VOA标准英语2009-India, US Preparing to Finalize Strategic Pa

By Steve Herman
New Delhi
18 November 2009

American and Indian top officials, in coming days, are hoping to finalize¹ a framework for the expanding strategic dialogue of the two democracies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh heads to the United States on Saturday for an "official state" visit. The five-day visit will come at a time when law enforcement and intelligence officials of both countries are holding intensive discussions on counter-terrorism.

Amid a growing security partnership², U.S. officials say President Barack Obama is to inform Prime Minister Singh about his decision on a U.S. troop surge for Afghanistan.

India is anxious about the worsening Taliban insurgency³ in Afghanistan, fearing that could make neighbor and long-time rival Pakistan even more unstable⁴.

 
Ambassador Timothy Roemer during news conference at US Embassy-New Delhi, 18 Nov 2009
U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer, speaking at a news conference at the American Embassy Wednesday predicted Mr. Obama and Mr. Singh will have a "hearty⁵ and robust⁶" discussion on regional strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In the wake of the landmark⁷ civil nuclear deal signed during the second Bush administration, Indian and American officials have been working on building a closer defense⁸ relationship. The United States has been pressing India for several years to sign a defense logistics support agreement that would make it easier to hold more joint⁹ military exercises, work together on regional maritime¹⁰ security and to sell vital equipment to Indian forces.

Also on the agenda during talks between the two leaders will be enhanced counterterrorism cooperation in hopes of preventing a similar attack like the one a year ago in Mumbai.

For days, the headline news here has been the role two men arrested last month in Chicago may have played in planning that attack, in which more than 160 people died.

The U.S. Ambassador declined to discuss how Washington would react to any extradition¹¹ request by New Delhi for the suspects but he does say investigators¹² are in constant contact.

"We have been working hand-to-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, hour-by-hour in cooperating and sharing information with India's government on a daily, weekly and monthly basis," Ambassador Roemer said.

U.S. officials are declining to confirm or deny that while Mr. Singh heads to Washington, CIA director Leon Panetta will be making a return three-day visit here. Indian reports say he will discuss the international investigation¹³ looking into the links between the Pakistani terror outfit¹⁴ Lashkar-e-Taiba and the two arrested Chicago suspects, David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana.

Embassy officials, however, adamantly¹⁵ deny that any top FBI officials are to arrive here this week, as has also been reported by Indian media outlets¹⁶.

Besides anti-terrorism and defense cooperation, Roemer says President Obama and Prime Minister Singh will also discuss expanding a partnership on climate change mitigation, educational programs and alleviating¹⁷ poverty.

The United States is hoping to signal how highly it values the burgeoning¹⁸ relationship by making Prime Minister Singh the first visiting leader to receive full honors from the Obama administration.
 
It is being billed as an "official state visit" although India's President Pratibha Patil is the mostly ceremonial head of state.

1 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

4 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

5 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

6 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

7 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

8 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。

9 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。

10 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

11 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

12 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

14 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

15 adamantly   

adv.坚决地，坚定不移地，坚强不屈地

参考例句：

• "Come over here,"he told her adamantly. “到这边来，”他对她坚定地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His family were adamantly opposed to the marriage. 他的家人坚决反对这门亲事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

18 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句