VOA标准英语2009-Obama says Afghan Decision to Come Soon

By Paula Wolfson
Tokyo
13 November 2009

 
President Barack Obama during joint¹ news conference with Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama, not pictured, in Tokyo, 13 Nov 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama says a decision on a revised Afghanistan strategy will come soon, and he vows² the United States military commitment there will not be open-ended.  Mr. Obama talked about the strategy review process in Tokyo where he met with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Questions about the Afghanistan review followed the president across the Pacific.

At a news conference with Prime Minister Hatoyama, he was asked what more information he might conceivably need before making a decision.

"I don't think this is a matter of some datum³ of information that I'm waiting on," he said. "It's a matter of making certain that when I send young men and women into war, and I devote billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer⁴ money, that it's making us safer."

His military and civilian⁵ advisors⁶ have provided the president with a range of options, and there have been a number of lengthy⁷ closed-door meetings at the White House.

Mr. Obama is said to be considering sending additional troops to Afghanistan, with reports putting the number at somewhere between 10,000 and 40,000.

He told reporters in Tokyo that he will make an announcement soon. And he took on critics who complain the decision making process has been far too slow.

"They tend not to be folks who I think are directly involved in what's happening in Afghanistan," he said. "Those who are recognize the gravity of the situation and recognize the importance of us getting this right."

Mr. Obama said once the decision is made he will make sure the American public fully⁸ understands the new war strategy and all it entails⁹. He said in so doing, he will send a message to the Afghan people as well.

"It will also I think send a clear message that our goal here ultimately has to be for the Afghan people to be able to be in a position to provide their own security, and that the United States cannot be engaged in an open-ended commitment," he said.
 
The president said he will continue to encourage other countries to contribute to the cause.  Japan recently announced it will no longer refuel ships involved in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.  Instead, the new Hatoyama government said it would provide the Afghan people with $5 billion in civilian aid over five years.  

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

3 datum   

n.资料；数据；已知数

参考例句：

• The author has taught foreigners Chinese manyand gathered rich language and datum.作者长期从事对外汉语教学，积累了丰富的语言资料。
• Every theory,datum,or fact is generated by purpose.任何理论，资料、事实都来自于一定的目的。

4 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

7 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。