VOA标准英语 Clinton Calls for Increased Aid for Afghanistan

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging the international community to provide more security and development aid to Afghanistan. Mrs. Clinton spoke¹ at the start of a day-long conference about Afghanistan in The Hague.
　
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, reacts, during press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, right, at Afghanistan Conference in The Hague, 31 Mar² 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged countries not to let their economic troubles at home lead to a drop in support in Afghanistan, warning the growing instability in Afghanistan has international implications.

"The range of countries and institutions represented here is a universal recognition that what happens in Afghanistan matters to us all," she said. "Our failure to bring peace and progress would be a setback³, not only to the people in Afghanistan, but to the entire enterprise and collective action in the interest of collective security."

The Obama administration is deploying⁴ 17,000 more troops and 4,000 trainers for Afghanistan's army and police. Mrs. Clinton said there should be international trainers for every Afghan army and police unit. She also called for strengthening Afghan security forces to at least 134,000 soldiers and 82,000 police officers by 2011.

She also said former Taliban and al-Qaida members should be integrated back into the community.

The Hague meeting aims to re-energize international efforts to help Afghanistan as violence there has reached its highest level in years.

But Afghan President Hamid Karzai outlined the strides the country has made since the Taliban rule was toppled in 2001.

"A country that seven years ago was isolated⁵, oppressed by a tyrannical regime and violated by international terrorists from far corners of the world is a full-fledged member of the international community and is taking steady steps toward democracy and the rule of law," he said.

Diplomats⁶ will be asking Mr. Karzai's government to do more to fight the violence, along with corruption⁷ and drug production, and to ensure that Afghan elections in August are free and fair.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

4 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。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。