VOA标准英语2013--Afghan Opium Crop Headed for Record High

 

Afghan Opium¹ Crop Headed for Record High

The sun is shining in Afghanistan's Helmand province, and farmers are busy harvesting their opium poppies. This year, for the third year in a row, they are looking at a bigger opium crop.

Farmer Faiz Mohammed makes no apologies.

"We are the poorest people in this area. If we don't cultivate poppies we can't feed ourselves and our family. We have tried to cultivate corn and wheat, but that is too cheap, doesn't bring a good income, and poppy crops bring good money," said Mohammed.

The riches promised by opium stand in contrast to the rest of the country's struggling economy.

Farmer Haji Abdullah said it is potential profit - and not pressure from the Taliban - that is feeding the opium harvest.

"The Taliban have no influence here. The farmers themselves grow poppies because, compared to the price of wheat, there is a huge difference," said Abdullah. "For instance, we sell four kilograms of corn for 100 Afghanis [$1.89 USD] but poppies bring 2000-5000 Afghanis [$37.80-$94.57 USD]. This is for the benefit of the farmers, we see there is a huge difference in the price."

A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warns that Afghanistan could account for as much as 90 percent of the world's supply of heroin².

The U.N.'s Jean-Luc Lemahieu calls it a sign of failure. "We have seen enormous inflow in this country over the last decades, and with regards to the drug control situation, we still see increases of the opium cultivation³, so we cannot say in any way, based on the facts, that we have succeeded. We have failed," he said.

And Lemahieu warns that farmers are not the only ones becoming dependent on opium.

"It is one of the biggest diseases this country is facing at this moment - one million addicts⁴. It is an enormous health problem. Who will pay for that? he said.

That is a question far from the thoughts of the opium farmers in Helmand province, who say they have no other way to feed their families. 

1 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

2 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

3 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

4 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册