VOA标准英语2010年-Dogs Combat Bomb Threats in Afghanista

A major threat to NATO forces in Afghanistan comes from IEDs or improvised¹ explosive devices. One way British forces are combating the threat is with dogs trained to detect explosives. It's a program cloaked in secrecy² with officials refusing to give details on how the dogs are trained.  Recently one top dog was awarded a top military prize for his valor³.

Treo looks like any black Labrador, but he's special. 

He's getting the highest military award in Britain for an animal,  the Dickin medal. It's the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honor.

Jan McLaughlin is director of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, which gives the prize.

"Treo's particular training involves looking for improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and particularly these that are what they call the daisy chain explosives which when one is detonated a whole series is detonated, really designed to cause maximum injury to any soldiers walking by, and Treo detected these and enabled them to be disarmed⁴ so he saved those lives," she explained.

Treo worked in Afghanistan with Sergeant⁵ Dave Heyhoe, his handler. Sergeant Heyhoe says they were part of larger team.

"There's plenty of dogs out there on the front line searching for these improvised explosive devices and without them, I think there'd be a lot more casualties out there," Heyhoe said.

For NATO forces in Afghanistan, IEDs are the number one threat, responsible for most combat deaths and for punishing casualties.

Troops must find and defuse the devices. They also have to figure out who is laying the explosives and how they're being financed.

As IEDs become complex, detecting them becomes complex too.

Soldiers call it a cat and mouse game. As troops come up with better methods of protection or detection, the insurgents⁶ change their tactics.

Olivier Grouille from London's Royal United Services Institute says IEDs are a drain on military resources.

"It costs money, it costs time, it costs lives," Grouille said. "It changes the way forces have to move around on the ground, and it changes attitudes to risk."

Major Graham Shannon spent six months in Afghanistan where he says dogs were good for morale⁷ as well as safety.

"There are lots of different technologies that we've developed that accompany us on patrol that support our ability to detect the devices but the technology cannot replace the capability⁸ that the dog brings," Shannon said.

Treo joins a long line of distinguished⁹ animal recipients¹⁰, including a World War II homing pigeon that delivered the news of the D-Day landings and a horse that, during the German blitz of London, saved its owner.   

The most recent threat - IEDs - have made Treo a hero and a celebrity¹¹, he now plans to retire.
 

1 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

2 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

3 valor   

n.勇气，英勇

参考例句：

• Fortitude is distinct from valor.坚韧不拔有别于勇猛。
• Frequently banality is the better parts of valor.老生常谈往往比大胆打破常规更为人称道。

4 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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？

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

8 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

9 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

10 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。