2006年VOA标准英语-UN Reports Highest Ever Levels of Opium Product

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
02 September 2006

A United Nations report says opium¹ production in Afghanistan has jumped to record levels this year. U.N. officials warn the booming drug trade is fueling instability throughout Afghanistan and threatens the country's fragile democracy.

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The report, released Saturday by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, says poppy cultivation² in Afghanistan has increased nearly 60 percent in the past year.

Saturday, the U.N. drug agency chief, Antonio Maria Costa, told reporters in Kabul that the explosive growth in opium production is a major challenge to Afghanistan's long-term stability. 

Antonio Maria Costa

"This news is very bad. We face a state of emergency. Opium cultivation in Afghanistan has increased by almost 60 percent in 2006 to an all time high of 165 hectares. That is a crop of staggering amounts, 6,100 metric tons."

He says the sharpest rise has occurred in Afghanistan's southern provinces, where the Taleban-led insurgency³ has destabilized the entire region.

In Helmand Province, part of the Taleban's traditional stronghold, the cultivation of opium poppies has risen more than 160 percent since 2005.

The U.N. report says Afghanistan now produces more than 90 percent of the world's illegal opium supply. 

The U.N. says the illicit⁴ drug trade nets roughly $2.7 billion a year, about one-third of Afghanistan's gross domestic product.

The U.N.'s Antonio Costa says much of the profits are helping⁵ fund insurgent⁶ activity in the south, and fueling widespread political corruption⁷ throughout the country.

He urged the government to crack down on corruption, and go after the leading drug lords as soon as possible.

"We insist on arresting and bringing to justice the 100 most serious drug traffickers and opium farmers," he added.  "We propose to seize their assets and redistribute them to the people."

The U.N. report marks a significant setback⁸ for international efforts to combat Afghanistan's drug trade. 

Western countries, including the United States, have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to help train Afghan police and provide alternative resources for local farmers growing poppies.

Doug Wankel, director of the U.S. drugs control office in Afghanistan warned the country is slowly but surely spinning out of control.

Wankel told reports in the capital Saturday that, unless Afghanistan curbs⁹ the drug trade, the country risks slipping from, in his words, a narco-economy to narco-state. And in that case, he said, the country's young democracy could collapse¹⁰.

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 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。

3 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

4 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

9 curbs   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In executing his functions he is not bound by any legal curbs on his power. 在他履行职务时，他的权力是不受任何法律约束的。 来自辞典例句
• Curbs on air travel were being worked out and would shortly be announced. 限制航空旅行的有关规定正在拟定中，不久即将公布。 来自辞典例句

10 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。