2007年VOA标准英语-Governors Worried About Depleted National Guard

By Jim Fry
Washington, DC
27 February 2007
 
watch Bush Governors report

U.S. governors who are meeting in Washington, DC this week say they are worried Iraq war deployments have depleted¹ the readiness of their state National Guard units.  President Bush, at the White House Monday, told governors he was aware of their concerns. VOA's Jim Fry reports:

 
President Bush gestures during a conference 
In a room filled with state governors, President George W. Bush is chief among chief executives.  The nation's commander in chief sought to give the states' governors a glimpse of a president's daily concern:  protecting the country, he said. "You gotta know something -- that a lot of my thinking was defined on September the 11th.  I wake up everyday thinking about another attack."

Mr. Bush went on to warn that failure in Iraq will embolden² an enemy that would follow U.S. troops back home.

Therefore, he said his strategy is to stay on the offense³ by sending more troops to Iraq.

Yet, what may be the primary danger on the minds of many governors: a natural disaster that can prove deadly and require a governor to call out the state national guard.

But with many National Guard units mustering⁴ out to Iraq -- for the second or third tour, far from their home states -- governors such as North Carolina's Mike Easley are uneasy: "[The] National Guard is hurting and as a result of that, people are not as safe in the United States as they were before this poorly-planned operation in Iraq."

What is more troubling is that about 40 percent of the National Guards' equipment remains⁵ in the war zone.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is among those who fear they do not have the equipment they need at home. "One of the greatest concerns is the equipment is leaving, going to Iraq and either being damaged there or damaged beyond being able to be replaced."

One Republican governor -- Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota -- said the administration is listening: "We have gotten verbal commitments from the federal officials that the guard units, when they return, will get equipment that is as good in quality and as large in number as the equipment they left with."

Still, Mr. Bush acknowledged the governor's concerns and said he, too, was concerned about funding for state militias⁶.  He said Congress is often tempted⁷ to take money away: "And if you are concerned about making sure your troops get what they need, make sure you call your congressman⁸ or your senator."

Earlier this month, the governors had signaled their displeasure with the administration for proposing cuts in National Guard troop strength--even as their soldiers have repeatedly been sent off to war.

The Pentagon rescinded⁹ the cut.

But Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona promised continued vigilance. "We are the commanders of the Guard.  These are huge responsibilities that every governor has and we intend to be heard about this."

National Guard units that the Pentagon sends to war in the next two years will be on active duty longer than 12 months -- longer deployments than had been pledged.

1 depleted   

adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Food supplies were severely depleted. 食物供应已严重不足。
• Both teams were severely depleted by injuries. 两个队都因队员受伤而实力大减。

2 embolden   

v.给…壮胆，鼓励

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine,he went over to introduce himself to her.他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• The Prime Minister was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.发现自己并未遭到反对，首相渐渐有了信心。

3 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

4 mustering   

v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发

参考例句：

• He paused again, mustering his strength and thoughts. 他又停下来，集中力量，聚精会神。 来自辞典例句
• The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war. 这是万军之耶和华点齐军队，预备打仗。 来自互联网

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• 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。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 rescinded   

v.废除，取消( rescind的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Rescinded civil acts shall be null and void from the very beginning. 被撤销的民事行为从行为开始起无效。 来自互联网
• They accepted his advice and rescinded the original plan. 他们听从了他的劝告，撤销了原计划。 来自互联网