking the next steps necessary to create a sustainable, secure environment, strengthen democratic institutions, educate its people, respect and enforce the rule of law and human rights, and develop relations further with its neighbors," he said.

Congressional concern centers on insurgent attacks that have targeted aid workers and pose a threat to reconstruction⁹.

Rear Admiral Robert Moeller of the U.S. Central Command delivered this sober summary. "The Taleban has demonstrated resilience after defeats. They appear tactically stronger on the battlefield this year and they demonstrate an increased willingness to use suicide bomber¹⁰ and I.E.D [Improvised Explosive Device] tactics, " he said.

Admiral Moeller adds that while the Taleban cannot retain control over large areas of Afghanistan, their funding as well as logistical and ideological¹¹ direction remain linked to al-Qaida, and they are disruptive to reconstruction.

Seth Jones, with the RAND Corporation, added, "I believe the security environment has notably¹² deteriorated¹³ in Afghanistan, especially in the east and south."

Democratic Congressman¹⁴ Gary Ackerman poses this question. "Are we aggressively going after insurgents¹⁵. Do we know how to fight an insurgency¹⁶? Is NATO prepared, do they know how to fight an insurgency?"

Lawmakers are generally unhappy with progress in controlling opium cultivation¹⁷, the profits from which U.S. officials say help support insurgency and terrorism.

That was the subject of this exchange between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Maryland Democrat⁸ Barbara Mikulski.

MIKULSKI: "If we lose control of opium, we lose control of Afghanistan. Is that a good analysis?"

Condoleezza Rice  
  
RICE: "Senator, I think the single most important threat to Afghanistan now, in a strategic sense, is probably the opium trade, because it has not only the effect of funding terrorist but it is a source for people who are then able to threaten the central government, threaten people in the provinces."

Secretary Rice's statement that the U.S. has been very attentive¹⁸ to the opium problem has not satisfied lawmakers.

California Republican Ed Royce is troubled by what sees as signs Afghanistan could return to being a failed state. "That government is still plagued by corruption¹⁹. The economy is still largely based on drug trafficking. The agricultural sector²⁰ frankly²¹ is heavily dominated by the poppie trade," he said.

Thomas Schweich, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Narcotics²² and Law Enforcement, said "We believe that fostering a stable democracy in Afghanistan requires curbing²³ the drug economy and the related criminality and corruption in the region. We believe this will be a very long and hard effort."

Congresswoman Betty McCollum worries about the destabilizing effects of all of these problems. "If we don't get that right, if people don't see improvement in that, they don't see improvement in the economic structure, they don't see the politics really making a difference in their lives immediately, then we have not gained the strong foothold that we need in order to have a foundation to move forward on in Afghanistan," she said.

Jones added "Institution-building, this is more than just providing technical assistance, has been challenging, especially dealing²⁴ with issues of corruption, including within the Afghan government. These problems have negatively impacted the ability of the U.S., USAID, State Department, Defense²⁵ Department and others to help get aid through and establish sustainable changes in the long-run."

U.S. officials say Afghan forces have been bearing the brunt of recent battles.

The Afghan National Army now numbers about 26-thousand, and officials say it is increasingly trusted and respected by the Afghan people.

With about 20,000 U.S. troops still in country, NATO is also in the process of dramatically expanding its role in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told lawmakers he is disappointed with a decision to trim about $1 billion from a Bush administration request for nearly $6 billionin 2007 for security forces in Afghanistan, and in Iraq.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

5 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

6 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

7 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

8 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。

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 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

11 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

12 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

13 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

14 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。

15 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

16 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

17 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。

18 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

19 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。

20 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

21 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

22 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》

23 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

24 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

25 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。