2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Says Taleban Will Fail in Afghanistan

By Scott Stearns
White House
07 September 2006
 
President Bush says Taleban fighters will not retake power in Afghanistan, where militants¹ have staged a series of offensives and targeted killings² recently that have destabilized much of the country. The president is continuing a series of speeches on terrorism ahead of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

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Toppling the Taleban government in Afghanistan and closing terrorist training camps there was the Bush administration's first big international offensive following the September 11th attacks.

But Taleban fighters have not gone away, and recent violence has made this the bloodiest³ year in Afghanistan since they lost power. NATO's top commander is calling for allies to send reinforcements to Afghanistan, saying he has been surprised by the intensity⁴ of Taleban attacks in southern provinces.

suburban5 Atlanta, Sept. 7, 2006 " src="http://www.wwenglish.com/up/2006/09/14004/12.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> President Bush delivers a speech on  global war on terror at Georgia Public Policy Foundation event in suburban Atlanta, Sept. 7, 2006

President Bush says he knows that fight is not yet over, but he has no doubt that the Taleban will lose.

"Five years later, Taleban and al-Qaida remnants are desperately⁶ trying to retake control of that country," he said. "They will fail. They will fail because the Afghan people have tasted freedom. They will fail because their vision is no match for a democracy accountable to its citizens. They will fail because they are no match for the military forces of a free Afghanistan, a NATO alliance, and the United States of America."

In what he called an update on American security since the September 11th attacks, President Bush told an audience in the southern state of Georgia that the United States is safer, but still not safe.

He cited improvements in airport security and noted⁷ that U.S. intelligence agencies have been reorganized to better share information about suspected terrorists.

Public opinion polls show a majority of Americans still approve of the president's handling of the fight against terrorism, but they are far less supportive of the war in Iraq.

With congressional elections less than nine weeks away, the president has been giving a series of speeches leading up to the September 11th anniversary, linking the continued threat of terrorism with the war in Iraq,  saying they are part of the ideological⁸ struggle of the 21st century.

Many opposition⁹ Democrats¹⁰ disagree. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says the war in Iraq has undermined security at home.

"The war in Iraq has weakened our military," she said. "It has weakened our readiness. It has cost us so much in lives, which is the most important, and in dollars, which is important, but not as important. And it has cost us in reputation in the world to make the American people safer."

Congresswoman Pelosi says Iraq has been a diversion from the broader fight against terrorism and the search for al-Qaida leader Osama bin¹¹ Laden¹². President Bush says terrorists know better.

"It's hard to believe that extremists would make large journeys across dangerous borders to endure heavy fighting and to blow themselves up on the streets of Baghdad for a so-called diversion," he said. "The terrorists know that the outcome in the war on terror will depend on the outcome of the war in Iraq. So to protect our citizens, the free world must succeed in Iraq."

Mr. Bush says America's enemies are not satisfied and are determined¹³ to strike again. 

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

4 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

9 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。

10 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》

11 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

12 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• 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。