VOA标准英语2010年-Petraeus Cites Progress, But Says Diff

CENTCOM Commander Gen. David Patraeus, (l), talks with Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Saxby Chambliss, prior to testifying before the committee, 16 March 2010

General Petraeus Says Training of Afghan Security Forces is Being Overhauled¹
The commander who oversees² U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan has cited progress in both places, but also warned of uncertain times ahead. General David Petraeus appeared in Washington Tuesday before the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee.

General Petraeus says the recent operation in and around the town of Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand Province is just the beginning of a long, difficult effort to reverse the expansion of Taliban influence and establish security and stability.
 
"The civil-military campaign on which we have embarked³ in Afghanistan will unfold over the next 18 months, and as many of us have observed, the going is likely to get harder before it gets easier," he said.

General Petraeus says the Taliban will fight hard to maintain control of key areas. And he warned senators not to expect a dramatic reduction of violence in Afghanistan this year. "2010 will be a difficult year, a year that will see progress and a reversal of Taliban momentum⁴ in important areas, but also a year in which there will be tough fighting and periodic setbacks," he said.

Still, General Petraeus endorsed⁵ President Barack Obama's decision to begin to transfer security responsibility to Afghan forces by July of next year. He said the expansion and training of the Afghan forces is a key to reaching that goal, and added that the United States is looking for ways to fill the gap in trainers left by the failure of NATO allies to provide as many as had been hoped for.

The general also called Pakistan's recent operations against Taliban and al-Qaida elements "impressive," and said coordination⁶ with U.S. forces on the Afghan side of the border has made it more difficult for the militants⁷ to move from one country to the other.

Regarding General Petraeus' other main responsibility, the continuing U.S. military effort in Iraq, he said there has been substantial progress, and he cited the mostly peaceful election earlier this month as evidence. But the general warned that insurgents⁹ still have the ability to create significant problems. "As always, however, the progress in Iraq is still fragile, and it could still be reversed," he said.

Still, General Petraeus said his forces are on track to reduce their presence from the current level of 96,000 to 50,000 by the end of August, as President Obama has ordered. But the general confirmed he may decide to keep an additional command center in the country to help the Iraqis deal with tensions with the Kurds. Still, he said that would be within the 50,000 overall number and within the new 'advise and assist' mission.

General Petraeus also expressed continuing concern about militant⁸ activities in Yemen, although he said recent operations by the country's military have improved the situation.

And he called Iran "the major state-level threat to regional stability," accusing its leaders of supporting violent groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and, to a lesser¹⁰ extent, Afghanistan. The general said he believes Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon, but he does not expect the process to be completed this year.
 

1 overhauled   

v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

3 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

9 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

10 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。