VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Meets With Afghan Governors

By Scott Stearns
White House
08 April 2008

President Bush met with Afghan governors to discuss security and economic progress in Afghanistan. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush wants more NATO troops backing the government of Hamid Karzai.

President Bush met with eight Afghan governors who have been touring the United States. He says they spoke¹ about unemployment and improving security for the young democracy in Kabul.

"One of the things that really matters in democracy is that local governance is strong and good and honest, that the people are being able to see the benefits of democracy," Mr. Bush said.  "It's hard work in Afghanistan, but I told these leaders I think it is necessary work."

All members of the NATO alliance have troops in Afghanistan. But some have limited their deployments to safer areas where combat with Taleban militia³ is less likely. At the NATO summit earlier this month, President Bush again called for more troops from more member states on the frontlines.

Alliance leaders pledged more than 1,800 additional troops for the NATO force in Afghanistan.

Denmark says it will boost the number of helicopters and staff in Afghanistan by the middle of the year and France said it would deploy² several hundred additional troops in the country. Poland pledged to send eight helicopters and 400 more soldiers. Italy, Romania and Greece agreed to add training teams for the Afghan army.

1 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。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。