新西兰英语 487 SAS soldier killed in Afghanistan

 　　Another New Zealand SAS soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the second one in a month. He was Lance Corporal Leon Smith, from Wellington, aged¹ in his mid² thirties. He is the 4th New Zealand soldier to die in Afghanistan. SAS means Special Air Services. These are special soldiers who have a high level of training to fight against terrorism.

　　New Zealand sent between 40 and 65 soldiers to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2005. From 2009, another group of SAS soldiers went to Afghanistan. They are due to come home in March 2012. At the moment about 35 SAS soldiers are in Kabul helping³ Afghan police against Taliban fighters. Another 140 soldiers are helping to re-build Bamiyan province.

　　With this second death, some politicians want New Zealand to end their involvement with Afghanistan. Tariana Turia, co-leader of the Maori Party, said the soldiers are serving the interests of the United States not New Zealand. However, the Prime⁴ Minister, John Key, said that there are no plans to bring the soldiers home before March next year.

　　Listen to August 4th 2010 to hear more about New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan.

　　Idiom

　　to serve the interests of the US. – to do something that helps the US

　　Questions

　　1.Do you think New Zealand should bring their soldiers home now?

　　2.Why are New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan? Note that New Zealand sends soldiers to help with UN peace-keeping in many countries.

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

3 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。

4 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。