VOA标准英语2015--美韩以联合军演向北韩传递信息

US-South Korean Military Drills Send Message to the North 美韩以联合军演向北韩传递信息

SEOUL—

The annual joint¹ military training exercises being conducted by the United States and South Korea have been accompanied by the expected - reciprocal missile launches from North Korea - and the unexpected - an assault on the U.S. ambassador to South Korea by a radical² Korean nationalist. Washington and Seoul say these regularly scheduled drills are necessary to demonstrate military readiness and resolve, but they also increase tensions and the potential for conflict on the Korean peninsula.

The annual exercises mobilize around 10,000 South Korean and 8,000 U.S. troops to conduct land, sea and air maneuvers³. They also utilize⁴ computer-simulated conflict scenarios⁵ that involve responding to attacks and incursions from the North.   

U.S. Rear Admiral Lisa Franchetti said these are defensive⁶ drills only, designed to enhance U.S. and South Korean operational proficiency⁷.

“Our goal is to be able to work together to deter⁸ any type of activity by North Korea and if necessary to defend the Republic of Korea,” said Franchetti.

Pyongyang has protested these drills as provocative⁹ rehearsals¹⁰ for a possible invasion.  In response North Korea, as it had during past drills, conducted missile launches on two occasions. 

While these exercises may increase tensions in the region, Daniel Pinkston, a North Korea analyst¹¹ with the International Crisis Group, said they actually keep the peace by projecting military strength.

“The instrument for resolving political disputes both internally in Pyongyang and externally is force.  So if they see a weakness they will exploit that weakness,” said Pinkston.

Still there is always the possibility that something unexpected could trigger armed conflict when opposing armies are practicing for war. Pinkston said he is most concerned that North Korean operational commanders, who have been conditioned to believe the United States and South Korea are planning to invade the North, may misread the intent of the joint maneuvers.

“Or [there’s a possibility] it’s interpreted incorrectly, or there is a local commander who is over zealous¹² and sees an opportunity to respond and shoot down an aircraft after firing at ships, or something like that, that’s what I’m most worried about,” said Pinkston.

What did not spark a wider conflict this year was the recent attack on the U.S. ambassador in Seoul by a South Korean radical nationalist. The ambassador was not seriously hurt and the lone¹³ assailant is not believed to be connected to North Korea, even though Pyongyang called the attack a just punishment.  

That attack seemed to only increase South Korean support for the strong military alliance between Washington and Seoul.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

4 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

5 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

7 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

8 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

9 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

10 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

12 zealous   

adj.狂热的，热心的

参考例句：

• She made zealous efforts to clean up the classroom.她非常热心地努力清扫教室。
• She is a zealous supporter of our cause.她是我们事业的热心支持者。

13 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。