VOA标准英语2018--Stemming the Present and Future Epidemic

 

The United States is in the midst of its most severe drug epidemic¹ since the 1980s. “In 2016, nearly 64,000 people died from drug overdoses, and over 30 percent of those deaths involved a synthetic² opioid like fentanyl,” Alan Piracha of the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics³ and Law Enforcement Affairs said at a recent Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE conference on the threat of illicit⁴ drugs.

“And while the opioid crisis has hit North America particularly hard, any country with a connection to the internet and international mail could be vulnerable to an overdose crisis like the one we are seeing in the United States today,” he said.

That's because increasingly, transnational drug dealers⁵ are dealing⁶ in highly dangerous synthetic drugs that are produced in a laboratory, purchased by customers online and shipped by mail.

“Today, we see fentanyl in the United States, but tomorrow it could be synthetic cannabinoids in the [Southern Latin America], or cathinones in Southeast Asia.”

“In short, our international approach must be able to adapt to emerging challenges,” said Mr. Piracha.

The global community should begin by building an international framework to reduce the demand for illegal drugs. Mr. Piracha suggests a four-pillar approach to reducing global drug demand.

First, we must build a capable and knowledgeable⁷ prevention and treatment workforce⁸ worldwide through evidence-based training.

Second, treatment services around the world must be professionally operated to ensure that patients have access to quality care, and so we must develop and support credentialing and accreditation⁹ systems.

Third, we must build networks to connect the prevention and treatment workforce, researchers, and policymakers.

And finally, we must support populations with special clinical needs, such as rural communities.

“Work within this framework helps partner nations around the world prevent new initiates¹⁰ [to drug use], and build a strong foundation for the provision of treatment and recovery services,” said Alan Piracha.

We must also diligently¹¹ share information, experiences and best practices when it comes to keeping our mail and consignment¹² shipping¹³ services safe. And we must cooperate to shut down trafficking networks that exploit these essential services.

“The United States looks forward to continuing the robust¹⁴ suite¹⁵ of supply and demand reduction partnerships¹⁶ we have built around the world,” said Mr. Piracha, “and to working innovatively with the international community to tackle emerging trends.”

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

3 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》

4 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

5 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。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 accreditation   

n.委派，信赖，鉴定合格

参考例句：

• a letter of accreditation 一份合格证明书
• This paper gives an overview of the Verification, Validation and Accreditation (VV&A) in High Level Architecture(HLA). 对基于高层体系结构(High Level Architecture,简称HLA)的仿真系统的校核、验证与确认(Verification, Validation and Accreditation,简称VV&A)问题进行了详细的介绍及分析。 来自互联网

10 initiates   

v.开始( initiate的第三人称单数 )；传授；发起；接纳新成员

参考例句：

• The booklet initiates us into the problems of living abroad. 这本小册子使我们对国外的生活情况有了初步了解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everybody initiates and receives messages in some form or other. 每个人都以各种不同的方式发出并接收信息。 来自辞典例句

11 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

12 consignment   

n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物

参考例句：

• This last consignment of hosiery is quite up to standard.这批新到的针织品完全符合规格。
• We have to ask you to dispatch the consignment immediately.我们得要求你立即发送该批货物。

13 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

14 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

15 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

16 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句