VOA常速英语2008年-US Legislators Press for Definitive Answers on

By Michael Bowman
Washington
13 April 2008

Senior U.S. legislators of both political parties say critical questions remain unanswered concerning America's strategy in Iraq, despite days of testimony¹ before Congress by the top U.S. military commander in Iraq as well as the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman reports.

Last week saw General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker tell members of Congress that significant military progress has been achieved in Iraq over the last year, but that the country's improved security situation is fragile and could be reversed.

Accordingly, General Petraeus said he is recommending that President Bush continue with a modest drawdown of last year's U.S. troop surge in Iraq, and then hold troop levels steady for a period of months to assess the situation.

The general's words failed to impress the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joseph Biden of Delaware, who spoke² on CNN's Late Edition program.

"He [Petraeus] is saying, 'Look, we have made some progress," said Senator Biden. "We have not made a lot of progress, and what little progress we have made is reversible.' The reason it is reversible is not so much [that the U.S. is] drawing down troops, the reason is that what little political accommodation has been made [by Iraqi leaders] is very fragile. The whole deal [reason] for this surge was to provide breathing space so the parties that are killing³ each other - Sunni-Shi'a, Shi'a-Shi'a - stop killing one another. There is no evidence that that has been done."

Even the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, says the Petraus-Crocker testimony left him with doubts. Lugar also spoke on Late Edition.

"I thought the hearing demonstrated that we do not have, still, a definition of success or victory [in Iraq]," said Senator Lugar. "As a matter of fact, I asked General Petraeus for some idea of a formula for how the politics of Iraq might turn out. He really had no response to this [question]."

President Bush has said that, as security improves in Iraq, U.S. forces will be brought home so long as their absence does not put progress in Iraq at risk. He has refused to agree to a timetable for withdrawals⁴, saying reductions in troop levels will be determined⁵ by conditions on the ground in Iraq that are impossible to predict in advance.

Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation program, Defense⁶ Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged Congress' impatience⁷ to arrive at a definitive⁸ endgame for America's involvement in Iraq. But he said the situation in Iraq remains⁹ fluid and fragile, and under such circumstances the United States must keep its future options open and flexible.

"I think people want certainty about things that no one can know," said Secretary Gates. "Very few would have thought a year ago that things would be as good as they are in Iraq despite the challenges that remain before us now."

Gates added that Iran's influence in Iraq, as well as al-Qaida's continued presence in the country, constitute additional complicating¹⁰ factors that must be taken into account in determining America's course of action in Iraq.

1 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

2 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。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 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。

7 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

8 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。