VOA标准英语2009年-Debate Over Afghanistan Rages in Britain a

Another British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the 17th this month. Rising casualties have sparked a political debate about the country's involvement in Afghanistan and why more and more of its soldiers are dying.
　
British soldiers carry coffin¹ of Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Thorneloe into The Guards Chapel² in the Wellington Barracks in London for a funeral service, 16 Jul 2009

Britain has more than 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, about one third of them involved in Operations Panther's Claw against insurgents³ in Helmand province. And it is there that an increasing number of British troops have been dying, many killed by roadside bombs.

The rising toll⁴ has not gone unnoticed back home. In the small town of Wootton Bassett in southern England growing crowds gather ever more frequently to pay their final respects as the dead are repatriated⁵ and their flag-draped coffins⁶ driven through town.

Military analyst⁷, Malcolm Chalmers of Britain's Royal United Services Institute, says until now the public has not really paid much attention to events in Afghanistan.

"The debate has become more intense and all those involved in the debate are looking at their answers and finding out that a lot of their explanations are not very convincing because the situation in Afghanistan is very difficult indeed and there are no quick solutions."

The debate has spilled over into parliament where Prime Minister Gordon Brown has faced pointed⁸ questions about his strategy, troop levels and whether troops are adequately equipped. Mr. Brown has been on the defensive⁹.

"Mr. Speaker, we keep our force levels under constant review depending on the operational requirements," he said. "And, I have been reassured¹⁰ by commanders on the ground and the top of our armed services that we have the manpower we need for the current operations."

But there has been criticism from some top military brass¹¹. Army commander General Richard Dannatt has called for better equipment for troops to protect against roadside bombs.

Former soldier and now opposition¹² member of parliament Adam Holloway, of the Conservative Party, says questions about troop levels and equipment are valid¹³. But, he says the real problem is that the government's strategy is wrong for not focusing enough on helping¹⁴ average Afghans.

"We have only got one bit of the war going. We have got the big bang-bang war going. The battle for the people we are losing for sure," said Holloway.

Holloway says the only way to win on that second front is to provide security and economic development for Afghan towns and villages, not just send bombs and troops.

"You can bomb them back into the stone age, but you will never get rid of the Taliban that way," he added. "The only people who can defeat them are the Afghan people themselves and we need to be helping them to do that."

Holloway says more foreign troops are needed to establish security in troubled provinces like Helmand. But he says more emphasis must be placed on training the Afghan military and on development. He also says outside support for the Afghan government of Hamid Karzai is counter-productive, since that government is widely viewed as corrupt¹⁵ and ineffective.

But there are questions whether the rise in casualties will erode¹⁶ British public support for the mission.

Military analyst Malcolm Chalmers says it is possible.

"If there are not results in Helmand then people will be saying, 'Well, we tried and it failed and we should get out," said Chalmers.

The United States is stepping up its troop presence in Afghanistan and NATO has vowed¹⁷ to send more resources to beat back insurgents and provide security for upcoming national elections in August.

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

5 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

9 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

10 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

12 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。

13 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

14 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。

15 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

16 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

17 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。