VOA慢速英语 2007 0913b

This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

 
American troops prepare to invade Iraq from Kuwait
And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English Program about the history of the United States.  George W. Bush became president in January two thousand one.  Today we tell about the invasion of Iraq that began in March, two thousand three.

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VOICE ONE:

Islamic terrorists of the al-Qaida group attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., on September eleventh, two thousand one.  After the attacks, the Bush administration supported the policy of preventive war to end threats to its national security. Many of President Bush's top advisers¹ had long supported an invasion of Iraq. 

As early as that October, Defense² Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested that military action against Iraq was possible.  Government officials charged that Iraq was linked to terrorist groups like al-Qaida.  They noted³ that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had used chemical weapons and said he was trying to develop biological and nuclear weapons. 

VOICE TWO:                                                           

President Bush gave his yearly State of the Union report to Congress in January two thousand two.  He said some nations support terrorist organizations. He said the United States would not wait to be attacked by such groups.  Instead, it would strike first at the countries that sheltered them.  The president especially noted three nations as supporters of terror.  He said North Korea, Iran and Iraq threatened the United States.  

PRESIDENT BUSH: “States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis⁴ of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.  They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred⁵."

VOICE ONE:                                    

Iraq had been defeated in the Persian Gulf⁶ War of nineteen ninety-one.  The United Nations ordered Iraq to destroy all development and supply centers for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The U.N. had sent teams of weapons inspectors⁷ to make sure Iraq was following orders.  But since nineteen ninety-eight, Iraq had refused to permit U.N. weapons inspection⁸ teams into the country.

VOICE TWO:

President Bush and his administration believed Iraq was making or hiding weapons of mass destruction, known as WMDs.  He said if the United Nations failed to force Iraq to disarm⁹, the United States might launch a military attack against the country.  Mister Bush began making his case to the international community for an invasion of Iraq in a speech to the U.N. Security Council in September, two thousand two. 

Then the president asked Congress to pass a resolution giving him power to use military force against Iraq.  Congress approved the resolution in October.

In November, Iraq agreed to permit the U.N. weapons inspectors to return.   After more investigation¹⁰, the leader of the inspection team reported to the U.N. in February, two thousand three.  He said the team had found no evidence of WMDs. He also said Iraq was not cooperating with efforts to find out if suspected weapons had been destroyed and if weapons programs had been ended.

VOICE ONE:

In January, two thousand three, President Bush used his State of the Union speech to strengthen his case against Iraq.  He said British intelligence reported that Saddam Hussein had tried to buy uranium from Africa.  Uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons. But several months later, the White House said the intelligence was false.

The president wanted the U.N. to approve military force against Iraq.  Britain and Spain also supported military force.  They asked the Security Council to pass a resolution approving military action against Iraq.  But some important members of the fifteen-member Security Council opposed such action.  They included Germany, France and Russia.  They said inspections¹¹ should be increased.  They said use of force should be used only as a last choice.  The United States withdrew the resolution.

VOICE TWO:

The United States and Britain decided¹² to invade Iraq without U.N. support.  Most Americans supported the decision.  But there was widespread international opposition¹³.  In February, millions of people around the world took part in anti-war protests in hundreds of cities.  Some people argued that the United States would be violating international law by invading a nation that was not an immediate¹⁴ threat.

Mister Bush said the war was being launched to prevent Saddam from supplying weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups that might attack the United States or other countries.  He also argued that Saddam was an evil dictator who had ordered the killing¹⁵ of thousands of people and should be removed from power. 

VOICE ONE:

On March seventeenth, Mister Bush told Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq or face military action.  Saddam rejected the demand. U.N. inspection teams left Iraq four days before the American-led invasion, even though they had requested more time to complete their job.  Many international leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, criticized the war.  They said the weapons inspectors should have been given more time.

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VOICE TWO:      

On March twentieth, Iraqi time, air strikes by the United States and Britain began the effort called "Operation Iraqi Freedom.‿nbsp;  The United States said the war was meant to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism and free the Iraqi people.  A number of other countries joined the war effort.
                                                                                                       
The coalition¹⁶ quickly defeated the Iraqi military. On April ninth, United States forces took control of Baghdad.  In a dramatic event on that day, Iraqis and American forces destroyed a large statue of Saddam Hussein in the capital. The allies controlled all major Iraqi cities.  Saddam Hussein had disappeared into hiding. 

 
President Bush declares victory in Iraq on the USS Abraham Lincoln 
Another dramatic event took place on May first. President Bush landed in a plane onto the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.  Then he declared victory.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Thank you all very much.  Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans‿Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.‿/P>

VOICE ONE:

The government in Baghdad had fallen.  But a deepening conflict in Iraq lay ahead.  American troops and an American inspection team searched Iraq for WMDs.  But none were found.  That led to accusations¹⁷ against President Bush.  Critics of the war said the United States and Britain provided false evidence about Iraqi weapons programs and links to terrorists.  They said Mister Bush accepted false or misleading intelligence because he wanted to invade Iraq.  More severe critics said he knowingly used false intelligence.

VOICE TWO:

The United States turned its attention to rebuilding Iraq and establishing a new Iraqi government.  The Coalition Provisional Authority was created as a temporary government in Iraq. President Bush replaced a general with State Department official Paul Bremer as head of the Authority.  The United States remained in control of Iraq until a temporary Iraqi government could be formed. But establishing normal life in Iraq proved difficult.
                                                                                                   
People rioted and stole things from government buildings, museums, banks and military storage centers.   In many places there was little or no electric power, running water or waste removal.  The Coalition Provisional Authority dismissed the Iraqi army and the government. Those people now had no jobs.

The presence of foreigners in their country angered many Iraqis.  Some denounced what they called the occupation force. Militants¹⁸ attacked coalition troops.  They also attacked Iraqis and international organizations seen as cooperating with American forces.  In some areas, longtime religious differences between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims became armed disputes. 

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VOICE ONE:

The invasion of Iraq was the most widely and closely reported war in military history.  At the start of the war, as many as seven hundred reporters and photographers were living and traveling with the troops.  Also, for the first time in history, troops on the front lines were able to provide direct reporting through Web logs, or blogs, they posted on the Internet.

VOICE TWO:

 
Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein after being arrested near his Tikrit home 
In December, two thousand three, United States forces captured Saddam Hussein hiding on a farm near Tikrit.  Iraqi officials said he would be tried for crimes against the Iraqi people.  But the declaration of an end to "major combat operations" and the capture of Saddam did not mean that peace would soon return to Iraq.       

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VOICE ONE:

This program, THE MAKING OF A NATION, was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Jill Moss¹⁹. This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember.  Join us again next week when we will tell about other major policies during President Bush's first term in office. You can find our series about the history of the United States on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

5 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

9 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。

13 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。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 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。

16 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。

17 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

18 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。

19 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。