2006年VOA标准英语-President Bush Visits Troops Wounded in Ir

By Paula Wolfson
White House
01 January 2006

President Bush began the new year by visiting with U.S. soldiers who were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. Mr. Bush ended a holiday stay in his home state of Texas with a stop at a military hospital near San Antonio.

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President Bush speaks after visiting wounded soldiers at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas   
  

The president met in private with about 50 patients and their families at Fort Sam Houston's Brooke Army Medical Center. As he prepared to leave the facility, he shared his thoughts with reporters. "I am just overwhelmed by the great strength of character of not only those who have been wounded, but their loved ones as well," said the president.

During his visit, the president awarded nine Purple Hearts - the highest military medal given to those injured in combat. Aides say the purpose of the hospital visit was to thank the wounded for their service and their sacrifice.

Mr. Bush was asked when troops serving in Iraq may be able to come home. He said once again that any American withdrawal¹ would be conditions-based, emphasizing he will rely on his military commanders for recommendations on troop levels.

His top military advisor² is Joint³ Chiefs of Staff Chairman Marine⁴ General Peter Pace. In an interview with ABC television's This Week program, General Pace said political considerations - most notably⁵ November's U.S. congressional election - will not play a role in advice the military gives the White House. "We all clearly understand our responsibility to access our needs, to tell our civilian⁶ leaders what those needs are, and to look everybody in the eye and tell the truth as we know it," he said.

General Pace spoke⁷ from Baghdad, which he is visiting for the first time in his new capacity as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was asked about the low level of Sunni participation⁸ in the Iraqi military, and if that might hamper⁹ efforts to bring the country together. General Pace said there is room for improvement, and said Iraq's leaders are trying to address the problem. "I think everyone understands over here that for this government to be successful, it is going to have to be inclusive," he said, "and to be inclusive as a government, you need to have an inclusive military and an inclusive police."

In a subsequent interview on CNN's Late Edition, Senator Richard Durbin (Democrat - Illinois) stressed that 2006 must be a year of nationhood for Iraq. He said he does not want to see a firm timetable for a U.S. withdrawal, but quickly added the Iraqis must understand American forces cannot remain forever. "We have to say with clarity to the Iraqis that we are not staying there indefinitely; we are not going to continue to risk American lives and American treasure every single day; this is your country and your responsibility," said the senator.

Senator Durbin said the huge turnout in last month's election for a new government in Iraq demonstrated how much the Iraqi people want to govern themselves. He said they defied terrorists and insurgents¹⁰ to express their willingness to move forward as a nation.

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 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。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 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。

8 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

9 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网