VOA标准英语2008年-Petraeus Ends Momentous Command Tour in Iraq

The coalition¹ commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has left his post after a momentous² year and a half, during which he is widely credited with turning around the fight against a variety of insurgent³ groups. He will now become the overall commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Baghdad.

At a ceremony crowded with senior military officers and ordinary soldiers, in one of Saddam Hussein's old palaces, the new commander, General Ray Odierno took command of 146,000 U.S. troops, and thousands of coalition elements, plus the job of training Iraqi's new forces and coordinating⁴ operations with them.
　
General Raymond Odierno (File)

"Where chaos⁵ reigned⁶, hope now prevails, and there is a growing belief in a bright and prosperous future here in this ancient land," Odierno said. "Under the exceptional leadership of General Petraeus, the men and women of Multinational⁷ Force, Iraq, along with our brave Iraqi partners, have created this hope, and you should be tremendously proud of all you've accomplished⁸. However, we must realize that these gains are fragile and reversible, and our work here is far from done."

General Odierno was General Petraeus' deputy until earlier this year. Petraeus spoke⁹ about what has been done in Iraq during his tenure¹⁰, and about the work that lies ahead.

"Above all to our troopers, thank you for your courage, determination, commitment, sacrifice and skill," Petraeus said. "Indeed, you and our Iraqi partners stemmed the tide of violence and helped this country step back from the brink¹¹ of civil war. Clearly, innumerable challenges confront the new Iraq, and much hard work lies ahead. But the progress you and our Iraqi partners have achieved has been of enormous importance."

Defense¹² Secretary Robert Gates and other officials flew all the way from Washington to attend the change of command.

"When General Petraeus took charge 19 months ago, darkness had descended¹³ on this land," Gates said. "Death was commonplace. Around the world, questions mounted whether a new strategy, or any strategy for that matter, could make a real difference. Slowly, but inexorably, the tide began to turn. Our enemies took a fearsome beating they will not soon forget. The situation here is much different today."

Secretary Gates says General Odierno's job will be somewhat different from his predecessor's. While General Petraeus had to turn the course of a conflict seemingly spinning out of control, the secretary says General Odierno now needs to consolidate¹⁴ stability, further increase the training of the Iraqi forces and speed the process of handing them control of their own country. Senior military officers warn not to go too fast and risk repeating the setbacks of two years ago, but they also make clear, as do U.S. and Iraqi politicians, that that is the direction they are going.

 

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 momentous   

adj.重要的，重大的

参考例句：

• I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合，我深感荣幸。
• The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。

3 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。

4 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

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 reigned   

vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静，一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 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。

8 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

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 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

11 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

12 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。

13 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

14 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。