VOA标准英语2010年-US Defense Secretary in India for Regi

The U.S. defense¹ secretary has arrived in India for the first high-level talks between the two countries since Prime Minister's Manmohan Singh's visit to the White House, last November.  Regional security - namely the fight against insurgents² in Afghanistan and Pakistan - is expected to be the dominant³ theme of the discussions.

On board his aircraft en route to India, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters a surge of thousands of U.S. Marines into Afghanistan's Helmand province is putting pressure on the Taliban in towns and villages.  But he cautioned that significant results should not be expected before the total surge force of 30,000 additional U.S. troops gets into place later this year. 

"We still are on track to have that 92 percent of the forces in there by the end of August.  And, to tell you the truth, there are some that we don't need to have in there before the end of August," he said.

Gates is expressing pessimism⁴ that Afghan President Hamid Karzai's outreach to Taliban leader Mullah Omar will bear fruit. The defense secretary predicts reconciliation⁵ would not occur until the insurgents "see that they are not going to win."

Gates arrives in India a day after the Taliban staged one of their most brazen⁶ attacks on the Afghan capital, setting off explosions in the heart of Kabul and engaging in extended gun battles with security forces.

In an opinion article by Gates published in Tuesday's Times of India newspaper, the U.S. defense chief makes an appeal for closer military cooperation between Washington and New Delhi for South Asian stability.  He calls India's pledge of $1.3 billion  for Afghanistan's development critical to realizing a fully⁷ independent Afghanistan that can support and defend itself.

U.S. officials say, on his first visit here in two years, Gates will discuss how New Delhi can extend its roles of promoting security in Afghanistan and counter-terrorism cooperation with Washington.

This comes at a time when relations remain chilly⁸ between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. The United States wants to see the two rivals ease tensions to better confront the mutual⁹ threats from terror groups intent on carrying out further attacks in both countries.

Gates is praising the restraint shown by India following the November 2008 terror attack on its commercial capital, Mumbai, blamed on Pakistani militants¹⁰.  The defense secretary says India has acted in what he calls a "very statesmanlike manner" since then.

During his two-day visit, Gates will meet with the Indian prime minister, as well as the defense and foreign ministers.

 

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 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

3 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

4 pessimism   

n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者

参考例句：

• He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
• There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

7 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。

8 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

9 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

10 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。