2007年VOA标准英语-Bush and Maliki Discuss Security

By Scott Stearns
White House
27 January 2007

U.S. President George Bush is backing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's moves to improve security in Baghdad. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the president's political opponents are criticizing his decision to send more troops to Iraq.

George Bush, 26 Jan 2007

White House officials say President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki discussed plans for a joint¹ security operation in Baghdad, with more than 18,000 additional U.S. forces joining redeployed Iraqi units to quell² sectarian violence in the capital.

In this past week's State of the Union address, Mr. Bush said Iraq would be overrun by extremists, if American forces step back before Baghdad is secured.

Public opinion polls say a majority of Americans believe sending more troops to Iraq is a mistake. The president's plan has met with near-universal opposition³ from Democrats⁴, who now control both houses of Congress.

In the Democratic radio address, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the costs of the war in Iraq have been staggering for military families and local communities. He says many police and firefighters, who are also members of the National Guard, have been called-up for duty in Iraq, leaving their communities less prepared to respond to emergencies.

"Now, with the president pushing escalation⁵ and an open-ended policy in Iraq, the pressure on our Guard will be even more severe," he said.  "It's just another reason it is time to change course."

President Bush says America's involvement in Iraq is not open-ended, and he is changing course with a new strategy that holds Iraq's government to benchmarks for improving security and political cooperation.

Mr. Bush says critics of his plan have the responsibility to come up with a better alternative.

While Iraq continues to dominate Washington politics with an anti-war protest Saturday, President Bush used his weekly radio address to push his domestic agenda.

He wants Americans to cut their gasoline usage 20 percent over the next 10 years by using more alternative fuels and more fuel-efficient vehicles.

"Our nation's dependence⁶ on oil leaves us vulnerable to hostile regimes and terrorists, who can hurt our economy by disrupting our oil supply," said Mr. Bush.

He also wants to change the way Americans pay for health insurance by having a standard tax deduction⁷ for those costs, which he says will make it easier on people who buy insurance on their own instead of through their employer.

1 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。

2 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

3 opposition   

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。

4 democrats   

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》

5 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• 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。 来自辞典例句

6 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

7 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。