VOA常速英语2017--简易爆炸装置威胁安全与稳定

Home-made bombs, known as Improvised¹ Explosive Devices, or IEDs, are used by terrorists not only to attack opposition² military forces, but also increasingly to harm civilian³ populations. As a world leader in clearing explosive hazards that threaten civilians⁴, the United States is taking action to tackle these deadly devices in Iraq, Syria, Colombia, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.

自制炸弹，又称简易爆炸装置(IED)是恐怖分子的工具，他们不止用它来攻击反对派军力，也越来越多地用于伤害平民百姓。美国一直带头清理威胁平民的爆炸危险物，而现在，美国也在采取行动清除伊拉克、叙利亚、哥伦比亚、阿富汗和世界其他地方的致命炸弹装置。

According to the Landmine⁵ Monitor, an annual report by a non-governmental organization, person-activated IEDs and improvised landmines⁶ caused 1,075 casualties in 2014 and 1,331 casualties in 2015.

根据地雷监控报告的数据（该报告由某非政府组织发布，一年一次），由人触发的简易爆炸装置和随机地雷于2014年造成1075人伤亡，2015年造成1331人伤亡。

IEDs are a particular threat to both military personnel and civilians as they enter areas previously⁷ occupied by terrorists. For example, during the final months of the battle for Mosul, ISIS sowed the city streets with IEDs to prevent civilians from leaving. Later, as they retreated from the city, the terrorists set thousands of IEDs around critical infrastructure⁸ like power and water utilities, schools, and hospitals.

简易爆炸装置对于军人和平民来说都是一种特殊的威胁，只要他们进入到曾被恐怖分子占领的区域就是如此。比如，在摩苏尔之战的最后几个月里，IS在摩苏尔的大街小巷埋下了简易爆炸装置，为的是防止平民离开。随后，他们从摩苏尔撤退之际，这些恐怖分子在电力、水力设施、学校、医院等重大基础设施附近安置了许多简易爆炸装置。

Non-state armed groups such as ISIS and the Taliban often use IEDs to destabilize peace operations and terrorize civilian populations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, writes Stephanie Pico, a Public Diplomacy⁹ Officer at the U.S. Department of State.

非政府武装组织，比如IS和塔利班，经常使用简易爆炸装置来破坏和平行动的稳定，恐吓伊拉克、阿富汗、叙利亚的平民百姓，美国国务院负责公共外交事务的官员斯蒂芬妮如是说道。

ISIS also has deliberately¹⁰ placed IEDs before retreating from an area with the intent of prolonging insecurity, inflicting¹¹ additional casualties on communities struggling to recover, and delaying economic redevelopment in liberated¹² communities long after direct ISIS-instigated hostilities¹³ in those areas cease.

IS还曾在退出某地区前，故意安置简易爆炸装置，目的是延长不安全时期，对那些苦苦寻求重建的各个社群造成额外的伤亡，拖拽已经解放的社群再次发展经济的步伐，即便这些社群已经脱离于IS主导的恶意行为很久之后也是如此。

The United States is the world leader in conventional weapons destruction, including humanitarian¹⁴ demining, having invested over 2.8 billion dollars in projects in more than 100 countries since 1993.

美国一直牵头做销毁传统武器的工作，包括人道主义排雷，自1993年以来已经在100多个国家的多个项目中投资了28亿多美元。

In addition to humanitarian demining the United States Counter-IED efforts work to disrupt networks that use IEDs, and train the forces fighting those networks to identify IEDs and protect against them.

除了人道主义排雷之外，美国的反简易爆炸装置工作也扰乱了使用简易爆炸装置的多个体系，同时也培训那些抗击这些体系的生力军，让他们能识别简易爆炸装置，保护其他人不受简易爆炸装置的伤害。

Counter-IED differs from humanitarian demining in that it focuses on deterring¹⁵, detecting, and preventing IED employment before threats become imminent¹⁶, writes Stephanie Pico.

反简易爆炸装置与人道主义排雷的不同之处在于：前者专注于阻止、检测、预防简易爆炸装置使用，这一切都发生在威胁迫近之前，斯蒂芬妮如是说道。

Working with our allies and the international community, she writes, the United States will continue to develop strategies to address the IED threat to prevent IED users from carrying out their nefarious¹⁷ plans and achieve peace and security.

斯蒂芬妮写道，在与盟友和国际社会的合作之下，美国将继续制定策略，解决简易爆炸装置的威胁，阻止简易爆炸装置的使用者实施邪恶的计划，并最终实现和平与稳定。

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 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 landmine   

n.地雷

参考例句：

• A landmine is a kind of weapon used in war.地雷是一种运用于战争的武器。
• The treaty bans the use,production and trade of landmine.那条约禁止使用生产和交易雷。

6 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。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 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。

10 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

11 inflicting   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。
• It's impossible to do research without inflicting some pain on animals. 搞研究不让动物遭点罪是不可能的。

12 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。

13 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

14 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。

15 deterring   

v.阻止，制止( deter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• However, investors say are a number of issues deterring business. 然而，投资者表示，有很多问题让他们却步。 来自互联网
• It's an effective way of deterring potential does online, the logic goes. 逻辑上这是抑制潜在线上威胁的有效方法。 来自互联网

16 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

17 nefarious   

adj.恶毒的，极坏的

参考例句：

• My father believes you all have a nefarious purpose here.我父亲认为你们都有邪恶的目的。
• He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.因为他干了许多罪恶的勾当，所以人人都惧怕他。