时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(七月)


英语课

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Wednesday that his country is determined 1 to carry on with its combat mission in Afghanistan despite a rise in casualties and skepticism in domestic opinion polls. Miliband discussed the Afghan situation and related issues with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here in Washington.
 
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband (l) and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department in Washington, 29 Jul 2009


Miliband says the Afghan conflict is in a "tough phase," but that Britain intends to work through the difficulties, side-by-side with the United States as Afghanistan approaches historic elections next month.


The British top diplomat 2 met Secretary Clinton amid a backdrop of high British casualties in the current offensive against Taliban forces in Afghanistan and public opinion polls indicating that a majority of Britons would like to see their troops brought home.


But Miliband said his country intends to stay the course on a mission that is in its national interest, given Afghanistan's past links to terrorism.


"I think that the British people understand the vital nature of the mission that's taking place in Afghanistan," said David Miliband. "They know that Afghanistan was the incubator for global terrorism that struck with such deadly effect in September 2001. I think the British people will stay with this mission because there is a clear strategy and a clear determination on behalf of the United States and other coalition 3 member to see this through."


Nearly 200 British troops have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2001. More than 20 troops have been killed this month in the major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand province.


Clinton, appearing alongside Miliband at a press event, hailed the bravery of British troops fighting alongside Americans. She expressed deep sadness over the battlefield losses, while also saying that coalition forces have made "significant gains".


"We know that this is a challenge that is not going to be easily resolved in a short period of time," said Hillary Clinton. "But we believe that we are pursuing a strategy, both military and civilian 4, that holds out promise for achieving our principle objective - that is to destroy, dismantle 5 and defeat al-Qaida and their allies in the syndicate of terror that has unfortunately taken root in Afghanistan and spilled over into Pakistan."


Clinton and Miliband stressed the importance of the August 20th Afghan presidential election - for reaffirming the democratic ideals for which the war is being fought and opening the way for a new Afghan government to share more of the security burden.


That point was also stressed by U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, who in a press briefing here said it is "absolutely essential" that the Kabul government, over time, assumes responsibility for its own security while foreign troops are drawn 6 down.


"The current force levels of police and army are clearly going to have to be increased," said Richard Holbrooke. "But we're in the middle of an election campaign in Afghanistan. And that election campaign has been going on, basically and in one form or another, since this administration took office."


Holbrooke, just back from a visit to the region, said a perfect Afghan election is not possible, given among other things the likelihood that some polling stations may not open because of security concerns.


But he said the United States hopes to see an election that reflects the desires of those who do vote, and whose outcome is "accepted as legitimate 7" by the Afghan people and the world community.



adj.坚定的;有决心的
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
n.外交官,外交家;能交际的人,圆滑的人
  • The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话,紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
  • He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的
  • There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
  • He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。
vt.拆开,拆卸;废除,取消
  • He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助,拆除这批弹头。
  • The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动,于是,我决定把它拆开。
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法
  • Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
  • That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。
学英语单词
acanthoidine
adjacent line
air-breather
ambiguohypoglossal
avoking
bestower
buffer reagent
buy-and-holds
catanator
caveling
chlordan
cost-reimbursement
de-activation
Deinotherioidea
democratic values
desoxypyridoxine
dexamethasones
diameter of working disk
diatonic auxiliary note
discretamine
domain magnetization
double-layer fluorescent screen
dropper plate of free grain
Drusze
dynamicize
editon
elbow equivalent
electrode-travel motor
embraced
endomycopsis hordel
Engler viscosimeter
fairwells
fang-likest
fawns on
federal radio act 1927
fling oneself into the breach
fluoroolefin
free-taking
general staff
grinding media charge
hachi
hard-fightings
Hatsukaichi
HRST
ignition of precipitate
inverse mercator
iodine trap
jM-factor
karhunen loeve transform (klt)
kemerer
laughing-eyed
liege poustie
light-alloy armo(u)r
Longué-Jumelles
lophocoronids
Louis Henri
market chaotic
multistage linear amplifier
Narfeyri
Ngoso
octuplex
optical fiber ribbons
organised-crimes
pass in a program
pelviroentgenography
photoelectrocatalytic reactor
phrenemphraxis
polar moments of inertia
portcullised
practice range
prevelar
primordisl endoderm cells
reave
Rectocillin
residual concentration
Riemann upper integral
rifle shot
safo
saltations
screw-tap
sebiferic acid
second anchor
short-lived asset
sleight-of-hand
sniol
sound-barriers
speed change control
stalk extractor
structurality
Tharrawaw
thirst bucket
thoughted
three-dimensional imaging
throw dust in someone's eyes
transnationally
unwed mother
vel non
voiced sounds
votes down
well-customed
wharfies
wrecking