2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan

By Paula Wolfson
New Delhi
01 March 2006

President Bush has made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. Mr. Bush made a secret detour¹ to Kabul on his way to talks in India and Pakistan.

President Bush says he wanted to come to Afghanistan to show his support for the young democratic government of Hamid Karzai.

Presidents George W. Bush and Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday  
  
"Our commitment is firm," he said. "Our desire is to see this country flourish and set a great example not only in the neighborhood but around the world."

The trip was kept secret until the very last minute.

It was not officially announced until the blue and white U.S. presidential jet landed at the Bagram military base, north of Kabul.

Mr. Bush's motorcade sped him into the capital city, where he met for the first time on Afghan soil with President Hamid Karzai. Security was extremely tight, with helicopters buzzing overhead and military vehicles on patrol.

During a brief session with reporters at Afghanistan's presidential palace, President Karzai spoke² of the progress that has been made since U.S. and coalition³ forces ousted⁴ the Taleban regime in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida terrorists.

"Mr. President, welcome to Afghanistan. We owe a great deal in this country's rebuilding, peace, democracy, the strong steps toward the future, to your support," he said.

Roughly 18,000 U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan, many of them engaged in the search for Taleban and al-Qaida leaders.

Mr. Bush says he is confident al-Qaida's chief, Osama bin⁵ Laden⁶, will be found.

"What's happening is we have U.S. forces on the hunt for not only bin Laden but anybody who plots and plans with bin Laden," he said.

President Bush also used his visit to reaffirm his stand on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Once again, he signaled support for a Russian compromise that would provide Iran with fuel for its nuclear power plants - fuel that would ultimately be returned to Russia. He said Iran should be allowed to develop nuclear energy for civilian⁷ use, but there must be no danger of technology being diverted for military purposes.

"Iran must not have a nuclear weapon," the president said. "The most destabilizing thing that can happen in this region and in the world is for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, and so the world is speaking with one voice."

After the news conference, the president took part in a ceremony officially opening the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He also met with American and NATO troops stationed at Bagram Air Force Base before heading on to India.

1 detour   

n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道

参考例句：

• We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走，避开繁忙的交通。
• He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家，而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。

2 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。

3 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。

4 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

5 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。

6 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。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。