2007年VOA标准英语-Congressional Appropriators Express Misgivings

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, D.C.
19 February 2007
 
watch Appropriations¹ report

On the same day that the U.S. House expressed its disapproval² of sending more troops to Iraq, the White House asked lawmakers to approve additional money for Iraq's economic recovery. A House subcommittee hearing the request voiced skepticism not only about supplemental appropriations, but also the Bush administration's management of the war.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky has more.

 
Condoleezza Rice (file photo)
During opening remarks at a Capitol Hill hearing Friday, the chair of the House Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York, expressed "grave misgivings³" about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  She directed her remarks at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"The war in Iraq was ill-conceived, poorly planned, and incompetently⁴ executed, and we are now mired⁵ in an ethnic⁶ and religious civil war which threatens to destabilize not only Iraq, but the entire region," said the congresswoman.

The senior minority member on the subcommittee, Congressman⁷ Frank Wolf of Virginia, initiated⁸ the law that created the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.  That group's recommendations for Iraq include U.S. diplomatic engagement of Syria and Iraq.  Congressman Wolf noted⁹ that diplomacy¹⁰ should be a sign of national self-confidence and asked Secretary Rice why the administration is not talking to Syria and Iran.

"We don't have an ideological¹¹ problem with talking to Syria. It's just a question of whether the talk is actually going to produce anything," she replied.

"One never knows until one tries," responded Congressman Wolf.

Regarding Iran, Secretary Rice tied possible talks to the U.N.'s demands that Tehran suspend its nuclear program. "I want to renew the request to Iran: Suspend your enrichment and reprocessing activities as is required by the resolutions and I'll meet anywhere, any time, anyplace with my counterparts to talk about any issue that Iran wishes to talk about."

The subcommittee also reviewed the war against Taleban terrorists being waged in Afghanistan.  Congressman Jerry Lewis of California noted that terrorists are funding their activities by selling narcotics¹² produced by the opium¹³ poppy. 

Secretary Rice said funds are needed to encourage planting of substitute crops. "One of the problems that Afghanistan has is that poppy is actually something that doesn't spoil, whereas many of the crops that you would substitute do. And without a road network and a developed economy for agriculture, it's difficult to do that.  So there's a saying that the Taleban begins where the road ends. And we are trying very hard to increase Afghanistan's road network."

The State Department's supplemental request totals $6 billion for economic development in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia and Kosovo.  More than half of that sum is for Iraqi reconstruction¹⁴.  Additional hearings are expected before lawmakers vote to approve or reject the added appropriations.

1 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

2 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

3 misgivings   

n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧

参考例句：

• I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
• Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后， 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 incompetently   

adv.无能力地

参考例句：

• He did the job rather incompetently. 这项工作他做的相当不好。 来自互联网
• When the Republicans have stuck by their principles, they have done so incompetently. 当共和党忠于其原则时，他们是如此无能。 来自互联网

5 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

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 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

11 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

12 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

14 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。