VOA常速英语2008年-US, Australia Reaffirm Alliance After Leadershi

By Barry Kalb
Hong Kong
23 February 2008

The United States and Australia have reaffirmed their alliance in the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the installation of the new Kevin Rudd government in December. U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte met Saturday in Canberra with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith and Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon. Barry Kalb has details from VOA's Asia news center in Hong Kong.

When he was campaigning to take over the Australian government last year, Kevin Rudd made it clear he would modify Australia's relationship with the United States, particularly on the issue of Iraq.

Now prime minister, Mr. Rudd has confirmed he will pull out more than 500 of the approximately one thousand Australian troops deployed² in the Persian Gulf³ region.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates might have had reason to be upset with the Rudd government. Under the government of former Prime Minister John Howard, Australia was one of Washington's strongest supporters on military matters.

But Gates told reporters while en route to Australia Friday that he anticipated "continuity" in U.S.-Australian affairs. After meeting with Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon Saturday, Gates indicated that the relationship is essentially⁴ unchanged.

"The United States has no better partner and no stronger ally than Australia," he said.

On other matters, Smith says he told the U.S. delegation⁵ Australia's growing commercial relationship with China should in no way damage Canberra's ties to Washington. He says he told Gates and Negroponte that the United States should have a constructive⁶ dialogue with Beijing, whose military modernization⁷ has been a concern to Washington.

Despite Mr. Rudd's planned pull-back in Iraq, military ties between Australia and the U.S. remain strong. Defense Minister Fitzgibbon told reporters Saturday he would like the option of buying America's state-of-the-art F-22 Raptor fighter jet.

Gates said U.S. law currently forbids sale of the Raptor to foreign countries, but he encouraged Australia to lobby the U.S. Congress to amend⁸ that law.

1 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。

2 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。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

6 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

7 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。

8 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。