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2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Continues Push to Build Public Suppor

时间:2007-03-18 16:00:00

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(单词翻译)

By Jim Malone
Washington
22 March 2006

President Bush has taken his campaign to build public support for the war in Iraq to West Virginia.  It is the latest in a series of speeches by Mr. Bush aimed at reassuring1 Americans that his administration has a plan for Iraq and that democracy can prevail there.

-----------------------------------------------------

 
George Bush
  

President Bush often says that leaders cannot govern by public opinion polls.

But the White House is well aware of the declining level of public support for the Iraq mission amid daily news reports of violence and chaos2 there.

Several recent polls suggest large majorities of Americans now fear Iraq is about to plunge3 into civil war and that the U.S. led mission to bring democracy to Iraq is doomed4 to failure.

Mr. Bush sought to counter that perception at a news conference this week.

"And I can understand how Americans are worried about whether or not we can win," he said.  "I think most Americans understand we need to win.  But they are concerned about whether or not we can win.  So one of the reasons I go around the country, to [places like] Cleveland, is to explain why I think we can win."

Opposition5 Democrats7 remain divided on what to do about Iraq.  But they have focused their recent criticisms on what they regard as overly optimistic assessments9 of the situation in Iraq by the president, Vice10 President Dick Cheney and Defense11 Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
 
 
Joseph Biden
  
"No foreign policy can be sustained in the United States of America without the informed consent of the American people," said Joe Biden, the top Democrat6 on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "And informed means just that, successes and failure, a realistic assessment8 of where we are and what the president plans to do about it."

President Bush gave a series of speeches on Iraq late last year that helped to slightly improve his standing12 in the polls.

But polling expert Karlyn Bowman with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington says the public's view of Iraq has been generally on a negative track for sometime now.

"When Saddam Hussein was captured, public opinion ticked up a bit and during the elections in Iraq, public opinion once again moved up a tiny bit," she noted13.  "But the overall trajectory14 has been downward."

Some of the president's conservative supporters blame biased15 news reporting for the lack of public support on Iraq.

Analyst16 Michael Barone is among those who argue that the American public is not getting a full accounting17 of the successes in Iraq on a daily basis.

"We have got a media that many members of whom would like to see the United States unsuccessful in this effort and some of their reporting has been tilted18 accordingly," said Mr. Barone.

Recent polls suggest that a small but growing number of Republicans have joined Democrats and independent voters who have become disenchanted with the president's handling of Iraq.

Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg says the public's loss of confidence in the Iraq mission has also undercut the president's personal credibility.

"But the sum total of all these events, starting with Iraq, are growing doubts about how forthright19 the president has been as president and whether he has made wise decisions or not," said Mr. Rothenberg.

Despite the dismal20 poll results, anti-war demonstrations21 are drawing fewer people than ever and there appears to be relatively22 little clamor from most of the public or most opposition Democrats for an immediate23 pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq.

"We do not have an angry American public as much as we have kind of a fatigued24, disappointed, disillusioned25 public," added Mr. Rothenberg.  "The anger is not there, I think, because we do not have a military draft, the kinds of people who are over fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have really volunteered for that, and so there is not this angry middle class that is trying to protect its sons and daughters from going over there."

President Bush says future U.S. presidents and governments in Iraq will decide when American troops are no longer needed there.  That will likely ensure that Iraq will remain a key issue not only in this year's midterm congressional elections, but in the 2008 presidential election as well.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 reassuring vkbzHi     
a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的,使人放心的
参考例句:
  • He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
  • With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。
2 chaos 7bZyz     
n.混乱,无秩序
参考例句:
  • After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后,城市一片混乱。
  • The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。
3 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
4 doomed EuuzC1     
命定的
参考例句:
  • The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
  • A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。
5 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
6 democrat Xmkzf     
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员
参考例句:
  • The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
  • About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后,他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。
7 democrats 655beefefdcaf76097d489a3ff245f76     
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
  • The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 assessment vO7yu     
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
参考例句:
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
9 assessments 7d0657785d6e5832f8576c61c78262ef     
n.评估( assessment的名词复数 );评价;(应偿付金额的)估定;(为征税对财产所作的)估价
参考例句:
  • He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明,约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评;而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句
10 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
11 defense AxbxB     
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。
12 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
13 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
14 trajectory fJ1z1     
n.弹道,轨道
参考例句:
  • It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
  • The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。
15 biased vyGzSn     
a.有偏见的
参考例句:
  • a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
  • The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。
16 analyst gw7zn     
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。
17 accounting nzSzsY     
n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表
参考例句:
  • A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
  • There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。
18 tilted 3gtzE5     
v. 倾斜的
参考例句:
  • Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
  • She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。
19 forthright xiIx3     
adj.直率的,直截了当的 [同]frank
参考例句:
  • It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人,这有时很难办到。
  • He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。
20 dismal wtwxa     
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的
参考例句:
  • That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
  • My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。
21 demonstrations 0922be6a2a3be4bdbebd28c620ab8f2d     
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威
参考例句:
  • Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
  • The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。
22 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
23 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
24 fatigued fatigued     
adj. 疲乏的
参考例句:
  • The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
  • The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑,疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。
25 disillusioned Qufz7J     
a.不再抱幻想的,大失所望的,幻想破灭的
参考例句:
  • I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
  • Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

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