VOA标准英语2009年-US Defense Secretary Urges South Korea to

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
21 October 2009

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates says North Korea remains² a real threat to security on the Korean peninsula and in the world. He is in South Korea, where he is urging Seoul to beef up its military to reflect its status as an emerging world power.

 
S. Korean PM Chung Un-chan, right, shakes hands with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates during their meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, 21 Oct. 2009
 
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates praised South Korean defense reforms Wednesday, saying the country's military is becoming more mobile and better able to contribute to international peacekeeping and security operations. He says South Korea's rising status deserves a bigger budget.

"We encourage the Republic of Korea's political leaders to make an investment to Korea's emerging role as a contributor to global security, and commensurate with the threat you face on the peninsula," Gates said.

The United States deploys³ about 28,000 military personnel in South Korea, to help deter⁴ any attempted repeat of the North's 1950 invasion. Gates is expected to meet Thursday with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Tae-young, to discuss issues affecting the alliance, as well as possible South Korean contributions to stabilizing⁵ Afghanistan.

In Wednesday's meeting with U.S. and South Korean service members, he said North Korea has both declined - and strengthened - as a military threat.

"Ironically as the capability⁶ of their ground forces continues to degrade in terms of being a threat, their missile development and nuclear programs are increasingly dangerous and destabilizing…. I also think North Korea is a serious proliferation threat," Gates said. "Everything they make, they seem to want to sell."

Gates says the United States is committed to seeking a "complete and verifiable" end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

"There should be no mistaking that we do not today nor will we ever accept a North Korea with nuclear weapons," Gates said.

The North has conducted two nuclear weapons tests. Washington has granted a visa to a senior North Korean official expected to attend a California security forum⁷ this month. Many regional experts see that trip as an opportunity for high-level diplomatic contact, as Washington tries to lure⁸ Pyongyang back to talks aimed at ending its nuclear programs.

Secretary Gates says the U.S. will back its diplomacy⁹ with an "enduring and capable" military presence on the Korean peninsula.

"The United States is committed to providing extended deterrence¹⁰ using the full range of American military might - from the nuclear umbrella to conventional strike and missile defense capabilities," Gates said.

Gates' boss, President Barack Obama, is scheduled to visit Seoul next month.

 

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 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。

3 deploys   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的第三人称单数 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• It then deploys "decoy" programs designed to attract the virus. 然后，它释放“诱饵”去吸引病毒。
• But when that doesn't work, he deploys his secret defense mechanism. 但没有效果，它要施展绝密自卫武器了。

4 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

5 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

6 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

7 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

8 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

9 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

10 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• 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。