VOA标准英语2009年-Britain's PM Defends Afghanistan Mission

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he believes his government's mission in Afghanistan will succeed. Mr. Brown has been on the defensive¹ amid a growing political debate at home over the rising death toll² among British soldiers on the front lines.
　
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown holding a news conference in London, 22 Jul 2009

Speaking at a news conference, Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the sacrifice of the British armed forces. It has been a sobering time for his government as 18 soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this month.

But Mr. Brown moved swiftly to reject criticism that British forces lack the necessary equipment to protect them in their operations against insurgents³.

"I am satisfied that Operation Panther's Claw has the resources it needs to be successful," said Gordon Brown. "And I think that the fact it is making progress at the moment and yielding results already shows that that is the case. And, I am confident that we will bring this operation to a successful outcome."

Mr. Brown directly addressed comments, made in a local newspaper, by the outgoing Foreign Office minister that the troops did not have enough helicopters.

"On the operations we are having at the moment, it is completely wrong to say that the loss of lives has been caused by the absence of helicopters," he said. "And that has been confirmed by people on the ground."

Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch Brown quickly retracted⁴ his statement, saying he agreed with the prime minister that the number of helicopters was sufficient for the current operation.

There has been criticism in Britain that the lack of helicopters is a factor in the rising casualties. Helicopters are important for mobility⁵ in the difficult Afghan terrain⁶, allowing troops to avoid risks on the ground such as roadside bombs.

Mr. Brown reiterated⁷ the number of helicopters has been increased by more than 60 percent during the past two years, but he promised more helicopters by the end of 2009.

1 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。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 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

4 retracted   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供词，后来又翻供。
• A caddy retracted his statement. 一个球童收回了他的话。 来自辞典例句

5 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

6 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

7 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。