VOA标准英语2009年-British Government Defends its Strategy an

For the first time since eight British soldiers died in Afghanistan last week, Britain's Defense¹ Secretary Bob Ainsworth addressed parliament as he tried to rebut² claims British forces are under-equipped for the tough mission they are engaged in. The British government has had to restate to the British public why its forces are in Afghanistan in the first place.

As British deaths in Afghanistan have edged past the number killed in Iraq, Gordon Brown's approach to Afghanistan is being attacked on two fronts.

With the British soldier death rate escalating³ in Helmand province, the public is losing faith in the government and its justification⁴ for being in Afghanistan 7.5 years after first being deployed⁵.

And for those who still back the Afghan operation, many say Brown's government has not given the troops all the resources required to fight a determined⁶ insurgency⁷.

Among the most vocal⁸ of critics in this camp, opposition⁹ Conservative party leader David Cameron.

"People will say, especially today and rightly, that our urgent priority is to get the right equipment to our forces on the front line," Cameron said. "They are right. Of course we must do that. It is a scandal in particular that they still lack enough helicopters to move around in southern Afghanistan. The government must deal with that issue as a matter of extreme emergency."

British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said in the House of Commons that government is doing all it can to adequately protect troops in Afghanistan and he promised more assets would be moved into the theater of operation, but he underlined the mission will remain dangerous.

"It is our duty to supply the kit¹⁰ and equipment that is needed in order to keep people as safe as we can, but we cannot remove risk from this kind of operation," he said.

Three of the eight soldiers who died most recently were just 18 years old. It is that young age that is resonating with an uneasy British public.

The prime minister maintains that winning in Afghanistan is crucial to keeping the streets of Britain safe.

"If we are to defeat this vicious insurgency and by doing so make Britain and the world a safer place, then we must persist with our operations in Afghanistan. I am confident that we are right to be in Afghanistan, that we have the strongest possible plan and we have the resources needed to do the job" the prime minister said.

But only about half the British public agrees with that argument. An ICM survey in Britain's Guardian¹¹ newspaper shows 46 percent backing British involvement in Afghanistan while 47 oppose it.

A majority would like to see all British forces withdrawn¹² by the end of the year while 42 percent favor an immediate¹³ pull-out.

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 rebut   

v.辩驳，驳回

参考例句：

• He attempted to rebut the assertions made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳控方证人所作的断言。
• This open letter is to rebut the argument of abstractionism.这封公开信是反驳抽象派论点的。

3 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

5 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。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 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

8 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

11 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

12 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

13 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。