VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - Political Tensions Grow

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Iraqis elected a new parliament in March. There was no clear winner. And five months later there is still no agreement on a coalition¹ government.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council called on the politicians to settle their differences. It urged them to form "as quickly as possible, a government that is inclusive and represents the will of the Iraqi people."

The top United Nations diplomat² in Iraq says the delays are creating conditions that opponents of democracy could use for their own gain. Ad Melkert told the Security Council that the delays affect the rebuilding of basic services in Iraq. He said Iraqis average about nine hours a day without electric power.

President Obama talked about Iraq in a speech Monday to the Disabled American Veterans Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

BARACK OBAMA: "Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility. And I made it clear that by August thirty-first, two thousand ten, America's combat mission in Iraq would end. And that is exactly what we are doing, as promised, on schedule."

A member of the new Iraqi parliament speaks on the phone in June

The president said American forces have already closed or turned over hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. By the end of this month, he said, the United States will have brought home more than ninety thousand troops.

He said the mission in Iraq is changing from a military effort led by troops to a civilian³ effort led by diplomats⁴.

Violence in Iraq has decreased over the last three years. But there are still bombings and shootings daily. Insurgents⁵ often target the Iraqi army and police.

Around fifty thousand American troops will remain in Iraq. They will train Iraqi soldiers and support counterterrorism operations. They will also protect the civilian efforts.

United States soldiers board a plane at Baghdad International Airport in July to start their trip home

The goal is for all troops to leave Iraq by the end of next year.

President Obama also wants to begin a withdrawal⁶ from Afghanistan next July. He is sending more troops for now, though.

But this week, Mr. Obama could report apparent success in a different sort of battle -- against the largest accidental oil spill ever at sea.

BARACK OBAMA: "So the long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is finally close to coming to an end."

The BP company pumped heavy drilling fluids, known as mud, into the top of its damaged well in the Gulf⁷ of Mexico. The process is called a static kill. Workers later added cement to harden in the well to seal it permanently⁸.

As a final step there are plans to pump in mud and cement from below through relief wells. That could happen later this month.

A worker involved in the "static kill" operation this week

The government now thinks close to five million barrels of oil leaked into the gulf between April and the middle of July, when the spill was contained.

Recovery efforts will continue. But Jane Lubchenco, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁹ Administration, says most of the oil in the Gulf of Mexico is now gone.

JANE LUBCHENCO: "At least fifty percent of the oil that was released is now completely gone from the system and most of the remainder is degrading rapidly or being removed from the beaches."

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
___

Includes reporting by Margaret Besheer, Kent Klein, Elizabeth Lee, Cindy Saine and Dan Robinson

 

1 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。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 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。

4 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

9 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。