VOA标准英语2009年-Debate Over Italian Troop Withdrawal from

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
18 September 2009

 
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a press conference in Rome, 19 Sep 2009
The killing¹ of six Italian soldiers in Afghanistan has re-ignited the debate over whether troops should be withdrawn² from the country. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has assured the nation that a reduction of the troops deployed³ in the war-ravaged country has already been planned.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says Italy is looking to discuss a "transition strategy" in Afghanistan to transfer security duties to Afghan forces and allow foreign troops to progressively pull out. He was speaking a day after Italy suffered its deadliest attack to date in Afghanistan.

Six Italian soldiers were killed in Kabul on Thursday when a suicide bomber⁴ ran his explosive laden⁵ car into two military vehicles. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Despite the debate over troop withdrawal⁶, Mr. Berlusconi says Italy remains⁷ committed to defending democracy in Afghanistan.

He said, "We are all convinced it's best for everybody to get out soon" adding that Italian troops had been increased in Afghanistan for the recent elections.

He says Italy already had plans to bring home some 400 to 500 troops. He also said, however, that further withdrawal of any of Italy's remaining 2,800 soldiers is not a decision that Italy can take on its own but needs to be taken with the other countries involved in the mission.

A recent poll showed 58 percent of Italians want troops out of Afghanistan; 40 percent believe the mission has become "a war operation". Analysts⁸ say those figures are expected to significantly rise following the latest deaths.

Italian authorities say the bodies of the dead soldiers will return to Italy on Sunday morning. Autopsies⁹ will be carried out and the following day state funerals will be held. Monday has been declared a national day of mourning. A minute of silence will be observed in schools and public offices.

1 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。

2 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

6 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。

7 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。

8 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

9 autopsies   

n.尸体解剖( autopsy的名词复数 )；验尸；现场验证；实地观察

参考例句：

• Autopsies cannot be performed and thus no recent histological examinations have been reported. 不能进行尸体解剖，因此没有新近的组织学检查的报道。 来自辞典例句
• I told you to supervise autopsies, not to set up a lot of fancy rules. 我叫你监督解剖室，不是去制定一些空想的规定。 来自辞典例句