VOA标准英语2013--US to Send Missile Defenses to Guam

 

US to Send Missile Defenses to Guam

As the rhetoric² from the North has become louder, so have the warnings from U.S. military leaders that they are prepared to respond to any action from Pyongyang against the United States and its allies.

The Pentagon is sending its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense¹ missile system - seen here in a test in 2009 - to Guam in the latest signal that Washington will do what it takes to defend its interests.

Guam is one of the places North Korea has threatened to strike, along with South Korea, Hawaii and the continental³ United States.

The threats may seem implausible, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says they cannot be ignored.

“We take those threats seriously," said Chuck Hagel. "We have to take those threats seriously. I think we’ve had measured responsible, serious responses to those threats.”

The U.S. is carrying out routine, joint⁴ exercises with South Korea. But U.S. forces have recently intensified⁵ their display of might, flying long-range bombers⁶, including B-2 stealth bombers, over the Korean Peninsula that are capable of taking out nuclear installations. The U.S. Navy has also positioned anti-missile destroyers in the area.

For U.S. officials, the key is to avoid miscalculations that, in the worst case, could touch off a nuclear conflict.

“It only takes being wrong once and I don’t want to be the Secretary of Defense who was wrong once," said Hagel.

Putting missile defense on Guam marks a significant step for the United States - one it says is a precautionary move meant to strengthen the capabilities⁷ of American forces in the region - just in case North Korea’s threats turn out to be real. 

1 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。

2 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

3 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓