VOA常速英语2007年-US Commander in Iraq Says 2008 Goal is to Build

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
23 December 2007

The top U.S. commander in Iraq - General David Petraeus - spelled out his goals for 2008 in an interview Sunday on American television. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from Washington that General Pertraeus appears cautiously optimistic about the future.

General Petraeus says the U.S. military wants to build on its recent successes in Iraq during the coming year.

During an appearance from Baghdad on the FOX News Sunday television program, the general stressed the deployment¹ of extra American troops in 2007 has led to a decrease in violence.

"As we go into the new year, we clearly want to build on the momentum² that has been achieved by our forces working closely together with Iraqi forces," he said.

Petraeus noted³ the Iraqis have also been strengthening their military presence, and that more than 110,000 new Iraqi soldiers and police have joined the ranks in 2007.

The success of recent months has led some to call for an accelerated plan to draw down American troops in Iraq. When asked about the possibility of withdrawals⁴ in the year ahead, Petraeus - echoing remarks made recently by Secretary of Defense⁵ Robert Gates - emphasized any reduction must be based on conditions on the ground.

"Obviously, we want to reduce the strain on our ground forces as much as we can while recognizing that what has been achieved here remains⁶ tenuous⁷ and is still fragile in a number of areas," Petraeus said.

General Petraeus has spoken of troop reductions that could reduce the U.S. military presence to roughly pre-surge levels of 130,000 by July, 2008. When asked if the American presence could drop to as low as 100,000 by the end of next year, he said he would not be linked to any specific number.

"We are now just beginning the analysis that can help us determine the rate and the pace of possible reductions post-July," he said.

Petraeus is scheduled to report to Congress on conditions in Iraq in March.

1 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

2 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

3 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。

4 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。