2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Calls for Progress on New Iraqi Gover

By Scott Stearns
White House
19 April 2006

President Bush makes a statement on the Global War on Terror, Wednesday, April 19, 2006, on the South Lawn at the White House. Standing¹ with Bush is his brother Florida Gov. Jeb Bush   
  
President Bush says Iraqi politicians must move quickly to form a government of national unity², warning that a power vacuum will only bring more violence. Iraqi politicians remain deadlocked³.

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President Bush says the political process in Iraq must begin to show progress soon.

"We fully⁴ recognize that the Iraqis must step up and form a unity government so that those who went to the polls to vote recognize that a government will be in place to respond to their needs," Mr. Bush says. "We also recognize that vacuums in the political process create opportunity for malfeasance and harm."

Shi'ite, Sunni Arab, and Kurdish politicians have not been able to agree on who will serve as the nation's next prime minister.  Current Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari remains⁵ the candidate of the dominant⁶ Shi'ite block in parliament. Sunni and Kurdish leaders want a change, saying he has not done enough to stop violence.

President Bush spoke⁷ following a breakfast meeting with the governors of four American states who last weekend visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq.

Mr. Bush says the U.S. goal in Afghanistan and Iraq remains total victory.

"Victory will be achieved when there is a democracy in both countries that is able to sustain itself and defend itself," he says.

The president is continuing to speak out about Iraq at a time of record low public approval ratings and falling public support for the war.  A USA Today / Gallup poll this month shows 32-percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of the war, 65 percent disapprove⁸.  The poll says 57 percent now believe it was a mistake to invade Iraq.

Mr. Bush says he is certain it was the right decision to topple Saddam Hussein and the move will ultimately make America safer.

"I do not expect everybody to agree with my decision to go into Iraq, but I do want the people to understand, the American people to understand, that failure in Iraq is not an option, that failure in Iraq would make the security situation for our country worse, and that success in Iraq will begin to lay the foundation of peace for generations to come," he says.

The president says Iraq is a central front in the broader fight against terrorism and it is better to fight those enemies abroad than at home.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

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 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

7 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。

8 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。