VOA常速英语2017--美国助力老挝排雷（在线收听）

Between 1964 and 1973, in an effort to prevent the movement of supplies, armaments and North Vietnamese fighters across neighboring territories and into Vietnam, the U.S. Air Force dropped over 270 million cluster bombs on Vietnam's western neighbor, Laos. As a result, Laos has the grim distinction of being, per capita, the world's most bombed country.

1964-1973年间，为了阻止军需品、军备和越南北部的战士在越南邻国之间活动或者进入越南境内，美国空军向越南西部的邻国老挝投掷了2.7亿个子母弹，让老挝得到全球受轰炸最严重的国家之殊荣。

Today, most of the country's 17 provinces remain contaminated with unexploded ordnance, or UXO, wrote U.S. Air Force Major General Michael Rothstein, who recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Plans, Programs, and Operations in the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Because many of the bombs that were dropped did not explode immediately as intended, UXO has killed or injured thousands of Laotians. While landmines were also laid in Laos during the Indochina Wars of the 1960s and 1970s, UXO account for the bulk of explosive hazard contamination.

如今，老挝有17个省份内有未燃爆炸弹(UXO)，美国空军少将迈克尔如是说道，他是国务院政治军事事务局负责计划、项目和执行部的副助理国务卿。因为很多投掷下来的炸弹并没有像预想的那样即刻爆炸，因此这些未燃爆炸弹导致上万名老挝人受伤甚至死亡。又由于20世纪六七十年代的印度支那战争期间也有地雷埋在老挝，所以未燃爆炸弹已经成为老挝爆炸性威胁的主力。

Landmines and unexploded munitions render millions of hectares of land unusable, preventing farmers from tending their fields. They make travel dangerous because explosives lie hidden in pepper fields, meadows and forests, and a misstep could be deadly.

地雷和未燃爆炸弹让上千万公顷的土地无法耕作，从而导致很多农民无法工作土地。这些危险物也让旅游危险系数升高，因为燃爆物潜伏在胡椒地、草地、森林中，一不小心踩到就可能致命。

Nonetheless, as time goes by, population growth in Laos has increased demands to put UXO-contaminated land into productive use, which of course means an increased risk of injuries and deaths.

老挝政府致力于消除未燃爆炸弹的威胁，但进展很慢。其中一个原因就是，虽然过去这些年来也进行过一些当地的调查，但老挝还没有对未燃爆炸弹进行过全面的国家范围的调查。

The government is committed to removing the UXO threat but progress has been slow. One of the reasons is that, while many local surveys have been conducted over the years, Laos has lacked a comprehensive national survey of UXO contamination.

老挝政府致力于消除未燃爆炸弹的威胁，但进展很慢。其中一个原因就是，虽然过去这些年来也进行过一些当地的调查，但老挝还没有对未燃爆炸弹进行过全面的国家范围的调查。

That is why today, in addition to funding mine clearance in Laos, the United States is partnering with Laos on just such a survey.

这就是时至今日，除了对老挝的排雷行动进行资助外，美国还与老挝合作进行这样一项调查的原因。

This new project will allow us to better identify areas of the country with the greatest concentrations of UXO risk, improving the effectiveness of clearance operations, wrote General Michael Rothstein.

这个新项目能让我们更好地确认老挝境内有未燃爆炸弹高危风险的地区，提升排雷行动的有效性，少将迈克尔如是说道。

Years of work remain ahead, but clearly, this work is more important than ever. Not only does it address a wartime legacy, but it is also a smart investment in a brighter future for Laos, its neighbors, and ultimately for U.S. diplomatic and security partnerships in the region.

这些年来的工作还在稳步前进，但我们可以明显看到，这项工作现在的重要性今非昔比。这项工作的执行不仅能解决战争遗留问题，还是对老挝及其邻国更光明未来的一种明智投资，并将最终有利于美国在该地区的外交伙伴关系与安全伙伴关系。