VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Addresses West Point Grads

President Barack Obama covers his heart during the National Anthem¹ at the commencement and commissioning ceremony at the US Military Academy in West Point, NY, 22 May 22 2010

President Barack Obama says he is confident the United States will succeed in the war in Afghanistan, but that it needs the commitment of its allies to do so.  The president spoke² Saturday to graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, many of whom will soon go to war.

In his commencement address, President Obama told the cadets he believes the nature of the war in Afghanistan has changed since it began in 2001, but that it is no less important today.

"There will be difficult days ahead," said President Obama.  "We will adapt, we will persist, and I have no doubt that together with our Afghan and international partners, we will succeed in Afghanistan."

This was Mr. Obama's second visit to the academy at West Point, New York, where in December he announced that he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Most of the 1,000 graduates will serve as Army second lieutenants³, many of them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Obama said in those conflicts and elsewhere, U.S. military will require cooperation from the nation's allies.

"The burdens of this century cannot fall on our soldiers alone," he added.  "It also cannot fall on American shoulders alone.  Our adversaries⁴ would like to see America sap its strength by overextending our power.  And in the past, we have always had the foresight⁵ to avoid acting⁶ alone."

Some NATO allies have questioned their commitment to the Afghan war.  The government of the Netherlands collapsed⁷ in February after the prime minister tried to keep Dutch forces in Afghanistan from returning home this year.  Also, Canada plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan next year.

But President Obama said fighting terrorism is as important now as when the Afghan war began in the days after the September, 2001 terrorist attacks. 

"Al-Qaida and its affiliates⁸ are small men on the wrong side of history," said Obama.  "They lead no nation. They lead no religion. We need not give in to fear every time a terrorist tries to scare us."

Fierce fighting is expected in the coming months, when the U.S. and its allies start an offensive in Kandahar province, the Taliban's birthplace.  But Mr. Obama told the West Point graduates that Americans have faced stiff challenges before.

"We are the United States of America, and we have repaired our union, and faced down fascism, and outlasted⁹ communism," said Mr. Obama.  "We have gone through turmoil¹⁰.  We have gone through civil war, and we have come out stronger, and we will do so once more." 

The president said a fundamental part of U.S. global strategy is to live up to the nation's principles and support basic human rights.

"When an individual is being silenced, we aim to be her voice," he added.  "Where ideas are suppressed, we provide space for open debate. Where democratic institutions take hold, we add a wind at their back.  When humanitarian¹¹ disaster strikes, we extend a hand. Where human dignity is denied, America opposes poverty and is a source of opportunity.  That is who we are. That is what we do."

Mr. Obama honored the 78 West Point graduates who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he again said the U.S. is poised¹² to end its combat mission in Iraq in the next few months.
 

1 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

2 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。

3 lieutenants   

n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员

参考例句：

• In the army, lieutenants are subordinate to captains. 在陆军中，中尉是上尉的下级。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lieutenants now cap at 1.5 from 1. Recon at 1. 中尉现在由1人口增加的1.5人口。侦查小组成员为1人口。 来自互联网

4 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

5 foresight   

n.先见之明，深谋远虑

参考例句：

• The failure is the result of our lack of foresight.这次失败是由于我们缺乏远虑而造成的。
• It required a statesman's foresight and sagacity to make the decision.作出这个决定需要政治家的远见卓识。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

8 affiliates   

附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
• For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如，这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中，就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。

9 outlasted   

v.比…长久，比…活得长( outlast的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I outlasted several downsizings but the last one included me. 虽然我坚持到了最后，还是逃不过被裁的命运。 来自互联网
• This clock has outlasted several owners. 这座时钟的寿命比它的几个主人的寿命都长。 来自互联网

10 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

12 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。