VOA标准英语2010年-Afghan Cricket Team Overcomes Challeng

"I love cricket, and I wanted to do something for my country because I come here"
Twelve teams from around the world are competing in this year's international tournament for one-day cricket matches, the Twenty20 World Cup.  While the presence of perennial¹ powerhouses Australia, Pakistan and India are no surprise to fans, this year welcomes a new addition: Afghanistan.  The Afghan team faces as many challenges off the field as it does on it.

The sharp crack of a cricket bat arguably is heard more in Afghanistan than the sound of gunfire, even in a country wracked by more than three decades of war.  In fact, the national obsession² with the sport is so strong that the Taliban did not outlaw³ it as they did kite flying.

But despite the Taliban's acceptance, Raees Ahmadzai, a batsman for the Afghan national team, tells VOA his country's ongoing⁴ violence threatens to kill the organized sport and forces him to spend most of his time during the season in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. "It's so hard, so difficult [a] life for us.  Most of the time, we are traveling to Peshawar, and sometimes it's so dangerous for us," he said.

Most of the Afghan players first learned cricket in refugee camps in Pakistan, such as this one outside Islamabad.  Young Afghan boys still gather each day to play.  Their wickets are rocks stacked on top of each other, and some play in the dirt with bare feet.

Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi says because of his country's violence and lack of proper facilities, the team spends most of its time practicing in Pakistan and host countries. "Before the tournament, we will camp for one month or 20 days, then we will practice," he said.

Officials with the Afghan Cricket Board tell VOA they rely on the international community, private donors⁵ and sponsors for funding.

About a year-and-a-half ago, they built a cricket stadium in Kabul, nestled between the city's soccer stadium, which was an infamous⁶ Taliban execution site, and a makeshift town of tents and mud huts, which exhibits an abject⁷ poverty mirroring a refugee camp.

Teenager Ismail Ibrahim was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan and still lives there.  After arriving in Kabul at the stadium, he proudly displays his fistful of certificates and says he hopes his training in Pakistan qualifies him for Afghanistan's under-19 team. "I love cricket, and I wanted to do something for my country because I come here," he said.

Ahmadzai says "cricket diplomacy⁸" helps spread a softer image of Afghans.  He recalls last year's Asian Cricket Council T20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates where a local newspaper covered his team's overall victory. "The article...  in the newspaper [read], 'New Afghan Army.'  So that means we are doing [this] for peace, and we want a good relationship with the world, and we want to do (something) special for our country," he said.

Some cricket experts say the Afghans have a great deal of potential and a good chance of beating some of the more high-profile teams at this year's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. 

But after facing so many different obstacles, the Afghan players say just reaching the prestigious⁹ tournament is a victory.
 

1 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

2 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

3 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 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》

6 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

7 abject   

adj.极可怜的，卑屈的

参考例句：

• This policy has turned out to be an abject failure.这一政策最后以惨败而告终。
• He had been obliged to offer an abject apology to Mr.Alleyne for his impertinence.他不得不低声下气，为他的无礼举动向艾莱恩先生请罪。

8 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

9 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。