美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump's Rhetoric Renews Debate In Guam: Is Being 'Tip Of The Spear' Worth It?

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

And the U.S. territory of Guam is in the spotlight¹ after North Korea said it's studying whether to launch a missile toward the island. President Trump² responded this way.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Let's see what he does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody's seen before what will happen in North Korea.

SIMON: Yesterday, the president spoke³ to the governor of Guam and said the U.S. military is ready to guard the security of Guam. As NPR's Elise Hu reports, for many, that reassurance⁴ was needed.

ELISE HU, BYLINE⁵: Guam's white sand beaches and stunning⁶ sunsets make this a perfect spot for a getaway, as the governor here, Eddie Calvo, often reminds people.

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EDDIE CALVO: Hey, this is not a bad place to go on vacation. Come on over (laughter).

HU: But this is American territory since 1898 was fought over for centuries for a different reason.

ROBERT UNDERWOOD: Guam is the largest island between Hawaii and the Philippines. And it has a natural deep sea water port.

HU: That's former Guam delegate to the U.S. Congress, Robert Underwood. Guam today hosts major military might, like a bomber⁷ fleet and a missile defense⁸ system.

UNDERWOOD: For the United States, Guam is the place from which you can project power into Asia in an unfettered way.

HU: The U.S. military owns about a third of the land here and has both an Air Force and naval⁹ base on Guam. Because its key strategic role in the Pacific, Guam is also a target for North Korea and lately, central to the president's aggressive rhetoric¹⁰. Francesca Ballendorf (ph) is a longtime Guamanian.

FRANCESCA BALLENDORF: We're too close for comfort.

HU: She says she'd like to see the president's tough talk dial down.

BALLENDORF: It is scary because I lived through the Second World War, and I certainly don't want to see another one.

HU: During that war, Japan occupied Guam until U.S. forces helped liberate¹¹ it. Guam's called the tip of the spear for that reason. But tenser times like this one throw residents into a familiar debate. Is being tip of the spear really worth it? Underwood.

UNDERWOOD: When the - President Trump says, you know, go ahead and do what you're going to do in Guam and see what happens, subsequently, it causes you to think, like, well, would he say that if Anchorage had that same thret? If Kim Jong Un said, we're going to hit Anchorage, would he say, go ahead, hit Anchorage and see what happens?

HU: Comedians¹² are U.S. citizens by birth but not allowed to vote in the American presidential election. Guam elects a delegate to the U.S. House, but that delegate isn't allowed to vote on a bill's final passage. And yet, it's often exposed to threats against America.

UNDERWOOD: How do people really see Guam in the context of the U.S. family? So are we just like cannon¹³ fodder¹⁴? Are we just extras? Are we just not part of the equation?

HU: An existential question for this tiny territory currently caught between President Trump and North Korea. Elise Hu, NPR News, Guam.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

7 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

8 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。

9 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

10 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

11 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

12 comedians   

n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The voice was rich, lordly, Harvardish, like all the boring radio comedians'imitations. 声音浑厚、威严，俨然是哈佛出身的气派，就跟无线电里所有的滑稽演员叫人已经听腻的模仿完全一样。 来自辞典例句
• He distracted them by joking and imitating movie and radio comedians. 他用开玩笑的方法或者模仿电影及广播中的滑稽演员来对付他们。 来自辞典例句

13 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

14 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。