布莱尔首相演讲:Drugs[1]

TRANSCRIPT¹ OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S BROADCAST OF FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2000

Being Prime Minister is a difficult job but nothing's more difficult than being a parent.

And there are fewer bigger worries when you are a parent than drugs. No matter how hard you try to bring your children up well, no matter how sensible and decent they are, we all of us worry.

What if they fall in with wrong crowd? What if my kids get offered ecstasy² at a party or a club? What if someone even offers them drugs at school?

Heroin³.

Ecstasy.

Crack. Cocaine⁴.

Lethal⁵ drugs with lethal consequences. Hard drugs that lead to addiction⁶. Often after starting from so called softer drugs. These drugs ruin lives. They replace hope with despair, they tear families apart. They shatter communities.

And they fuel, of course, we all know that, so much of our crime. It is estimated that at least half of all the property crime in this country is linked in some way to drugs.

And it isn't just inner-city housing estates which are prey⁷ to drugs.

There's not a community, from here in the centre of London to the most remote parts of our countryside, which is free from it. Not a parent - rich or poor - that doesn't worry. Not a family that is immune to the threat.

So not just as a Prime Minister, as a parent too, we want to support hard working families and make sure that we engage in a real battle to combat the scourge⁸ of drugs in our society.

We all know there's no single, simple solution. What's needed is a raft of co-ordinated measures to tackle this modern menace.

Choking off the supply of drugs. Catching⁹ and punishing drug dealers¹¹. Breaking the link between drugs and crime. Treating properly those hooked on drugs. Educating our children about the dangers.

Giving families every possible support.

New laws are the crucial first step.

We're taking new powers to test criminals for drugs.

Mandatory¹² testing of all prisoners.

New powers to ensure convicted drug offenders¹³ are referred for treatment.

New seven year minimum sentences for drug dealers.

But we have to do more. Because no matter how effectively the police, or courts or customs operate, they can't win this war on their own. We've all got to play our part.

That's what's behind the successful Metropolitan¹⁴ Police Rat on a Rat phone-line here in London and the other Crime Stoppers campaigns that are engaging members of the public in this battle too.

Just to give you a couple of examples, in one case a grandmother got suspicious about the people next door. From her call to the confidential¹⁵ number, the police were able to bust¹⁶ a £1 million drugs factory.

Or in another, vital information provided the missing details the police needed for a £3 million heroin seizure¹⁷. Just two telephone calls resulting in that.

In just two weeks calls to the London Rat on a Rat scheme increased from 70 to 2,000. Seven hundred drug dealers and users have been arrested since the scheme began.

Initiatives like this are working successfully right across the country. So we have to do more. Not just in relations to courts involving the members of the public but earlier this week I chaired a meeting here in the Cabinet room with key Ministers - Jack¹⁸ Straw, Mo Mowlam and the person in charge of our drugs strategy - the former chief constable¹⁹ Keith Hellawell, police and customs, where a number of specific concrete ideas were presented which we can take forward.

There's one immediate²⁰ step that I can announce - a joint²¹ Health and Home Office plan to recruit more than 300 extra specialist drug counsellors who can deal properly and effectively with those referred by the Police for treatment. Some of these people want to get off drugs but unless they get the treatment, they don't get the chance. If we get young offenders off drugs, there'll be far more chance stopping them reoffending. Since they're often offending to feed the habit. The adverts²² for these new posts will go out in the next few days.

And I am also going to be talking with the Police and the education department this week about whether we can extend the Rat on a Rat scheme to schools. Giving a dedicated²³ number so that pupils can call in confidence if they see someone peddling²⁴ drugs near their school. Young children are targeted. We have to engage them too in the fight against this evil world-wide trade.

I also want to hit the drug dealers harder. Making sure they don't keep the profits they've made off the misery²⁵ of others. Often what will happen is that we have someone with a massive amount of money and assets with no visible means of support and yet proving how they came by this money is difficult.

One known drug dealer¹⁰ has assets worth £450 million, with no obvious explanation as to where this sum of money came from. So we want to be more rigorous too in forcing people in circumstances where they have huge sums of money and no visible signs of support to prove where it came from. And to take it off them if they can't.

Raising a family is a daunting²⁶ business. We all know that who are parents. Our task as a government is to try and make that the job that bit easier, to remove the obstacles, to tackle the concerns.

It is unrealistic to imagine we can create a world without drugs. But we can, and we must, do more to protect our young people.

There were signs this week that the strategy we're just beginning is having an effect - seizures²⁷ of drugs up some 8% in year 1998, for which we have figures. We are also catching and punishing more drug dealers now. But there's a long way to go.

If we hold our nerve, we carry on with the strategy, tougher punishment, better education, better treatment, better co-ordination across government then I am convinced we can get there. Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

3 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

4 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

5 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

6 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

7 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

8 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

9 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

10 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

11 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。

12 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

13 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

14 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

15 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

16 bust   

vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部

参考例句：

• I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
• She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。

17 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

18 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

19 constable   

n.(英国)警察，警官

参考例句：

• The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
• The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

20 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

21 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。

22 adverts   

advertisements 广告，做广告

参考例句：

• the adverts on television 电视广告
• The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。

23 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

24 peddling   

忙于琐事的，无关紧要的

参考例句：

• He worked as a door-to-door salesman peddling cloths and brushes. 他的工作是上门推销抹布和刷子。
• "If he doesn't like peddling, why doesn't he practice law? "要是他不高兴卖柴火，干吗不当律师呢？

25 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

26 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

27 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句