VOA标准英语2009年-US Soldiers Lead Agricultural Development in Af

The U.S. Department of Defense¹ is sending agricultural teams to Afghanistan to supplement the war effort nad help Afghans rebuild their country's largest and most important economic sector².

Pentagon officials said the Agricultural Development Teams are made up of citizen reserve soldiers from the U.S. Army National Guard.
　
US Sec. of the Army Pete Geren, (Nov 2008 file photo)

Army Secretary Pete Geren said the teams have been working successfully to rebuild farming communities in Afghanistan and that more are expected to be deployed³ this year.

Geren said soldiers from eight U.S. states are expected to be a part of the agriculture program.

"These are guardsmen from all across the country, who have stepped up, volunteered to serve their country, and serve it in a very traditional way, but in an unconventional way when you consider what we normally expect in modern warfare," he said.

Through the Agricultural Development Teams, Afghans receive advice and training in soil sciences, irrigation, horticulture, and raising livestock⁴.
　
An Afghan boy waits for customer as he sells vegetables in Kabul, Afghanistan, (2008 file photo)

Geren said the teams also focus on teaching storage and marketing⁵ skills so farm products can be sold domestically and exported. He said these skills are crucial to rebuilding the Afghan economy because more than 70 percent of people in Afghanistan farm for a living. Agriculture accounts for more than half of the country's gross domestic product.

Geren said that even though the agriculture development program is relatively⁶ new, it is an important piece of the America's strategy in Afghanistan.

"This fits very well into the overall concept of trying to build a stable Afghanistan that can stand on its own and become economically self-sufficient and certainly self-sufficient in feeding itself," he explained.

He said the symbol of the National Guard represents this mission.

"The National Guard 'Minute Man' has a musket⁷ in one hand and his left hand is on a plow⁸. This is the history of the citizen soldier and the history of our nation. And we are taking that same combination of skills and applying it to needs in Afghanistan," he said.

Geren added that no matter how the situation in Afghanistan develops, he said the agricultural expertise⁹ provided by U.S. citizen soldiers will have a lasting¹⁰ affect on the lives of Afghans for years to come.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 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。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 musket   

n.滑膛枪

参考例句：

• I hunted with a musket two years ago.两年前我用滑膛枪打猎。
• So some seconds passed,till suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired.又过了几秒钟，突然，乔伊斯端起枪来开了火。

8 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

9 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

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。