【一起听英语】毒品的战争

（单词翻译）

澳大利亚最近颁布了一项法令，来看看这项法令对毒品的限制有哪些？

Chris: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Chris.

Rosie: And I'm Rosie.

Chris: And today we are going to talk about a proposal in Australia to legalise the

possession of soft drugs. Rosie, let's start with a question for our listeners.

When was the first international treaty to combat the sale and use of drugs

signed?

Rosie: That's a difficult one. Go on, give me a clue.

Chris: Well, you'll have our usual three options. So listen carefully. When was the

first international treaty to combat the sale and use of drugs signed? Was it in:

a) 1962

b) 1945

c) 1912

Rosie: It helps to think about historical facts that took place at the time. So in the

60s we had the hippies and the so called counter-culture; in 1945, the end of

World War II and in 1912… well, the Titanic¹ sank!

Chris: OK, think about it. The answer will come by the end of the programme. Have

a crack at it!

Rosie: Crack?! Oh, to have a crack at something means to have a go or to try

something. In this case it means to try to guess the answer to the quiz. But

it's also the name given to a particular kind of drug sold on the streets. And

one considered very harmful to a person's health.

Chris: Yes it is. And it is not defined as a soft drug. Often drugs are classified, or

organised, according to the potential harm they can cause people. Hard drugs

are those that are classified as most harmful or addictive², such as cocaine³ or

heroin⁴. Crack cocaine would be one of them.

Rosie: And the soft ones are those that are sometimes seen as being less harmful,

such as marijuana and ecstasy⁵. These seem to be the ones now being

discussed in Australia.

Chris: That's right. The Australian foreign minister has announced that he would like

to see soft drugs decriminalised, or made legal.

Rosie: That's very controversial. Why has he decided⁶ to say this?

Chris: Well, let's listen to the BBC correspondent Duncan Kennedy in Sydney. See if

you can hear what personal experience the Australian minister has of drugs.

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012

Page 2 of 4

BBC Duncan Kennedy:

Bob Carr is known to be a straight talker on many subjects. Now Mr Carr says that when it

comes to what he calls soft drugs, there should be a policy of decriminalisation. Mr Carr,

whose younger brother died from a heroin overdose, says that police are wasting their

time and resources trying to stop individuals carrying these drugs.

Chris: So it has to do with his brother and a heroin overdose – he took an

excessive amount of this drug and died.

Rosie: Yes, his tragic⁷ experience of losing his brother to drugs has motivated him to

call for soft drugs to be legalised. And, as the reporter says, he seems to be a

straight talker indeed – someone who likes to speak very honestly and

directly.

Chris: But not everyone agrees with him. Let's hear from the BBC correspondent in

Australia.

BBC Duncan Kennedy:

Mr Carr's boss, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, said she didn't want to see any drugs

decriminalised. Ms Gillard said that people should continue to get help for their addiction⁸

and the police should carry on trying to stop drug usage.

Rosie: Ahhhh. Now I remember where I've heard this name! It was in the news. She

is the foreign minister' boss – Julia Gillard is the Australian Prime Minister!

Chris: And she didn't agree with him. She wants people to get help for their

addiction or their dependence⁹ on drugs but she does not want the

decriminalisation of any drug.

Rosie: But Bob Carr is not alone in his thinking, Chris. I've heard that there is a

think tank in Australia that believes he has a point. This organisation¹⁰

conducts research into social or economic issues for the government and it

wants the introduction of a carefully controlled system to deal with these

drugs.

Chris: In countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands they have organised

carefully controlled programs where drugs users are given small amounts

of drugs, such as heroin, to help them.

Rosie: Yes, it's a risky¹¹ strategy as heroin is highly addictive but by providing drugs

in a controlled and legal way they believe it can help to reduce crime and the

health risks associated with drugs. But, you know, I see the point of people

worried about the harm drugs can cause. It's is a difficult subject, Chris.

Chris: It is.

Rosie: Let's see what happens with this war on drugs during the next few months.

But for now, I am curious about the quiz. Chris, I still haven't answered the

question.

Chris: And the question was: When was the first international treaty to combat the

sale and use of drugs signed? And I gave you three options. Was it in:

a) 1962

b) 1945

c) 1912 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2012

Page 3 of 4

Rosie: It must have been in 1962 because in the 60s there seemed to be many

drugs around.

Chris: How about 1912?

Rosie: No, I think that's a bit too early.

Chris: The answer is 1912! You see, 100 years ago, narcotics¹² passed from country to

country with minimal¹³ interference from the authorities but that all changed

with the International Opium¹⁴ Convention signed in the Hague. From then

onwards, countries were committed to stopping the trade in opium,

morphine and cocaine.

Rosie: Really? Was it that early?

Chris: Yes. And unfortunately we are now late by the way; we have to finish the

programme now. But we leave you with today's words.

Rosie: Yes, of course. They are:

a straight talker

decriminalisation

a heroin overdose

boss

addiction

think tank

carefully controlled

committed

Chris: Thanks very much Rosie. And that's all we've got time for today. Bye for now.

Rosie: Bye.