2007年VOA标准英语-US Middle East Command Changes as Part of New I

By Al Pessin
Tampa, Florida
17 March 2007

 
Admiral William Fallon (left) and General John Abizaid at change of command ceremony
A U.S. Navy admiral took command Friday of the part of the U.S. military that is fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and conducting other operations throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Central Command Headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

In an aircraft hangar adorned¹ with flags and honor guards, and with a military band playing, General John Abizaid passed the flag of command to Admiral William Fallon. Several dozen military representatives of U.S. coalition² partners were among the crowd of several hundred at the ceremony, hosted by U.S. Defense³ Secretary Robert Gates.

The change of command is part of President Bush's effort to change strategy in Iraq. General Abizaid, who had been in his job nearly four years, was highly respected, but he also became associated with policies blamed for the last year of violence in Iraq. He opposed plans to send more U.S. troops to the country, which President Bush decided⁴ to do. After praising the Arabic-speaking General as a "soldier, scholar and patriot," Secretary Gates made reference to the problems in Iraq.

"In all of these efforts, I'm sure General Abizaid would agree that not everything has gone as planned, as expected or as hoped. This is the nature of war," he said.

 
Honor Guard at change of command Ceremony
Gates said Abizaid had popularized the phrase "Long War" to describe the struggle against terrorism, and in his remarks the general referred to that concept.

"War is never easy or pretty, nor easily resolved. We will need both courage and time to withstand the impatience⁵ and dissatisfaction that could cause us to fail, despite our great abilities, to succeed," he said.

General Abizaid, who retired⁶ on Friday, said he has no doubt the United States will succeed in spite of the challenges of terrorism and the impatience of the American people.

Secretary Gates struck a similar theme, saying there is no escaping the debate about the Iraq war, but that debate is not the same as weakness. "One thing should be clear to our allies, to the young men and women in uniform giving everything of themselves in this fight and to our adversaries⁷ looking for weakness in our resolve, the United States will continue to stand by our allies in the Middle East and Central Asia. We will fulfill⁸ our strategic commitments made by administrations of both parties stretching back over many decades," he said.

Secretary Gates said he recommended Admiral Fallon for the Central Command job because he is effective at building relationships, has a reputation for innovation and will bring "fresh insight" to the region. The admiral, who has been the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific and Asia for the last two years, told the crowd he does intend to focus on building relationships with the leaders and the people in his new region.

"Fundamentally, the vast majority of people in this world truly desire peace, stability and security for themselves, their families, their neighbors. They just want an opportunity to live lives, to make something of themselves, to be able to achieve things and to take care of their families. We aim to help them do that," he said.

Admiral Fallon called the situation in Iraq "critical" and said "time is of the essence."

Shortly after the ceremony, the admiral convened⁹ a meeting of coalition military officers. An aide said he will make his first visit to the Middle East in his new role next week.

1 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

2 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。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• 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。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

8 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

9 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。