2006年VOA标准英语-Top US General Upbeat on Iraq

By Michael Bowman
Washington
05 March 2006

A gun battle at a Sunni Mosque¹ in Baghdad has left three people dead and several others wounded, while two relatives of a prominent Sunni leader were gunned down in another part of the Iraqi capital. Despite the latest violence in Iraq, America's top military officer gave an upbeat assessment² of progress in the country.

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General Peter Pace
  

The chairman of the Joint³ Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace says, while day-to-day violence in Iraq grabs international headlines, a larger picture is emerging that gives hope for the future. The general discussed the Iraqi situation on NBC's Meet the Press program.

"I would not put a great big smiley face on it [the situation is not perfect], but I would say they [trends in Iraq] are going very, very well, whether it be on the political side, where they have had three elections, they have written their own constitution, they are forming their own government," said General Pace. "You look at the military side, where, this time last year, there were just a handful of Iraqi battalions⁴ in the field. Now, there are over 100 battalions in the field. No matter where you look at their military, their police, their society, things are much better this year than they were last [year]."

Recent public opinion polls show 60 percent or more of Americans are pessimistic about U.S. efforts in Iraq. General Pace said the news media is not covering Iraq as thoroughly⁵ as it once did, and that, as a result, Americans are only hearing about bloodshed and strife⁶.
 

Congressman⁷ John Murtha  
  
But an outspoken⁸ critic of President Bush, Democratic Congressman John Murtha, says there is no reason to believe the administration, or the nation's top military commanders, when it comes to Iraq.

"This administration, including this president, has mischaracterized this war for the last two years," said Congressman Murtha. "First of all, they said it will take 40,000 [U.S.] troops to settle this thing [control Iraq] right after the invasion. Then they said there is no insurgency¹⁰ - they [insurgents] are 'dead-enders' [people with no future] is what the secretary of defense¹¹ said. There were no nuclear weapons there. There were no biological weapons there. There was no al-Qaida connection [to Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion]. So, why would I believe the chairman of the joint chiefs when he says things are going well?"

Murtha, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war, spoke⁹ on CBS' Face the Nation program. He said the United States has become embroiled¹² in a civil war in Iraq, depleting¹³ manpower and resources from the broader war on terrorism. He said only Iraqis can quell¹⁴ the violence that grips their nation, and that America's military presence is making the situation worse.

 
Adnan Pachachi
  
That view is not shared by former Iraqi Foreign Minister and current parliament member Adnan Pachachi. Speaking on CNN's Late Edition program, the Sunni politician downplayed the possibility of an all-out civil war in Iraq, which some have feared, following an attack on a Shi'ite holy site that sparked reprisals¹⁵ against Sunni Arabs.

"There are a lot of tensions, but no civil war," said Adnan Pachachi. "It is really the armed militias¹⁶ and certain fanatic¹⁷ groups that are really engaged in most of the acts of violence. The idea that all the Shi'as will fight all the Sunnis in Iraq - this is not a possibility at all."

Pachachi stressed the importance of forming a government of national unity¹⁸ as a first step toward improving Iraq's security situation.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari is facing growing pressure to step down and abandon his bid for a new term. The prime minister has been accused of not doing enough to prevent violence in the aftermath of last month's bombing of a Shi'ite shrine¹⁹. Some critics say his departure could boost prospects²⁰ for forming a new government.

1 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 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。

4 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

9 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。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 depleting   

使大大的减少，使空虚( deplete的现在分词 )； 耗尽，使枯竭

参考例句：

• Regulations are outlawing certain refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which contain ozone-depleting chemicals. 随后出台的政策禁用了部分制冷剂，如破坏臭氧层的氟氯碳化合物。
• Aging, being a series of continual losses, can be keenly depleting. 老龄化，作为一个系列的连续亏损，可以清楚地消耗。

14 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

15 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

17 fanatic   

n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a football fanatic.亚历山大是个足球迷。
• I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.我不是宗教狂热分子，但我是基督徒。

18 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。

19 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

20 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。