2007年VOA标准英语-US Ambassador to Iraq Faces Tough Questions in

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
19 July 2007

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker Thursday offered a mixed picture of the political progress being made by Iraqi leaders in a briefing to U.S. lawmakers by video link from Baghdad. Lawmakers, in turn, expressed impatience¹ that the Iraqi government has not done more and reiterated² calls for a drawdown in the U.S. military presence in that country. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

Amb. Ryan Crocker, Feb 2007

Ambassador Crocker told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Iraqi government has made some progress, but that much more needs to be done.

"I certainly will not try to present to you the Iraqi government as a model of smoothly³ functioning efficiency, because it is not," he said. "It faces considerable difficulties. The stresses, the strains, the tensions of society are reflected in the government, and if there is one word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq on the street, in the countryside, in the neighborhoods, and at the national level, that word would be 'fear'".

In a report to Congress last week, the administration found that Iraq made progress on less than half of 18 political, economic and military benchmarks.

Lawmakers expressed their frustration⁴ with the Iraqi government over the pace of progress. Some of the most critical comments came from members of President Bush's Republican Party.

"How long is enough time? We are in our fifth year, and we still see no political reconciliation⁵ occurring. Actually, I think we are going 'backward.," said Republican Senator Chuck Hagel from Nebraska.

Hagel is one of a growing number of Republicans who have called for a new U.S. strategy toward Iraq, one that reduces the U.S. military presence in that country and emphasizes diplomatic efforts.

Senator Richard Lugar (file photo)

The top Republican on the committee, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, has proposed legislation calling on President Bush to develop contingency⁶ plans for Iraq, including a drawdown in U.S. combat forces.

"We must now prepare for what comes next," he said.

Lugar asked Crocker if the U.S. government is developing any such contingency plans. The ambassador responded that he was not aware of such planning, and said he was focusing on implementing⁷ President Bush's troop surge strategy.

Lugar cited media reports which he said suggested that inter-agency planning for a potentially difficult redeployment from Iraq had been halted by what he called "high-level political pressures" in Washington.

Crocker's testimony⁸ comes a day after Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-sponsored proposal for a withdrawal⁹ of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of next April.

Traveling in Tennessee, President Bush - in an apparent reference to the congressional debate over the troop pullout - said current U.S. strategy is on the right track.

"We will succeed unless we lose our nerve," he said. "We will succeed. Liberty has the capacity to conquer tyranny every time."

Lawmakers are expected to return to the Iraq debate in September, when Ambassador Crocker and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, brief Congress about the success of the surge strategy.

1 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

2 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

3 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

4 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

7 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

8 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

9 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。