VOA标准英语2009年-Missile Defense High on Agenda as Biden To

By Hilary Heuler
Warsaw
22 October 2009
As Vice¹ President Joe Biden tours Central Europe this week, missile defense² is high on the agenda. In Poland on Wednesday, Biden secured an agreement to host U.S. antiballistic missiles after original plans for a defensive³ missile shield were scrapped⁴.

 
US Vice President Joe Biden gestures while delivering a speech at the Central University Library in Bucharest, Romania, 22 Oct 2009
According to the White House, Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Poland Wednesday had nothing to do with placating⁵ America's disgruntled allies. But here in Warsaw, people were waiting for only one thing - an assurance that despite scrapping⁶ Bush-era plans for an antiballistic missile shield, the U.S. had not turned its back on Central Europe.

What Poland got instead is a new missile defense plan. "Standard Missile-3" interceptors will be placed on Polish soil, along with other interceptor missiles deployed⁷ on U.S. Navy ships in the Mediterranean⁸ and the North Sea. Biden said Wednesday the U.S. commitment to Poland is "unwavering" and he said the new missile plan is "a better way" to defend against missile threats.

But according to some experts, this new system leaves much to be desired. Jan Filip Stanilko, an analyst⁹ at the Warsaw-based Sobieski Institute, a political think tank, explains why the old plans made Poland feel more secure.

"The main advantage was having a stable American installation in Poland, something which is built, unmovable, and which may be the reason to defend this installation and country," he said. "The Patriot¹⁰ missile is moveable, and it's obviously not enough because we need 20 such missile batteries and we got only one."

When U.S. President Barack Obama announced last month that the old missile shield was being canceled, the Polish political establishment panicked. Local newspapers ran alarming headlines talking about betrayal. Stanilko is worried that now no one will step in to defend Poland in the event of an attack.

"From the Polish perspective, we are unable to defend ourselves by our own means. We need support of the strong states," he added. "So this project was understood as the first part of creating the safety infrastructure¹¹ in this part of Europe."

Many Poles assumed the U.S. decision to cancel the shield was an attempt to cozy¹² up to Russia, which was strongly opposed to the original plans. The White House denies that this was the case. But the timing¹³ of the announcement was undeniably clumsy, coming on the same day that Poland commemorated¹⁴ the 70th anniversary of the Soviet¹⁵ invasion of Poland in World War II.

During a televised interview with Polish television, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the announcement dispelled¹⁶ the illusions of those who were counting on the U.S. to protect Poland, no matter what.

But during his visit, Vice President Biden did his best to reassure¹⁷ Poles that the U.S., and NATO, were still on their side.

"Under NATO's article 5, an attack on one is an attack on all. And this strategic assurance is absolute," said Mr. Biden. "President Obama and I consider this to be a solemn obligation."

All of this comes at a time when Poland's confidence in the U.S. is waning¹⁸. Mr. Obama's popularity ratings are considerably¹⁹ lower in Central Europe than in Western Europe. And in July, a number of Central European politicians - including Poland's Lech Walesa - wrote an open letter to Mr. Obama accusing him of neglecting the region.

Still, not everyone here is convinced that American missile defense is so important.

As one woman in Warsaw explains, politicians and the press have been getting very upset about the missile shield, but ever since Poland joined NATO ordinary Poles have felt much stronger and more secure. They feel they don't need to be defended - not against Russia, or anybody else, she says.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

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 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

4 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

5 placating   

v.安抚，抚慰，使平静( placate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She pulled her face into a placating and childlike expression. 于是她装出一副稚气的想要和解的样子来。 来自飘（部分）
• Uncle Peter's voice came as from a far distance, plaintive, placating. 彼得大叔这时说话了，他的声音犹如自一个遥远的地方起来，既带有哀愁又给人以安慰。 来自飘（部分）

6 scrapping   

刮，切除坯体余泥

参考例句：

• He was always scrapping at school. 他在学校总打架。
• These two dogs are always scrapping. 这两条狗总是打架。

7 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。

8 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

9 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。

10 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

13 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

14 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

15 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

16 dispelled   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His speech dispelled any fears about his health. 他的发言消除了人们对他身体健康的担心。
• The sun soon dispelled the thick fog. 太阳很快驱散了浓雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

18 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。