2006年VOA标准英语-US Anti-Drug Plane Crashes in Southern Afg

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
24 April 2006
 
A child was killed and nine other people injured when a plane skidded¹ off a runway and damaged nearby homes in southern Afghanistan. The Russian-made plane was leased to the U.S. government and was carrying an anti-narcotics² team when it crashed.

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Witnesses say the small plane overran the airstrip after narrowly avoiding a truck crossing the runway.

The plane skidded off the tarmac and into a community nearby.

The airfield³ is primarily used by U.S.-led troops operating in Lashkar Gah, the largest town in Helmand province.

Local officials say a three-year-old girl was killed and at least half a dozen other people were injured.

U.S. backed coalition⁴ forces cordoned⁵ off the area and helped transport the wounded to nearby medical facilities.

Coalition officials confirm the Russian-built plane was leased to the U.S. government and was carrying a small anti-narcotics team at the time of the accident.

"We are aware of the reports, we are investigating and we are in the process of determining the welfare and status of our personnel in Lashkar Gah and the Lashkar Gah area," said Lou Fintor, the U.S. embassy spokesman in Kabul.

Helmand is Afghanistan's largest opium⁶-producing region, growing nearly 20 percent of the world's opium supply.

The province is also a stronghold for anti-government Taleban insurgents⁷, many of whom are reportedly offering protection to opium farmers in return for safe haven⁸.

Coalition forces recently initiated⁹ a large anti-narcotics operation targeting local drug lords and their Taleban backers in Helmand province.

When the ultra-conservative Islamic Taleban ran Afghanistan, starting in the late 1990s, it managed to sharply reduce the country's opium production. But since a U.S.-led coalition ousted¹⁰ the Taleban in 2001, opium growing has surged, creating a booming narcotics trade.

1 skidded   

v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区

参考例句：

• The car skidded and hit a lamp post. 那辆汽车打滑撞上了路灯杆。
• The car skidded and overturned. 汽车打滑翻倒了。

2 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

7 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

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

9 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

10 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。