时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(三月)


英语课

America's top military leaders say they back President Barack Obama's plan to drawdown U.S. forces in Iraq. They indicated in broadcast interviews they are fairly confident the plan will move forward on schedule.
 
President Obama's broadcast address, 28 Feb 2009


After extensive consultations 1 with defense 2 officials, the president went before members of the military Friday to announce his plan to end the war in Iraq.


"By August 31st, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," said Mr. Obama.


Roughly two-thirds of the 142,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq will come home. The remainder, 35 to 50,000, will stay behind as a transition force. In time, they too will leave.


"I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011," he said.


That timetable is in keeping with an agreement reached between the United States and Iraq in the last weeks of the Bush administration.


Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the only holdover from the Bush Cabinet, says President Obama retains the ability as commander-in-chief to modify the withdrawal 3 plan. But during an appearance on the NBC television program Meet the Press, he appeared confident no changes will be needed.


"I would characterize the likelihood of significant adjustments to this plan as fairly remote," said Gates.


Gates was asked about criticism of the plan from members of the president's Democratic Party, who do not like the idea of a large transitional force in Iraq until 2011.


He stressed their mission will be very different from the combat forces now in place. The defense secretary acknowledged the remaining troops will still face some danger, but far less than today.


"It is a very different kind of mission and the units that will be left there will be characterized differently, they will be called advisory 4 and assistance brigades," he said. "They will not be called combat brigades."


U.S. commanders have indicated they are strongly supportive of the plan. The nation's top military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, told the Fox News Sunday program that he is comfortable with the president's decision.


"Clearly, the conditions are much more positive than they were two years ago," said Mullen. "And the conditions are set for the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people, to take over their own country and be responsible for it."


Both Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen said they were pleased with the process that led to the withdrawal plan.


Mullen said the president listened extensively to the commanders. And Gates said he thought Mr. Obama was more analytical 5 than his predecessor 6, George W. Bush.


"He makes sure he hears from everybody in the room on an issue, and if they do not speak out, he calls on them," he said.


Gates said he does not know how long he might be willing to stay at the Pentagon, but admitted it might be a challenge to remain through President Obama's current four-year term in office.



n.磋商(会议)( consultation的名词复数 );商讨会;协商会;查找
  • Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销
  • The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
  • They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。
adj.劝告的,忠告的,顾问的,提供咨询
  • I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
  • He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。
adj.分析的;用分析法的
  • I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
  • As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。
n.前辈,前任
  • It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
  • The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。
学英语单词
adaptation syndrome
advanced industrial country
aglaonemas
alipoidic
Arkhangel'skoye
arteriograrm
atomist theories
backing of rafters
black ink figure nation
bunkums
bus-rod
Carex orthostachys
cartagenas
cognovit judgment
cold-pressing
common sequence
commutation zone
cutesy-pie
Dianhydrodulcitolum
drive sb potty
eirene
equal validity
Eradex
Esk.
ex officio magistrate
externa bark
fascial sheath of prostate
fast color
front elevation drawing
furacana(e)
Garciaz
general Cayley algebra
go off the boil
hard cosmic ray
Hemandifoline
highwayman
hybrid signature
i remember
imperial preferential tariff system
in a flutter
indium oxide
initial operation
Institution of Electronics
intensifer
kapaa
Keenania tonkinensis
Lancang
lesser curvature(stomach)
light diaphoretic prescription
living environment
lysionotin
meitneriums
microinfusion
miniatus
Muhlenberg, Frederik Augustus Conrad
non-experiences
non-prosecution
nonstandard bearing
off-street parking
ognissanti
os1 carpale distale secundum
palmicolous
phoneticism
plain hook
Poa attenuata
position dialing
postmodern campaign
pre-defense
precalcination
press corrector
pseudotuberculosis aspergillaris
pulsed aerosol generator
quality of tobacco
recombiner
register wheels
reserve protein
retailed
reverse multiple
rochate
roman churches
rudiments of tank gunnery
Schesaplana
self-revealings
short-lived radioactive substance
shottage
single event effects
sintered ferrous product
sleepy sicknesses
smaller whole tone
sonar optimum frequency
specific storage
spiderwick
Spinacia oleracea L.
tenoch
the top of the market
undiversifiable risk
Unitarian Universalism
unscheduled downtime
volumetric correction factor
Vostochnaya Litsa
water locust
whitemarsh