2006年VOA标准英语-President Bush Hails Recent Developments in Ira

By Scott Stearns
White House
10 June 2006

President Bush says the formation of a new government in Iraq and the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi made this past week a good one for the cause of freedom. Opposition¹ Democrats² say the president must use this opportunity to ensure that it is a year of significant progress in Iraq.

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President Bush says the killing³ of Zarqawi is an important victory in the fight against terrorism.

 

 
President Bush speaks about the death of al-Qaida in Iraq's leader 
  

"His goals in Iraq were clear, he wanted to stop the rise of democracy, drive coalition⁴ forces out, incite⁵ a civil war, and turn that country into a safe haven⁶, from which al-Qaida could launch new attacks on America and other free nations," he said.  "Instead, Zarqawi died in the free and democratic Iraq that he fought so hard to prevent, and the world is better off, because this violent man will never kill again."

In his weekly radio address, President Bush said violence may escalate⁷ in the weeks ahead, as terrorists seek to prove they can carry on without Zarqawi. He again appealed for the continued patience of the American people, as, he says, the work ahead will require more sacrifice.

Public opinion polls taken before Zarqawi's killing show only one-third of Americans approve of the way the president is handling the situation in Iraq. White House officials expect those numbers to rise with Zarqawi's killing, but recognize the gains will be short-lived, without substantive⁸ progress on the ground.

So, the president is meeting with national security advisers⁹ at Camp David in the coming week for talks on how they can best help Iraq's government. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and members of his new Cabinet will join those talks by videophone.

President Bush says he is encouraged by the prime minister's determination to defeat common enemies, and bring security and the rule of law to all Iraqis.

"Together, we will determine how to best deploy¹⁰ America's resources in Iraq, and achieve our shared goal of an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself," said Mr. Bush.

In the Democratic radio address, Senate Minority Leader Harry¹¹ Reid said the Bush administration must seize this opportunity for real change in Iraq.

"Our troops and the American people have been exceedingly patient, as previous mileposts in Iraq have passed without progress," said Mr. Reid.  "The president is asking too much, if he expects us to do it again."

With Zarqawi dead and Mr. Maliki's Cabinet complete, Reid says, Americans need more than platitudes¹² from the coming talks between U.S. and Iraqi officials. He says, President Bush should present a concrete plan for Iraqis to take charge of their own security, so more U.S. troops can come home

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• 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。

5 incite   

v.引起，激动，煽动

参考例句：

• I wanted to point out he was a very good speaker, and could incite a crowd.我想说明他曾是一个非常出色的演讲家，非常会调动群众的情绪。
• Just a few words will incite him into action.他只需几句话一将，就会干。

6 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

7 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

8 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

9 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

10 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

11 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

12 platitudes   

n.平常的话，老生常谈，陈词滥调( platitude的名词复数 )；滥套子

参考例句：

• He was mouthing the usual platitudes about the need for more compassion. 他言不由衷地说了些需要更加同情之类的陈腔滥调。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He delivered a long prose full of platitudes. 他发表了一篇充满陈词滥调的文章。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》