VOA慢速英语2020--The United States Army’s 2nd Infantry Division

 

From VOA Learning English, welcome to AS IT IS!

Hello I’m Jim Tedder¹ in Washington.  Today, we will be turning our eyes to the sky in search of a visitor from another world.  We’ll also hear more about disputes in the South China Sea.  Who owns the area, and why is it so valuable?

But first, we’re off to the Korean peninsula to visit with the United States Army’s 2nd Infantry² Division.  17,000 soldiers are based near the line that divides North Korea from South Korea.  Their job is to defend the South, if the North ever invades.  Caty Weaver³ tells us what very few citizens ever get to to see.

Those are special United States army tanks called Abrams. Four of them are rolling across the frozen ground of the Rodriguez Live Fire Range. The tanks are being used in a high level qualification exercise.

The tanks move into position and fire their 120 millimeter cannons⁴. The loud explosions can be heard for kilometers.

If North Korea invaded, the Abrams of Dragon Company would stand between one of the largest armies in the world and millions of civilians⁵ in and around Seoul, South Korea.

Battalion⁶ commander Lt. Colonel Matthew Holly⁷ explains how the tank crews are being judged during this test.

“The time it takes to acquire the target, the time to shoot the target and then accuracy wise. For tanks it’s pretty easy. They either fire and hit it, and it goes down, or they missed, in which case they re-fire.”

Of course, he says, re-fires result in a loss of points from the total score. The platoon hits all 18 targets on first attempts. The Division’s Commander, Major General Edward Cardon, praises the troops.

“That’s exactly the kind of formations that we need that are a strong, credible⁸ deterrent⁹.”

The 2nd Infantry is one of the most honored divisions in the American Army. It was the first to reach the Korean Peninsula after the northern army invaded the south in 1950. The 2nd Infantry has been guarding near the demilitarized zone since 1956.

It is also unusual because foreign soldiers are a part of it. About 1,000 South Korean soldiers are in the Division. General Cardon thinks it is a meaningful combination.

“When you have the blood and treasure of the United States committed with the blood and treasure of (South) Korea, together that is a powerful symbol of unity¹⁰ that, I think, has helped the deterrence¹¹ and the stability of this region of the world for decades.”

Currently, the United States has wartime operational control of all forces in South Korea. But South Korea will take over that duty by the end of 2015. However, the United States has no plans to lower American troop levels in Korea, as it has in Iraq, and is expected to in Afghanistan.  I’m Caty Weaver.

If you were to sail south from the Korean peninsula about 3,000 kilometers and then turn to the right as you pass Taiwan, you would find yourself in the South China Sea.  It is an area that may be rich in oil and natural gas.  Many countries, including the Philippines, say it belongs to them.  While Chinese navy ships watch over the area, the Philippine government has decided¹² to let a United Nations court have its say.  Karen Leggett tells us more.

The Philippines wants to defend its territory before an international court. Gilbert Asuque is the Philippines’ assistant secretary for ocean concerns.

“We want the arbitral tribunal to establish the rights of the Philippines to exclusively exploit the resources in our continental¹³ shelf in the West Philippine Sea.”

But China says the Philippines’ move makes the dispute more difficult.

Hong Lei is a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry¹⁴.  Hong Lei says China has the right to rule over its own land and waters in the South China Sea.  He says, “The root of the dispute is caused by the Philippines’ illegal occupation of some of the Chinese areas.”

Justin Logan is a foreign policy expert at the CATO Institute in Washington, D.C.  He says China did not want the United Nations to be involved at all.  China also does not want help from the alliance of South East Asian Nations. China says it is working to resolve many claims to areas in the South China Sea through negotiations¹⁵.

“The Chinese have been trying as much as possible to keep this bilateral¹⁶ between itself and all the disputed parties and to prevent it from being internationalized in a systematic¹⁷ way.”

Even if the U.N. court rules for the Philippines, Mister Logan questions who would enforce the decision and how.  China’s plans for the South China Sea were part of the recent confirmation¹⁸ hearings for John Kerry.  Mr. Kerry became America’s new secretary of state last week.

He says China is concerned about the increasing number of American forces in the Asia-Pacific area.  I’m Karen Leggett.

It’s coming.  Oh, it is surely coming.  It is flying through space and it is headed our way.  It is an asteroid¹⁹, a huge rock that will pass by us tomorrow.  Scientists at the American space Agency, NASA, are calling it 2012 DA14.  They say it is about 45 meters across.

Asteroids²⁰ fly by the earth all the time.  But this one is special.  It will come closer than even our orbiting weather and communications satellites.  As it speeds by earth, it will be only 28,000 kilometers away.  If you live in Europe, Asia, or Africa, you may be able to see it if you have binoculars²¹ or a telescope.

When 2012 DA14 zooms²² by, it will be traveling nearly eight kilometers per second.  That is ten times faster than a bullet shot from a gun.  So you are probably wondering, “Wait a minute.  Is this thing dangerous?  Could it hit us?  Is this the big one?  Is life, as we know it, on earth about to come to an end,” like in the movies?

“The close approach of this object 2012 DA14, on February 15th is nothing to worry about.  Its orbit is very well known.  We know exactly where it is going to go, and it cannot hit the Earth.”

Whew!  Well, I’m glad to hear it.  He ought to know.  He is Don Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near Earth Objects office.  He says much larger space rocks have crashed into our planet millions of years ago and caused terrible damage.  About a hundred years ago, an asteroid exploded over a forest in eastern Siberia, and trees for many kilometers were knocked flat.  It was a mess.

But this time, enjoy the view.  And don’t worry.

That is all the time we have for this edition of “As It Is.”  Thank you for spending some time with us.  Be sure to let us know what kinds of stories you would like us to talk about. 

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

3 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

4 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

7 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

8 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

9 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

10 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

11 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

12 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。

13 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

14 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

16 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

17 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

18 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

19 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

20 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

21 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

22 zooms   

n.嗡嗡声( zoom的名词复数 )；隆隆声；（车辆等）疾驰的声音；变焦

参考例句：

• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 m.p.h. 从你口中打出的喷嚏速度可达每小时600里。 来自互联网
• When the camera zooms in, the whole world watches out. 当镜头对准（汶川），全世界都在关注。 来自互联网