VOA常速英语2017--美国助力津巴布韦排雷（在线收听）

The United States is a leader in supporting the clearance of dangerous remnants of war all over the world. Since 1993, we have invested more than 2.6 billion dollars to clear or destroy landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other dangerous conventional weapons and munitions. In doing so, we are helping post-conflict communities to recover and to rebuild.

美国一直牵头支持排查遍布全球的危险残留物。自1993年以来，为排查清除地雷、未燃爆军火和其他危险的传统武器和军火，美国已投资26亿多美元。这样的做法正在帮助战后的各个社区恢复重建。

One of our success stories is Zimbabwe's Burma Valley. Located on Zimbabwe's border with Mozambique, Burma Valley is a hot, low-lying area where generation after generation of farmers planted tobacco and grew fruit trees. But due to its strategic position, in the 1970s, during Zimbabwe's war of liberation, thousands upon thousands of landmines were sown throughout the area, to prevent cross-border raids by guerilla fighters. By the time the war ended in 1980, Zimbabwe was peppered with very dense, unfenced minefields. Even to this day, Zimbabwe is one of the most highly mine-impacted countries in the world.

其中一个成功的例子就是津巴布韦的缅甸谷(burma valley)。缅甸谷坐落在津巴布韦与莫桑比克的边境线上，这里气候炎热，地势较低，农民们世世代代在这里种植烟草和果树。但由于其位置具有战略性意义，上世纪70年代，津巴布韦解放战争期间，这片地区埋下了无数地雷，以防止游击战士穿越边境进行突袭。等到1980年解放战争结束之时，津巴布韦已遍布浓密的地雷，且无防御设施阻隔。即便今天，津巴布韦依然是全球受地雷影响最深的国家之一。

Left-over landmines and unexploded munitions stand in the way of post-conflict stabilization and inhibit long-term development. They render thousands of acres of land unusable and destabilize communities, and the remnants of war continue to claim new victims. Since 1980, more than 1,500 Zimbabwean people and 120,000 livestock have been killed in landmine accidents. Indeed, in some districts, the cattle are trained to move to pasture in a single file to minimize their exposure to anti-personnel landmines.

残留的地雷和未燃爆的军火阻碍了战后稳定和长期发展。还导致大片土地无法使用，让无数社区失去稳定，除此之外，这些战争残留物还继续让更多人受害。自1980年以来，已有1500多名津巴布韦人民和12万家畜在地雷燃爆事件中致死。事实上，一些地区的人们还训练禽类集体移动到草场上，以减小遇到伤人地雷的几率。

One of the organizations working to clear landmines in Zimbabwe is Norwegian People's Aid. With support and funding provided by the United States, this group surveyed Burma Valley and cleared the landmines, completing operations in 2015. This effort to help Zimbabwe safely clear landmines and unexploded munitions has made a life-changing difference for area residents. The farmers have moved back, rebuilding homes and cattle corrals, and tilling and planting the recently-demined fields.

挪威民众救援组织就是津巴布韦排雷组织中的一个。在美国的支持和资助下，该组织走访了缅甸谷，并在那里进行排雷，完成了2015年的行动。该组织帮助津巴布韦安全排雷之举对该地区人民产生了改变终生的影响。农民们已迁回故地，重建家园和牛栏，在近日经过排雷的土地上耕种。

Over the last four years, the United States has provided more than 7.6 million dollars for humanitarian demining in Zimbabwe, 3 million of it in 2016 alone.

过去4年中，美国已为津巴布韦的人道主义排雷行动提供了760多万美元，其中仅2016年一年就提供了300万美元的援助。

The United States is investing in mine and explosives clearance because by doing so, we not only protect civilians from explosive remnants of war, but we also enable lasting peace.

美国对排雷行动进行资助是因为通过这样的做法，我们不仅能够保护百姓不受战争残留军火的影响，还能实现持久的和平。