VOA标准英语2009-Britain's Latest War Dead Come Home to Rest

By Jennifer Glasse
Wooten Bassett, England
11 November 2009

 
British fallen serviceman are honored in a public ceremony
The remains¹ of five British servicemen killed by an Afghan police officer in Afghanistan have returned to Britain, along with the body of another soldier killed in an explosion. Britain's rising death toll² in Afghanistan is fueling opposition³ to the war.

It is a homecoming but not the way anyone had wished... a Royal Air Force plane carrying the remains of six British servicemen.

This has become a ritual to honor the dead. Welcoming home the fallen from Afghanistan. In the English village of Wootton Bassett, a gesture of respect for a military fighting 4,000 miles away.

 
Robert Fox
This homecoming is all the more bittersweet, because five of these men were shot by an policeman they were supposed to be training.

Training the Afghan military and police is at the heart of Britain and NATO's mission in Afghanistan, and crucial to any exit strategy. If the British soldiers can not trust potential recruits, training becomes much harder. And troops in the field are having their doubts says historian and author Robert Fox.

"I know the British troops in Afhganistan have been quite wary⁴ of some of the Afghan forces they've been training and frankly⁵ the police force doesn't have much of a reputation at all," Fox said.

In Wootton Bassett, there's shock and disbelief at the way these men died, says Mayor Steve Bucknell. "They need always to be on their guard, They're very very professional troops, and I'm sure they're always on their guard," he says, "but to be killed in such a treacherous⁶ way is particularly galling⁷."

David and Sally Bell travelled 50 miles to pay their respects to men they say should not have died.

 
Roland Simmons
And military veteran Roland Simmons questions the British forces' training mission in Afghanistan. "So do we continue training them, or do we say, 'No, well we're not going to do it, no more, you've got to train your own guys,'" Simmons said.

But soon after the attack on the five servicemen, Prime Minister Gordon Brown reaffirmed Britain's commitment in Afghanistan.

"Our mission must not fail. It is not easy. The choices are not simple. There is no strategy that is without danger and risk, but that is the responsibility of leadership, of government and of our armed forces," Mr. Brown says, "to do what is necessary, however difficult, to keep the British people safe. We cannot, must not and will not walk away."

The hundreds of people who line the streets of Wootton Bassett are a testament⁸ of the widespread support for the British forces, although the country remains sharply divided by whether Britain should remain in Afghanistan.

Many people say they're not happy to be here, but they'll continue to come back in order to give Britain's fallen, a proper homecoming.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

5 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。

6 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

7 galling   

adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的

参考例句：

• It was galling to have to apologize to a man she hated. 令人恼火的是得向她憎恶的男人道歉。
• The insolence in the fellow's eye was galling. 这家伙的傲慢目光令人恼怒。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。