VOA标准英语2013--Iraq War: Mission Accomplished?

 

Iraq War: Mission Accomplished¹?

The “Mission Accomplished” banner across the bridge of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, helped President George W. Bush convey a sense of achievement to Americans less than two months after the invasion of Iraq. “...And in the battle of Iraq, the United States and her allies have prevailed,” said Bush.

But that sentiment soon evaporated as U.S. and allied² casualties mounted in the post-invasion insurgency³ that left Iraq on the brink⁴ of civil war.

“It’s not accomplished and the Americans that were living in Iraq and working there they know it was not accomplished," said Iraqi refugee Mohanad Kedage.

On October 31, 2010, Kedage was one of hundreds of Christian⁵ worshippers attending an evening mass at Our Lady of Salvation⁶, when terrorists stormed the Catholic Church.

58 people died in the attack, including several of Kedage’s family members.  His sense of well being was shattered.

“We lost three in that church," Kedage recalled. "There is no security at all in Iraq.  If they are not going to bomb the churches they will bomb the cars.  People will use the bombing belts to bomb themselves with other innocent people.”

Kedage decided⁷ to flee Iraq with his family soon after the church attack.  He settled in Michigan, and has since struggled to make ends meet. “There is no jobs.  Living in the U.S. is hard too.  It is not only the security, [that] is not enough," he said. "Living in Iraq was hard but here it is hard too.”

“Just last year, 2012, we received 4600 Iraqis here,” said Mediha Tariq, program coordinator⁸ for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in Michigan.  

The continued insecurity in Iraq has dramatically increased the number of refugees living in Southeast Michigan, which is home to the largest Arab American population in the United States.  Tariq said aside from physical injuries and ailments⁹, half of all incoming Iraq refugees suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder¹⁰, and at least one fourth suffer from severe depression.

“I don’t know what it means when he said that the mission was accomplished, because for us I think that opened a whole new can of worms.  We are happy to receive our new neighbors that are Iraqi refugees, but they come with a lot of baggage and there is a lot of fixing to be done,” Tariq said.

Mohanad Kedage is still fixing his frayed¹¹ nerves as he struggles to eek out a living in the U.S. for his family, with help from ACCESS. “I will never return to Iraq.  I can’t go back to Iraq.  This is my second home," he asserted. "The first is Iraq.  America is my second home.”

A second home where his first priority is providing a better future for his children. 

1 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。

2 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

3 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

4 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。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

10 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

11 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》