VOA常速英语2016--美国帮助伊拉克清除两伊战争残余炸弹

美国帮助伊拉克清除两伊战争残余炸弹

As Iraqi armed forces and their Global Coalition¹ allies continue to uproot² ISIL from the territoryit once occupied, the scope of the devastation³ in Iraq is becoming more clear. Since 2014,over 3.3 million people have been displaced throughout Iraq, while some 10 million are in direneed of lifesaving humanitarian⁴ assistance. In late July, the United States, Canada, theNetherlands, Germany and Japan co-hosted a Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq thatraised over 2 billion dollars in new funds. The money will be used for humanitarian aid, and tostabilize the liberated⁵ territories and make them habitable again. Some of the pledged moneywill be used to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance⁶ to help achieve this goal. Going backto at least the Iran-Iraq conflict that began in 1980, successive warring parties have laid downmines and contaminated the country with unexploded bombs and other live war materiel. “Communities across Iraq face danger from an estimated 10 to 15 million landmines⁷ and piecesof unexploded ordnance,” writes in a recent blog post Major General Michael Rothstein, whoserves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Plans, Programs, and Operations in theBureau of Political-Military Affairs. On top of these existing hazards, Iraqis now have to contendwith the threat of improvised⁸ explosive devices created by ISIL. Since 2003, the UnitedStates has invested more than 300 million dollars toward the clearance⁹ and safe disposal ofexplosives and weapons in Iraq. In 2015 alone, the U.S. Conventional Weapons DestructionProgram helped to clear more than 65 million square meters of land. “The July 20 PledgingConference raised more than 2 billion dollars to address the challenges faced by the Iraqipeople and to ensure the lasting¹⁰ defeat of ISIL in Iraq,” said Deputy Assistant SecretaryRothstein. The United States made a substantial pledge during the conference, and we lookto other nations to join us in this effort. Together, we can work to ensure that all Iraqis can livefree from the devastation caused by the explosive remnants of war.

随着伊拉克武装力量及其全球联盟从伊拉克领土清除伊斯兰国行动的不断推进，伊斯兰的受破坏范围愈发明显。自2014年以来，伊拉克全境有330多万人民流离失所，还有近1千万人迫切需要人道主义援助。7月末，美国、加拿大、荷兰、德国、日本共同召开了认捐会议，为伊拉克募集到20多亿美元。这笔钱会用于人道主义援助，平稳解放地区，使这些地区再次成为人们的家园。这笔资金中有一部分会用于清理地雷和未爆炸武器，以助力这一目标的实现。仅是1980年开始的两伊战争，所有参战国就在伊拉克买下了地雷、未爆炸武器和其他战争武器。

曾任政治军事事务局计划、项目和执行部的副助理国务卿迈克尔最近发博文称，“伊拉克目前深陷危险，有1000-1500万地雷和未爆炸武器”。除了这些已有危机外，伊拉克还必须要应对伊斯兰国埋下的爆炸装置。自2003年以来，为清理和妥善处理伊拉克的爆炸物和武器，美国已投资3亿多美元。仅2015年一年，美国常规武器破坏计划就帮助伊拉克清楚了6500多万平米国土上的爆炸物。迈克尔表示，“7月20日的认捐会议共募得20多亿美元，以解决伊拉克人民所面临的挑战，并确保伊拉克可以继续战胜伊斯兰国”。美国在会上作出实质性承诺，期待更多国家加入我们的队伍中来。我们一起协力，确保所有伊拉克人民可以自由生活，免受战争残留物的侵扰。

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 uproot   

v.连根拔起，拔除；根除，灭绝；赶出家园，被迫移开

参考例句：

• The family decided to uproot themselves and emigrate to Australia.他们全家决定离开故土，移居澳大利亚。
• The trunk of an elephant is powerful enough to uproot trees.大象的长鼻强壮得足以将树木连根拔起。

3 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

6 ordnance   

n.大炮，军械

参考例句：

• She worked in an ordnance factory during the war.战争期间她在一家兵工厂工作。
• Shoes and clothing for the army were scarce,ordnance supplies and drugs were scarcer.军队很缺鞋和衣服，武器供应和药品就更少了。

7 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

8 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。

9 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。