VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Reaffirms Iraq Exit Plan

President Barack Obama speaks about Iraq and Afghanistan at the Disabled American Veterans national convention in Atlanta, 02 Aug 2010
 

President Barack Obama says the United States is on track to end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of this month, transitioning from a military to a civilian¹-led effort.  In a speech to the Disabled Veterans of America in Atlanta, Georgia, the president praised the sacrifices of American forces in Iraq, and also underscored his commitment to defeating al-Qaida and extremists forces in Afghanistan.

Though Iraq is now grappling with political uncertainty² five months after a parliamentary election, and with bomb attacks in Baghdad and other cities, the president and others in his administration are highlighting the coming formal end of the U.S. combat mission.

Middle East expert Charles Dunne discusses the changing U.S. role in Iraq:

 In his speech Mr. Obama said the United States is on schedule to fulfill³ a pledge to transfer security responsibilities to Iraqi forces.

"Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility," he said. "And I made it clear that by August 31, 2010 America's combat mission in Iraq would end.  And that is exactly what we are doing, as promised, on schedule."

The president said 90,000 troops will have come home from Iraq by the end of August.  He noted⁴ the United States is in the process of moving millions of pieces of equipment from Iraq, and continues to close or turn over military bases to Iraqi government troops.

The U.S. presence, Mr. Obama said, will shift from military to civilian leadership, with a focused mission of training Iraqi forces, counter-terrorism operations, and protecting U.S. civilian and diplomatic personnel.

While violence in Iraq continues to be at its lowest level in years, the president made a reference to problems, saying terrorists continue to try to derail progress.  He spoke⁵ about challenges facing Iraqi forces and American troops in their new mission.

"These are dangerous tasks," he said. "There are still those with bombs and bullets who will try to stop Iraq's progress, and the hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq."

Political tensions have heightened in Iraq because its newly-elected parliament is still deadlocked⁶ over a choice for a new prime minister and government, nearly five months after the parliamentary election in March.

President Obama also talked about Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO forces face a strengthened insurgency⁷ and a rising casualty count, July being the deadliest month ever for U.S. troops there.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the president said, the United States is determined⁸ to defeat al-Qaida and extremist forces.

"In this region, and beyond, we will tolerate no safe haven⁹ for al-Qaida and their extremist allies, we will disrupt and we will dismantle¹⁰, and we will ultimately defeat al-Qaida," he said.

The president devoted¹¹ a large portion of his speech to assuring military veterans that his administration is committed to helping¹² them receive the medical care and assistance they require.

Referring to what he called vigorous debates in the U.S. about the war in Iraq, Mr. Obama said there were no differences when it came to the need to support more than one million Americans who served in Iraq.
 

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

3 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

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 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。

9 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

10 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

11 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。