英式新闻英语第 102 课：NATO's Presence in Afghanistan 北约在阿富汗的存在力量-2

The general was clearly wondering whether he could have some, and fell into conversation with a burly, moustachioed contractor who seemed only too happy to oblige. 显然将军正在考虑他是否能够获得一些无人驾驶机，并开始同一位身材魁梧、蓄着胡须的承包商进行着对话，后者似乎非常乐意效劳。

He had the polished patter of the best used car salesman, but as the conversation strayed into matters of capability and contracts, he and the general drifted away. This was not for our ears. It was sensitive stuff. 这位承包商说话非常快，有着畅销车推销员的圆滑口才，但是当对话转入飞机能力和合同等具体事宜时，他和将军渐渐走开了。这不是我们能听的，因为这些都是些敏感的对话内容。

As the Americans reduce their presence in Afghanistan next year, handing over more and more of their combat responsibilities to NATO, they'll inevitably take a lot of a their favourite toys with them. NATO doesn't have the same kinds of capabilities.当明年美国减少阿富汗的力量存在并将越来越多的作战责任转移给北约时，美国人将不可避免地带走许多他们中意的玩意儿。而北约并不具备相同种类的作战能力。

And since this is hardly a secret, it seems reasonable to assume that any Taliban fighters left after this new offensive may chose to lie low and bide their time -- wait for an altogether less intimidating opponent to take the field. 因为这几乎谈不上是什么秘密了，似乎有理由相信这次新的反攻之后所留下的任何塔利班战士都会深深地藏起来并等待着时机——等待着战场由总体而言不是那么可怕的对手来接管。

General Back told me he was confident -- in spending millions of dollars on the Kandahar base, he said the Americans had prepared a nice nest for NATO. But he didn't tell me whether he'd done a deal on the Predators. 巴克将军告诉我说他很有信心，他说美军在坎大哈投下了数百万美元的金钱，为北约准备了一个非常好的基地。但是他并没有告诉我他是否就掠夺者飞机达成了协议。

The burly contractor didn't let on either, but when he told me what they could do, I almost felt he was trying to flog me one. This man wasn't just a salesman, he was an evangelist. 这位魁梧的承包商也没有透露真情，但是当他告诉我们这些飞机的用途时，我几乎能够感觉出他正在向我们进行炫耀。这个人不只是一名推销员，他还是一位福音传播者。

After three days of criss-crossing the country, General Back headed home to his NATO headquarters in the Netherlands. Difficult months of discussion lie ahead -- will NATO members be willing to change their rules of engagement to allow them to fight the way the Americans have? 在这个国家往返奔波了三天后，巴克将军开始返回他在荷兰的总部。未来几个月的艰难讨论将等在前方——北约成员国会愿意改变其接触规则来以美国的方式进行战斗吗？

Will the perennial problem of so-called "national caveats" prevent some countries from getting involved in dirtier, more dangerous work? The Germans, for one, will not send troops to the south -- Britain is among a handful of countries that will. 所谓的“国家警告”这一长期存在的难题会阻止某些国家介入一个更为肮脏、更为危险的工作吗？比如德国人就不会将部队送到南方，而英国则是几个会如此做的国家之一。

And will the alliance be able to stump up the troops and equipment needed for such an enlarged undertaking? Lots of questions for General Back to ponder as the battle-scarred landscape of Afghanistan slid away. 还有对于这样一个范围更大的任务所需要的部队和设备，盟国能掏腰包吗？随着阿富汗历经战役而满目疮痍的地形慢慢消失在我们的后面，将有很多问题需要巴克将军去思考。