VOA标准英语2008年-Australian Combat Troops End Iraq Deployment

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
02 June 2008

Australian combat troops have begun leaving Iraq. Their departure fulfills¹ an election promise by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who pledged to pull his country's out of Iraq by the middle of 2008. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
　

Australian combat team Waler arrives at a parade signalling the end of operations at Tallil and handing over security responsibility to US forces, 01 June 2008

For Australia's 550 combat soldiers, the war in Iraq is over.

They have begun leaving their base at Tallil, 300 kilometers south of Baghdad, where they have been helping² to train Iraqi security forces.

They have handed their military responsibilities over to American units.

In southern Iraq, a ceremony was held to mark Australia's exit from a conflict that has been widely unpopular back home.

The commanding officer of Australia's Overwatch Battle Group, Lieutenant³ Colonel Chris Websdane, told the departing soldiers that their mission had been a success.

"The work here is now done and it's time to return to your families and loved ones. You should be proud of your achievements. I am," he said. "You should be proud of your personal sacrifices and the part you have all played in bringing hope and prosperity to the people of Al Muthanna and Dhi Qar."

There also were words of appreciation⁴ from U.S. Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, who is commander of the Multinational⁵ Corps⁶ in Iraq...

"The Overwatch Battle Group was instrumental in establishing self-sustaining governance and security in Al Muthanna, in improving the security situation in Dhi Qar, and in the continued development of the Iraqi security forces," he said.

Some Australian military personnel will remain in Iraq to protect diplomats⁷ and a navy vessel⁸ will continue to patrol the Persian Gulf⁹.

The withdrawal¹⁰ of Australian combat troops fulfills a campaign promise of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who was swept into office in November largely on the promise that he would bring the soldiers home by the middle of 2008.

Mr. Rudd said Australia's deployment¹¹ in Iraq had made his country more of a target for terrorism and that the reasons for going to war in the Persian Gulf were flawed.

The government in Canberra has been eager to stress that the Iraq pull-out would not damage its close alliance with the United States.

Prime Minister Rudd remains¹² committed to keeping Australia's one-thousand troops in Afghanistan.

1 fulfills   

v.履行（诺言等）( fulfill的第三人称单数 )；执行（命令等）；达到（目的）；使结束

参考例句：

• He always fulfills his promises. 他总是履行自己的诺言。 来自辞典例句
• His own work amply fulfills this robust claim. 他自己的作品在很大程度上实现了这一正确主张。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

4 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

5 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 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》

8 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

9 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。

10 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。

11 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

12 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。