2007年VOA标准英语-US Defense Secretary says Iraq War Long, Diffic

By Greg Flakus
Houston
03 May 2007

In a speech before the Dallas Chamber¹ of Commerce Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense² Robert Gates cautioned against allowing weariness with the war in Iraq to provoke a withdrawal³ that he said would bring chaos⁴ to the Middle East. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from our Houston bureau.

luncheon5 in Dallas, 03 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070604/0946550.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks at a luncheon in Dallas, 03 May 2007

Secretary Gates said the United States has a responsibility as a global leader to pursue the war in Iraq and the larger war on terrorism, in spite of the high cost in lives and resources and the effect those costs may have on public opinion.

"Our country is troubled and divided by a long and difficult war in Iraq," he said. "We want our troops to come home and be out of harm's way. And yet, most also know or at least sense that leaving chaos behind us in Iraq will bring dramatically more suffering for the Iraqis and also disaster for the Middle East and, ultimately, for us."

The defense chief's remarks come at a time when President Bush and congressional leaders are discussing a second war funding bill. Earlier this week, the president vetoed the first bill presented by the Democrat-controlled Congress, which contained a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq starting in July. After an attempt to override⁶ the president's veto failed, the Democrats⁷ dropped their demand for a timetable.

In his speech in Dallas, Secretary Gates said the U.S. armed forces have performed well in spite of funding constraints⁸ that go back to well before the current war.

"In fact, investment in Army equipment and other essentials was underfunded by more than $50 billion before we invaded Iraq," he said.

He said the ground troops of the Army and Marines have especially borne the brunt of under-funding and the human and material costs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gates said the Defense Department is allocating¹⁰ tens of billions of dollars to repair or replace damaged and destroyed equipment and increasing the size of the active Army and Marine⁹ Corps¹¹ by around 92,000 over the next five years. He said the department is also engaged in an effort to modernize¹² air, sea and land forces for the kinds of operations to come, which will include both conventional and counterinsurgency type campaigns.

Among areas of concern he cited were the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea and the "uncertain paths" of China and Russia, which, he said, are both pursuing sophisticated military modernization¹³ programs.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 luncheon   

n.午宴，午餐，便宴

参考例句：

• We have luncheon at twelve o'clock.我们十二点钟用午餐。
• I have a luncheon engagement.我午饭有约。

6 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

7 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》

8 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 allocating   

分配，分派( allocate的现在分词 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• Administrative practice generally follows the judicial model in allocating burdens of proof. 在分配举证责任方面，行政实践通常遵循司法模式。
• A cyclical multiplexing technique, allocating resources in fixed-time slices. 以固定的时间片分配资源的循环复用技术。

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

13 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。