VOA标准英语2009年-12,000 UN Peacekeepers Keep the Peace in S

The United Nations has been deploying¹ peacekeepers to trouble spots around the world for more than 60 years.The U.N. Security Council authorizes² deployment³ of peacekeepers to countries torn by conflict to help create conditions for lasting⁴ peace. Today, more than 90,000 men and women from more than 100 countries wear the "blue helmet" of the United Nations. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer recently visited the U.N. mission in southern Lebanon - known as UNIFIL - to find out more about what peacekeepers do.

More than 12,000 peacekeepers from 28 countries are deployed⁵ in Lebanon, in one of the UN's largest missions. These men and women are part of the Indonesian contingent⁶. U.N. peacekeepers first came to Lebanon in 1978. They have been a buffer⁷ between Israel and militants⁸ in southern Lebanon.   

In August 2006, as part of the truce⁹ that halted the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the UN mission was strengthened. Today, these peacekeepers monitor that fragile truce.

Lt. Colonel Hari Mulyanto from Indonesia says his peacekeepers assist the local population in many ways. "As peacekeepers we not only conduct patrols, we also do humanitarian¹⁰ assistance. We cooperate with the local people, with other organizations - international organizations or non-governmental organizations," he says.

Here, as in other missions, peacekeepers work with the national military to support and train them. The work of peacekeepers is not just in the field. Here we have a vocational training program that UNIFIL is running for residents in South Lebanon, where they are teaching young boys to be mechanics.

In this class, U.N. peacekeepers have traded their blue berets for overalls¹¹ and are teaching these boys skills that will help them find jobs.  Economic development is seen as a factor in bringing stability to post-conflict societies.

UNIFIL also runs health clinics, infrastructure¹² projects and programs to educate school children about the dangers of landmines¹³. Once a male domain¹⁴, today about 3,000 women are deployed as UN peacekeepers or police. The United Nations hopes more women will join these ranks.

First Sergeant¹⁵ Nina has been a UNIFIL police officer for 9 months. "I and my friends are international military police doing our job as patrolling, checkpoints, investigating for accidents or incidents…The other women peacekeepers are soldiers," she says.

Peacekeepers also protect civilians¹⁶. Here the local residents mostly welcome them. "They come, they say 'hello', we say 'hello'. They don't hurt us and we don't hurt them," says one resident.

Peacekeepers live far from home for long periods, often under difficult and dangerous conditions. Many have been killed in the line of duty. But despite that, many here say they would do it again.

1 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

2 authorizes   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings 'traveler' and 'traveller'. 字典裁定traveler和traveller两种拼法都对。
• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings "honor" and "honour.". 字典裁定 honor 及 honour 两种拼法均可。

3 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

4 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

5 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。

6 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。

7 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 overalls   

n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣

参考例句：

• He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
• He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

13 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

14 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

15 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

16 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。