2006年VOA标准英语-US Congressional Report Criticizes Bush Adminis

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
11 July 2006

 
US Marines on patrol in Iraq (File photo) 
  
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent investigative arm of Congress, has released a report that criticizes the Bush Administration's strategy for success in Iraq. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad acknowledged what he described as "significant" sectarian violence there, but rejected suggestions that the country is in the midst of a civil war.

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The Government Accountability Office issued a report Tuesday saying the U.S. government's strategy for stabilizing¹ Iraq does address security, political and economic objectives in Iraq, but does not adequately or effectively describe how to achieve those goals.

Top GAO official David Walker told a congressional hearing other concerns about the Bush strategy involve how U.S. interests match Iraqi and international interests. "It does not fully² address how U.S. goals and objectives will be integrated with those of the Iraqi government and with the international community. And, further, it does not detail the Iraqi government's anticipated contribution to its future security and reconstruction³ needs," he said.

Meanwhile, across town, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, acknowledged there is ongoing⁴ violence there, but said he would not define the chaos⁵ as a civil war. "There is a sectarian conflict, focused in Baghdad right now. But the state institutions are holding. The leaders of the different communities are in the government. They've said they want to stay in the government," he said.

The U.S. military death toll⁶ from the Iraq war stands at more than 2,500 casualties. Meanwhile, attacks in and around Baghdad also continue to kill scores of Iraqi security forces and civilians⁷, including at least 30 people on Tuesday.

Khalilzad rejected calls for U.S. troops to immediately withdraw and warned that what he called a precipitous departure from Iraq could be destabilizing for the region and for the world. He said the United States is already in Iraq, and so should be responsible for helping⁸ to usher⁹ in some sort of positive finish. "We have to do everything that we can, as good people, thinking about our own future and the future of the world, and the future of Iraqis, that we have played a role in this, that we do what we can to have a good end in terms of what we have started," he said.

He said there are several positive developments that should give Americans optimism about prospects¹⁰ for a more stable Iraq. First of all, he pointed¹¹ to the greater political participation¹² of Sunni Muslims, who make up about 40 percent of Iraq's population and who had boycotted¹³ elections in January 2005. He added that some insurgent¹⁴ groups have asked the Iraqi government to provide them with arms, so they can fight the foreign terrorists.

1 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 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。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

10 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。

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

13 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

14 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。