167 美国非政府团体组织呼吁打击轻武器非法交易

167 美国非政府团体组织呼吁打击轻武器非法交易

NGOs Call for Crackdown on Small ArmsJoe De Capua
Washington
14 Jul 2001 16:23 UTC

In New York A U.N. conference 1)underway to control the 2)illegal trade in small arms and light weapons. Organizers say 3)assault rifles and other small arms have become the weapons of choice in many internal 4)conflicts around the world. On Friday a 5)coalition of non-governmental organizations says it strongly supports efforts to crack down on the small weapons trade.
Christine Knudsen of the charity Save the Children says the 6)proliferation of small weapons has resulted in what she calls a 7)phenomenal rise in the number of child soldiers. She estimates their number at 300,000 worldwide. "The age of these children has been dropping from an average of about 14, 15, 16 a decade ago to now children as young as eight, nine, ten being armed and actively¹ participating in conflicts," she says.
She says small arms and light weapons have helped increase the number of child soldiers. "Well, historically, it took an adult's strength and physical ability to hold a weapon of war - a gun, a machine-gun, a rifle," she says. "And now with lighter² weapons children as young as eight are telling us that they start first with a 8)pistol because they need to have a two-hand grip. And then they can move into a sub-machinegun which weighs about six, seven or eight pounds by the time they're 12 or 13."
Also calling for a crackdown on the illegal trafficking of small arms is Jo Marie Griesgraber of OxFam America. She says the widespread availability of these weapons has cheapened the value of life. "We have endless stories of children who are kidnapped. They're 9)abducted³, and then boys are forced into the armed forces or militias," she says. "And they use other children who have tried to escape as target practice. Children are taught not to value life not to fear gross⁴ violence."
Christine Knudsen of Save the Children agrees. "In most places around the world, commanders are using children as part of a very strategic⁵ tactic⁶ of conflict. And one of the ways they do that is to desensitize children to violence," she says. "Most of the time when kids are abducted out of their villages they are forced to commit some 10)atrocity in their community. Perhaps killing⁷ a family member. Perhaps witnessing the death of a parent, forced to kill 11)siblings or former playmate. And then they are taught the basics of 12)warfare."
Jo Marie Griesgraber of OxFam America says tougher international controls are needed on legal arms trading to help curb⁸ illegal trafficking. "What we would like to do is to have the standards that the United States uses for its own arms exporters. And we should note that the U.S. is the single largest exporter of small arms in the whole world," she says. "We have good export 13)licensing 14)criteria and standards and would like very much to have all countries in the world 15)adhere to these same kinds of standards."
She says such controls would make it much easier to track shipments⁹ of weapons.
The U.N. conference on the 16)illicit trade of small arms and light weapons continues through July 20.

(1) underway[`QndE`weI ]adj.起步的,进行中的, 航行中的
(2) illegal[I5li:^(E)l]adj.违法的, 不合规定的
(3) assault[E5sC:lt]n.攻击, 袭击v.袭击
(4) conflict[5kRnflIkt]n.斗争, 冲突vi.抵触, 冲突
(5) coalition[kEJE5lIF(E)n]n.合并, 接合, 联合
(6) proliferation[prEJ9lIfE`reIFEn]n.增殖
(7) phenomenal[fI5nRmInEl]adj.显著的, 现象的, 能知觉的
(8) pistol[5pIst(E)l]n.手枪
(9) abduct[ Ab5dQkt]vt.诱拐, 绑架
(10) atrocity[E5trRsItI]n.残暴, 暴行, 凶恶
(11) sibling[5sIblIN]n.兄弟, 姐妹, 同胞, 同属
(12) warfare[5wC:feE(r)]n.战争, 作战, 冲突, 竞争
(13) license[5laIsEns]n.许可(证), 执照vt.许可, 特许v.许可
(14) criteria n.pl.标准
(15) adhere to v.粘附, 粘着, 坚持, 追随, 拥护
(16) illicit[I5lIsIt]adj.违法的

 

1 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

2 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

3 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

4 gross   

adj.全部的，粗俗的，肥胖的；vt.获得...总收入

参考例句：

• The gross weight of the box of chocolates is 500 grams.那盒巧克力的全部重量是500克。
• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。

5 strategic   

adj.战略（上）的，战略上重要的

参考例句：

• The army moved for strategic reasons.军队作了战略转移。
• The bridge is of strategic importance to us.这座桥对我们至关重要。

6 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

9 shipments   

船运，水运( shipment的名词复数 )； （从海路、陆路或空运的）一批货物

参考例句：

• The shipments are being expedited as much as possible. 装货速度在尽量加快。
• We received two shipments from Chicago. 我们收到从芝加哥运来的两船货物。