时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2010年(九)月


英语课

U.S. Defense 1 Secretary Robert Gates visited Western Iraq Wednesday, the place where U.S. troops and local tribal 2 leaders began an effort four years ago that helped turn the tide of the Iraq war.  Gates stopped in al-Anbar Province on his way to Baghdad to mark the formal end of U.S. combat operations in the country.


 


The secretary's military 747 jumbo jet touched down at al-Asad Air Base shortly after sunrise - a moment reminiscent of his last visit here, when he came in on a military combat jet and was joined by then-President George W. Bush in his 747, known as Air Force One.


At that time, almost exactly three years ago, Mr. Bush and Gates were marking the Anbar Awakening 3, the decision by local tribal leaders to reject al-Qaida and join forces with the U.S. Marines, who had been struggling to establish security in the province. Wednesday, he was asked whether, with the new "advise and assist" mission, the United States is still at war in the country.




"No, I would say we're not," he said. "Combat operations have ceased. We're still going to work with the Iraqis on counterterrorism.  We are still doing a lot of training and advising and assisting.  That's what this brigade is all about.  So, I would say we have moved into the final phase of our engagement in Iraq."


Gates says events in Ramadi played a key role in turning around the security situation in Iraq.


"Visiting Ramadi today is especially meaningful for me and my staff," he said. "We have very personal and enduring connections to this city and this province.  Many of us, like many of you, were touched first-hand by the terrible violence that not long ago consumed this area."


A commander at Camp Ramadi, Lieutenant 4 Colonel Buddy 5 Houston, says the mission now is very different from the mission the Gates visit in 2007.


"The purpose of our Advise and Assist Brigade is to enable Iraqi security forces to provide sustainable security in Anbar Province," said Houston.


Houston says that includes preparing the Iraqis to operate completely on their own after the remaining U.S. troops leave, which is scheduled for the end of next year.


Secretary Gates says the United States might be willing to keep some number of troops here to continue the training and assisting, but says any request to do so would have to come from a new Iraqi government.  Iraqi leaders have been arguing about the formation of a new government since parliament elections, five months ago.


The secretary was also asked whether the Iraq War was worthwhile for the United States.


"Figuring out, in retrospect 6, how you deal with the war - even if the outcome is a good one from the standpoint of the United States - it'll always be clouded by how it began.  And so, I think that this is one of the reasons this war remains 7 so controversial at home," he said.


Still, he says President Barack Obama has ensured that Iraq will continue to receive the attention it needs, even as focus continues to shift to Afghanistan, because he put Vice 8 President Joe Biden in charge of Iraq policy and he regularly calls key officials together to monitor the situation.

 



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。
adj.部族的,种族的
  • He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
  • The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。
n.觉醒,醒悟 adj.觉醒中的;唤醒的
  • the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
  • People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
n.(美口)密友,伙伴
  • Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气,老兄。有什么麻烦吗?
  • Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了,你这家伙!
n.回顾,追溯;v.回顾,回想,追溯
  • One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
  • In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
学英语单词
Alocasia macrorrhizos
alternate universe
Anapurna
arteria circumflexa humeri
auxanometer
average vector
base temperature
be confused with
Bender Cassim
Bexil
biobibliographical
brast
bunking off
calstocks
cartridge fuse link
Celloeidin
chance to
chank
channel valve
chloralkalis
chremistica ochracea
CPAFFC
deflecting saddle
delivered term
diamond-tippeds
dipetalonemiasis
dose point
dukws
dyspeptical
ECMP
eighty-six, 86
El Mamey
epistaxis
ethyl methyl sulfone
family Sphyrnidae
fat heart
five yards of cloth
foot section pulley
force sth down
free on board destination
gas explosion limits
genus Apios
get out of shape
give the grand bounce
glad news
Glutril
grinding jig
Guang colors
harbour installations
hodorine
host country tax reimbursement
host-based modem
Ilex robusta
improper investment
Indian Orchard
inferior margin
jelly beans
limited space charge accumulation mode
manual lubricator
multijob operation
multiplex yarn
myss
neomarica northiana
nickel-iron alkaline storage battery
non-cartesian
obsidional coin
outpedant
ovarii
partial structural perturbation
pellucidit
photooxidant
pitiest
plasmodesmus (pl.plasmodesmata)
poker heucheras
provide against sth
putty scraper
reinkings
reproduction model
rotary underreamer
schwingers
sea screen
self-demagnetization factor
separate entity assumption
Sequoia sempervirens
sinking of road-bed
skeletal osteosarcoma
SQL-injection
sternocleido mastoideuss
streon
succulent fresh meat
super gain transistor
testicular ossification
thawadi
thermal treatment laboratory
tricomponent
ultraviolent
unclogged
usnea confusa
VHF channel
vidya
vilar
within the compass of