VOA标准英语2008年-University of Nebraska at Omaha Supports Afghan

As Afghanistan continues its struggle to defeat Taliban insurgents¹ and rebuild its infrastructure², the nation is finding strong support from the middle of the United States, in the state of Nebraska. Since 1973, long before Afghanistan gained world attention, the University of Nebraska at Omaha has hosted the Afghan Studies Program, which has fostered academic, civic³ and personal ties between the U.S. heartland and Afghanistan. VOA's Greg Flakus has more on the story from Omaha.
　
Campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a home away from home for many Afghans. Since the Afghan Studies Program was founded here in 1973, small groups of students from Afghanistan have come here to study and many scholars from Nebraska have come to know Afghanistan as well.
　
Abdul Raheem Yaseer

One Afghan who has made Omaha his home is Abdul Raheem Yaseer. He has worked here for 20 years developing educational materials for use in his native land. He says this has given the University of Nebraska at Omaha a high profile in Afghanistan.

"[It is] very well known, especially for the education services that we have been offering since the early 1970's," said Abdul Raheem Yaseer. "During the years of war there were our textbooks carrying the label of the University of Nebraska and after the fall of the Taliban we printed 15 million textbooks in all languages, grades one through 12, and we distributed them all over Afghanistan."
　
Thomas Gouttierre

The main force behind the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Afghan Studies program is its director, Thomas Gouttierre, whose fascination⁴ with Afghanistan started when he was a Peace Corps⁵ volunteer there in the mid-1960's. He keeps in regular contact with U.S.-sponsored Provincial⁶ Reconstruction⁷ Teams working on the local level to train teachers and improve community resources.

"Unlike the days when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan, we can call people on cell phones, use email and we have excellent communication," said Thomas Gouttierre.

Gouttierre and his staff in Omaha are working long-distance to improve education in Afghanistan.

"What we are doing is trying to provide in-service training to teachers so that there is a kind of standard body of teaching pedagogy that each teacher, regardless of his or her training, is following," he said.

Although Gouttierre visits Afghanistan every year, he says the Taliban guerrillas have made it too dangerous for U.S. students to work there. He says the Taliban threaten Afghans on a regular basis in some border areas.

"They are able to move back and forth⁸ across the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan and into villages and pass out night letters suggesting to people that 'we are watching you and if your daughters go to school or your wife teaches school or you work with the Americans, we are going to get you and we are going to get your family," said Gouttierre.

Gouttierre says he thinks the vast majority of Afghans have faith in U.S. efforts to help their country, but they are made uneasy by the fact that Osama bin⁹ Laden¹⁰ and others involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 remain free.

"Here, nearly seven years later, he is still at large and not only is he at large, so is Zawahiri and Mullah Mohammed Omar," he said.

Gouttierre draws on his more than 40 years of Afghan experience in his lectures and in special briefings for U.S. government officials. But he says the greatest legacy¹¹ of the Afghan Studies Program lies in the hearts and minds of people here and in Afghanistan who have come to know each other through it.

"Governments come and go, or administrations, but people, citizens, people-to-people activity, those are the things that have a long-term impact, not only on the Afghans, but on Americans as well," said Gouttierre.

　

 

1 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

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

4 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

5 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

7 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

8 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

9 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

10 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

11 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。