VOA标准英语2008年-Donors Pledge Billions for Afghanistan

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
12 June 2008

International donors¹ pledged billions of dollars in aid for Afghanistan at a meeting in Paris, but also urged Kabul to do more to fight corruption² and instability. Lisa Bryant has more from the French capital.
　

Delegates at Paris donors conference on Afghanistan

The United States led donations at the Paris conference, as First Lady Laura Bush announced Washington would earmark more than $10 billion to help Afghanistan get back on its feet after years of warfare³.

"We know that success will not be easy but Afghanistan has reached a decisive moment for its future. We must not turn our backs on this opportunity. Today the United States is dedicating $10.2 billion to help the people of Afghanistan implement⁴ their national development strategy over the next five years," she said.

The donors meeting was hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who announced his country would more than double reconstruction⁵ aid to Afghanistan to nearly $165 million between 2008 and 2010. Other pledges included $1.3 billion from the Asian Development Bank, $1.2 billion from Britain and $1.1 billion from the World Bank.

The Afghan government hoped to amass⁶ up to $20 billion in aid at the conference. Afghan President Hamid Karzai told donors his country needs $50 billion over the next five years to help turn around the shattered economy.

"Our vision for Afghanistan is achievable, however we should be aware of the obstacles in our path. Security continues to be out biggest challenge, without which progress on every other objective that we have will be either difficult or sometimes impossible," he said.

There are plenty of other problems: poverty, corruption, drug trafficking and a worrying Taliban insurgency⁷, despite the presence of 65,000 troops in the country, many of them NATO forces.

Even as he urged donors to increase aid to Afghanistan, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged them to hold the country's leaders accountable.

"I approved Afghanistan for signing the United Nations convention against corruption and I urge the government to take active measures to ensure that it is implemented⁸. I also welcome the strong anti-corruption proposals in the strategy, including the need to prosecute⁹ high-level offenders," he said.

Afghanistan is also being discussed in Rome, where U.S. President George Bush met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a European trip that takes him to Paris on Friday.

1 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

4 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

5 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。

6 amass   

vt.积累，积聚

参考例句：

• How had he amassed his fortune?他是如何积累财富的呢？
• The capitalists amass great wealth by exploiting workers.资本家剥削工人而积累了巨额财富。

7 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

8 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

9 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？