VOA标准英语2009年-Australia Welcomes Pakistani Military Chie

Pakistan's military chief has held low-key talks with his Australian counterparts Wednesday and agreed to step-up counterterrorism cooperation as his country targets pro-Taliban militants¹ in the Swat Valley. Australia also plans to send additional humanitarian² aid to the conflict.
　
General Tariq Majid (L) shakes hands with Australian Defense³ Minister Joel Fitzgibbon (R), during meeting in Canberra, 20 May 2009

General Tariq Majid, the commander of the Pakistani armed forces, has held private discussions in Canberra with his military counterpart, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston and Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon.

In a statement, Fitzgibbon said that Pakistan's ability to defeat Taliban insurgents⁴ was "critical to regional and global security."

Earlier this month, Pakistan launched an offensive against militants in the Swat Valley, about 130 kilometers from the capital, Islamabad.

General Majid has reiterated⁵ Pakistan has continued to support U.S. and NATO-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan, where several hundred Australian troops have been deployed⁶.

The government in Canberra has been urging the authorities in Islamabad to intensify⁷ efforts to combat militants and prevent them from moving across the Afghan border.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says that Pakistani forces should be careful to avoid harming the innocent in its pursuit of Taliban extremists.

"We certainly expect that the Pakistan government will protect human rights and do its best to ensure that its civilians⁸ aren't put into a conflict zone or put into danger but the real point here is, it is the extremist activity of the Taliban and other terrorists who are putting pressure on Pakistan itself, putting pressure on the Pakistan Government, putting pressure on Pakistani civilians," Smith said.

Smith has announced that an extra $9 million will be spent on food and other aid for those made homeless in the Swat Valley conflict. The battle between the Pakistani army and Taliban militants has displaced more than 1.5 million people.

Australia has already agreed to increase its assistance to the police in Pakistan, including help with crime and terrorism investigations⁹ as well as intelligence analysis.

 

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 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。

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

6 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。

7 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

8 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

9 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。