VOA标准英语2010年-General Petraeus Says Training of Afgh

Petraeus Cites Progress, But Says Difficult, Uncertain Year Ahead in Afghanistan, Iraq
The commander who oversees¹ U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan says the training of Afghan security forces is being "overhauled²."  General David Petraeus told U.S. lawmakers the changes are based on lessons learned in Iraq. He also spoke³ about a move involving U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan.

Training procedures for Afghan police and security forces are being overhauled, said General Petraeus, to avoid some of the mistakes made in Iraq.

He said US trainers in Afghanistan must learn from what was a "flawed" strategy in Iraq. "You know, we should recruit, train, and then assign police. Not recruit, assign, and try to get them back to training. Again, that was a flawed approach and we have to take the time to do that.."

Petraeus said to members of the House Armed Services Committee pay raises and bonuses have helped improve results among Afghan recruits.

But he said it's too soon to tell if Afghan troops will be ready to assume control as  U.S. forces leave.  

In another development, General Stanley McChrystal, the Commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, has brought most American special operations forces under his control for the first time.

Petraeus denied media reports linking the decision to concerns that special operation forces were not doing enough to limit civilian⁴ casualties.

Petraeus said he ordered the move for other reasons.  "The reason it was done was to help General McChrystal achieve greater unity⁵ of effort among all of his forces. And again, that's why this applied⁶ to more than just Special Operations forces," he said.

Petraeus said various marine⁷, air force, and army units already have been moved under McChrystal's command, for the same reason. 

General McChrystal has made reducing civilian deaths a top priority in a bid to win the loyalty⁸ of Afghan civilians⁹.

In at least two incidents in February,  NATO airstrikes missed their targets, killing¹⁰ nearly 40 civilians in southern Afghanistan. 

Immediately after one of the strikes, General McChrystal apologized on TV to the Afghan people.

In recent months, NATO has limited air strikes and tightened¹¹ rules of engagement on the battlefield.

 

1 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

2 overhauled   

v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 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。

5 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。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 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。

11 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。