VOA慢速英语2015 巴基斯坦和阿富汗共同打击毒品走私

 

AS IT IS 2015-02-08 Pakistan, Afghanistan Work Together to Fight Drug Trafficking 巴基斯坦和阿富汗共同打击毒品走私

Pakistan and Afghanistan are working together to fight terrorism and increase security along their common border. Experts hope this kind of cooperation will lead to more effective efforts against the drug trade.  

Many nations have worked together to fight illegal drug production in Afghanistan. But the United Nations recently reported another increase in the amount of Afghan land used to grow opium¹ poppy plants. Drug dealers² use poppy plants to make the drug opium.

Pakistani officials are concerned about both the increase in Afghan drugs and plans to withdraw most NATO forces from Afghanistan. The officials say the two developments make it difficult for them to fight the drug trade.

Major General Khawar Hanif is the head of Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force. He says the international community must continue working together to fight the Afghan drug problem. He spoke³ at a recent international conference in Islamabad.

“Thankfully, the commitment of the present Afghan government with respect to border control arrangements and counter-narcotic efforts is quite palpable. However, we believe that unless there is a whole-hearted support from the international community proportionate to the drug problem, the region is going to remain in the same crisis.  Abandoning our Afghan colleagues to deal with this overwhelming poppy cultivation⁴ and drug production is not an option at all.”

Pakistan shares a 2,500-kilometer border with Afghanistan. Most of it is unguarded. General Hanif says the largely open territory makes it difficult for Pakistan to stop terrorism and drug trafficking.  

Pakistan and Afghanistan have exchanged high-level military officials. The exchanges are part of joint⁵ efforts to improve security and deal with militants⁶ involved in attacks on both sides of the border. 

Cesar Guedes is the representative for the UN anti-drug office in Pakistan. He says joint efforts are needed to fight the drug trade in the area.

“I think that is the key element for success in combating drugs trafficking in this part of the world. The main producing country plus the main transit⁷ country need to strengthen their efforts effectively, very professionally and with all the sectors⁹ in both countries joining efforts to tackle this regional problem.”

Mr. Guedes says illegal drugs from Afghanistan are commonly sold in Europe. He says the drugs are often shipped through Pakistan.

“It’s approximately 45 to 50 percent of the opiates produced in Afghanistan that use Pakistan as a preferred stepping-stone on, onwards (to) international market. Then, about 30 percent goes via the Islamic Republic of Iran and the balance -- 20-something percent via the central Asian republics onwards to Russia and Europe.”

Pakistani officials say the increased production of Afghan drugs has also led to an increase in drug use among Pakistanis.  

Words in This Story

palpable – adj. obvious and noticeable

proportionate to – adj. having a size, number, or amount that is directly related to or appropriate for something (sometimes: “proportional”)

cultivation/cultivate – v. to grow and care for (plants)

key – adj. extremely important

sector⁸ – n. an area for which someone (such as a military commander) is responsible

tackle – v. to deal with (something difficult)

prefer(red) – v. to like (someone or something) better than someone or something else

stepping stone – n. something that helps you get or achieve something

via – preposition by going through (a particular place); by way of (a particular place)

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 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 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。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》