VOA常速英语2008年-All-Female Indian Unit in Liberia Shows How to

By Nico Colombant
Monrovia
02 April 2008

A second Indian all-female contingent¹ has been deployed² in Liberia for a few months now, showing that women can become the norm for peacekeeping operations. They are also inspiring Liberian women to become part of the country's security reconstruction³. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Monrovia.

Indian policewomen wearing blue-denim uniforms pick up and load their weapons at their fortified⁴ base in Congo Town, a suburb of Monrovia.

While the compound's generator⁵ buzzes in the background, chief operational officer Mamta Singh reminds them of their duties.

"First of all, when we landed here, the first assignment we got was security of the ministry⁶ of the Foreign Affairs building which is also the office of the president of Liberia," said Mamta Singh. "That is a 24-hours rotation⁷ duty which we have. Apart from that, we always have, every day, night patrol, that is mobile, as well as foot patrolling."

The patrol is being driven across congested and pot-holed streets by an Indian male driver in an Indian-made Tata vehicle.

Some of the support staff is male, but all peacekeepers in this unit are female. Singh says her unit can inspire Liberian women to try and enlist⁸ in their own security forces.

"The Liberian women are definitely getting motivated. More and more are coming to join the police force," she added. "So we are also a motivational factor for women who are here, the Liberian women who have been at war, where they have suffered a lot."

As a unit member receives a message on her walkie-talkie, a passerby⁹ expresses gratitude¹⁰ for the peacekeepers' work.

"The peacekeepers are nice because I see everything is all right. People are moving well, there is no trouble," said Kableh.

As she tries to cross a busy intersection¹¹, Angie Kableh says she hopes more Liberian women will follow suit.

"Women soldiers will be able to stand for the women and the children of the country and the nation," added Kableh. "They are not too aggressive as the men."

Singh says just like men, female peacekeepers have to be physically¹² and mentally fit. She says her predecessors¹³ were right in telling her this assignment would be easy.

"The only thing of advice I got from them was taking care of the health, because we have a lot of diseases here," said Singh. "Nothing about duties. In India, we are performing much harder duties than what we are doing in Monrovia, so when it comes to the duties there is absolutely no problem. But in context to health, yes, we have to be cautious about it."

One thing Singh misses is easy access to ingredients here to make good Indian food. But, the all-female unit does have a few male cooks helping¹⁴ with that.

1 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 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。

4 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

5 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

8 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

9 passerby   

n.过路人，行人

参考例句：

• We had our photo taken by a passerby.我们请了一个路人为我们照相。
• A passerby heard her screams and rushed to her aid.一个过路人听见她的尖叫，便冲过去帮助她。

10 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

11 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。