2007年VOA标准英语-Retired Top US Generals Say Troop Surge Require

By Mil Arcega
Washington
06 April 2007

Growing opposition¹ in Congress to the war in Iraq is raising hard questions about whether the president's plan to send nearly 30,000 additional troops to Baghdad is too little, too late. But a former chairman of the U.S. Joint² Chiefs of Staff says the troop surge will require more time and patience from the American public to make sure it works.  VOA's Mil Arcega reports.

General Richard Myers

General Richard Myers, Retired³ Joint Chiefs Chairman provides an encouraging numbers on the escalation⁴ of violence.

 "There's been a 30 to 40 percent reduction in violence in the way that we measure it.  That's pretty encouraging," he says.

General Richard Myers, a retired former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is cautious about drawing any conclusions, but he says preliminary figures suggest the U.S. troop surge is already achieving the desired effect.

"And for the first time, as I understand it, Iraqis are now paying for more of their armed forces training and equipment than the U.S. is for the first time this year, so there are signs here that things are on the right track," he says.

With about half of the additional troops requested by President Bush now in place, reports show sectarian killings⁵ are down but suicide bombings are up.  Jason Campbell is a military analyst⁶ at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"Initially⁷ what we saw in the first three weeks of the surge was a sharp decrease in the amount of unidentified bodies found in Baghdad that showed signs of being either tortured or executed," he explains. "That number went to about 125 in the first three weeks.  However, in the second three weeks of the surge, ending at the end of March, we saw that number almost double to 230."

Campbell says although the increased security has had a positive effect in parts of Baghdad, the larger military presence appears to have pushed the violence into other areas such as Baquba, where attacks have risen as much as 30 percent.

"What we're seeing now is that the violent attacks are spreading beyond Baghdad into areas that up until the last few months were not necessarily known for being areas of violence," Campbell says.

General Myers says the plan needs more time.  He adds that the $120 billion supplemental funding bill approved by Congress, which sets a timetable for a U.S. pullout, would have dire⁸ consequences for Iraq's fledgling government.

"Not easy, the government's a year old," he notes.  "Parliament in the end has acted in the best interests of the country.  It's not been a pretty sight, but they're making progress.  I hate to see that end too early.  At the same time, as the president said, patience in this country wears thin."

The full complement⁹ of U.S. troops in Iraq will not be fully¹⁰ deployed¹¹ until early June.  President Bush says he will veto any funding bill that sets a timetable for troop withdrawal¹². 

1 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。

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 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 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

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

9 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

12 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。