2006年VOA标准英语-Italy's PM Urges Alliance of Democracies A

By Dan Robinson
Washington
01 March 2006

Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, says the world's democratic nations must unite to defend against radical¹ Islamic fundamentalism. The Italian leader addressed a joint² meeting of the U.S. Congress.

Silvio Berlusconi addresses members of US Congress, with US Vice³ President Dick Cheney sitting behind him   
  
Prime Minister Berlusconi delivered most of his address in Italian to a packed House chamber⁴.

However, addressing lawmakers in English at the beginning of his speech, he expressed gratitude⁵ for the U.S. role in defeating Italian Fascism and German Nazism⁶, as well as what he called the struggle against Communism.

Mr. Berlusconi drew prolonged applause when he turned to the war on terrorism.

"Today, I am still grateful to the United States for the high price in lives you continue to pay in the fight against terrorism to assure our common security and defend human rights around the world," he said. "As I will never tire of repeating, when I see your flag I do not merely see the flag of a great country. Above all, I see a symbol, a universal symbol of freedom and democracy."

The Italian leader said the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States marked the start of a different type of war.

This new conflict, he said, is not a clash of states or civilizations, or an attack by Islam on the West which is allied⁷ with moderate Islam, but an attack by radical fundamentalists trying to use terrorism against democracies.

"I am firmly convinced that in addition to the generous effort by your great country, a grand alliance of all democracies is needed to defend this frontier," said Mr. Berlusconi. "It is only by joining the efforts of all the democracies on all continents that we will be able to free the world from the threat of international terrorism, from the fear of aggression⁸ by the forces of evil."

Only a grand alliance of all democracies, said Mr. Berlusconi, can defend what he called a frontier of liberty from international terrorism.

Italy has confirmed its intention to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year, a subject that came up in Mr. Berlusconi's talks Tuesday with President Bush at the White House on Tuesday.

In his speech to Congress, he noted⁹ that Italy has contributed troops to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, as well as commanding United Nations missions in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Reverting¹⁰ to English again, the Italian leader offered U.S. lawmakers a memory of his father taking him to a cemetery¹¹ containing the graves of U.S. soldiers killed in fighting during World War II.

"In showing him those crosses, that father made his son vow¹² never to forget the ultimate sacrifice those young American soldiers had made for his freedom. That father made his son vow eternal gratitude to that country," said Mr. Berlusconi. "That father was my father, and that young man was me. I have never forgotten that sacrifice and that vow, and I never will."

Prime Minister Berlusconi's address came as U.S. lawmakers are preoccupied¹³ both with the situation in Iraq, and the controversy¹⁴ over the pending¹⁵ U.S. port management deal with Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

He faces a tough battle for re-election in Italy next month.

Other foreign leaders addressing Congress in recent years include British Prime Minister Tony Blair, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai.

1 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。

2 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。

3 vice   

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。

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

6 Nazism   

n. 纳粹主义

参考例句：

• His philosophical eyes were obviously shortsighted by the evil influence of Nazism. 显然，他那双哲学家般的深邃的眼睛也被纳粹的妖氛所眩惑。 来自中国文学部分
• Nazism suppressed all three movements as degenerate. 纳粹把所有三个运动都作为颓废艺术而加以镇压。

7 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。

8 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

9 noted   

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。

10 reverting   

恢复( revert的现在分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还

参考例句：

• The boss came back from holiday all relaxed and smiling, but now he's reverting to type. 老板刚度假回来时十分随和，满面笑容，现在又恢复原样了。
• The conversation kept reverting to the subject of money. 谈话的内容总是离不开钱的事。

11 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

12 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

13 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

15 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。