VOA标准英语2010年-US Sees New Afghan Strategy Working

A group of Afghan National Army soldiers arrive at Shorabak base, Nad Ali district, Helmend province, southern Afghanistan, Sunday, 14 Feb. 2010

US Commander Makes Televised Apology for Afghan Deaths in NATO Strike
“Our adversaries¹ are cunning, they are adaptable², they are tenacious³ and we will need to continually reaffirm our commitment and refine our tactics in response” - U.S. Under Secretary of Defense⁴ Michele Flourney

The Obama administration says the recently launched new approach to the Afghan war has seen success, but adds many challenges remain in defeating insurgents⁵ and winning over the support of the Afghan people.

The fundamental shift in the coalition⁶’s approach to the war in Afghanistan “has been extremely successful,” according to U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy.  “Compared to a year ago," she said, "Afghans today report they are far more optimistic about the future and have far more confidence in our ability to prevail over the Taliban and other violent extremists.”

Flournoy's comments came in testimony⁷ Monday before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Our adversaries are cunning, they are adaptable, they are tenacious and we will need to continually reaffirm our commitment and refine our tactics in response” Flournoy told the lawmakers.

“I don’t want to suggest that achieving success will be simple or easy – far from it – we have many challenges as we move forward”, Flourney said. “We need to prepare for the possibility that things may get harder before they get better.”
The official said she is “cautiously optimistic” the coalition objectives will be met in Afghanistan.

Last week, President Obama ordered the first combat deployments of his presidency⁸, authorizing⁹ an additional 17,000 U.S. troops "to stabilize¹⁰ a deteriorating¹¹ situation" in Afghanistan.

The new deployments, to begin in May, will increase the U.S. force in Afghanistan by nearly 50 percent, bringing it to 55,000 by mid-summer, along with 32,000 non-U.S. NATO troops.

The forces are targeting the insurgency¹², securing key population centers and increasing the training of Afghan security forces.

 

1 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

2 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

3 tenacious   

adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的

参考例句：

• We must learn from the tenacious fighting spirit of Lu Xun.我们要学习鲁迅先生韧性的战斗精神。
• We should be tenacious of our rights.我们应坚决维护我们的权利。

4 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。

5 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 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。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。

10 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

11 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

12 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网