2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Expresses Optimism About Iraq

By Scott Stearns
Washington
28 March 2006
 

Vice¹ President Dick Cheney, right, looks towards President Bush as he makes a statement to reporters, March 28, 2006, in Washington  
  
President Bush continues his campaign to reassure² Americans about his strategy for success in Iraq with another speech in Washington on Wednesday. The president is trying to turn around growing pessimism³ about his handling of the war.

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President Bush wants to allay⁴ concerns among the nearly 80 percent of Americans who believe Iraq is slowly collapsing⁵ into civil war.

Mr. Bush says there is hard work ahead, but he believes Iraqis have taken a step back from what he calls the abyss of civil war.

"During Saddam Hussein's brutal⁶ rule, he exploited the ethnic⁷ and religious diversity of Iraq by setting communities against one and other. And now the terrorists and former regime elements are doing the same," he said. "They are trying to set off a civil war through acts of sectarian violence."

Following a White House cabinet meeting, the president said he is confident that Washington's political, military, and economic strategy is making steady progress toward the goal of a democratic Iraq that can sustain itself, defend itself and prevent itself from being a safe haven⁸ for terrorists.

Because, he says, U.S. and Iraqi forces can not be defeated militarily, terrorists are targeting civilians⁹ to create what he calls horrific images of car bombings and kidnappings that they know will be seen on American television. "The only thing the Iraqi insurgents¹⁰ as well as the terrorists can possible do is to cause us to lose our nerve and retreat, to withdraw," added Mr. Bush.

He says that is not going to happen. "We are not going to lose our nerve," said President Bush. "The stakes are high. We will complete this mission."

Wednesday's speech is another in a series of events he has had this month to explain his strategy for Iraq.

A public opinion poll by Newsweek magazine says 65 percent of Americans disapprove¹¹ of the way the president is handling the war; 29 percent approve.

When the question was first asked following the U.S. invasion three years ago, those numbers were reversed, with just 26 percent of Americans disapproving¹² and 69 percent approving of how Mr. Bush was handling the war.

1 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。

2 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

3 pessimism   

n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者

参考例句：

• He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
• There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。

4 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

5 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

6 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

9 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。

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

11 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

12 disapproving   

adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mother gave me a disapproving look. 母亲的眼神告诉我她是不赞成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her father threw a disapproving glance at her. 她父亲不满地瞥了她一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》