VOA标准英语2010年-Australia Holds Multinational War Game

111 of the Royal Australian Air Force showcases a fuel dump and burn procedure during the flight display in Singapore during the opening day of the Singapore Airshow 2010 (file photo)

The Australian military is fine-tuning its defensive¹ capabilities² with war games involving its Asia-Pacific neighbors.

Exercise Pitch Black is a three-week air combat exercise in Darwin, in northern Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force is being joined by military personnel from New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

Fifteen hundred service men and women have been tested in simulated air combat operations and mid-air refueling missions. The aim of the exercise, the largest conducted by the Australian Air Force, is to prepare crews for hostile confrontations³ with an enemy. It also includes live bombing at an outback weapons range.

Security analysts⁴ say the annual war games over Darwin and the Northern Territory are designed to boost Australia's military ties with its strategic partners. In the past, Indonesian forces also have taken part.

Neil James, from the Australia Defense⁵ Association, an independent research group based in Canberra, says regional military drills are essential for the nation's long-term security.

"Australia is responsible for 10 percent of the entire Earth's surface in some form, either for defense or search and rescue or economically," James said. "That vast expanse of land and ocean has to be protected and can only be protected with our regional neighbors. Now, we are very lucky we live in an area of the world, at least in our immediate⁶ region, where there is no foreseeable military threat. But who is to say what might happen 30 years in the future in the wider Asia-Pacific region?"

Exercise Pitch Black concludes this week.

Australian troops also recently participated in one of the world's largest military drills, run by the United States off the coast of Hawaii. Other regional war games have also included drills in Papua New Guinea.

Australia has a relatively⁷ small but technologically⁸ advanced armed force. Its troops are deployed⁹ in Afghanistan and as peacekeepers in East Timor, the Solomon Islands and the Middle East.

 

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 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 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。

6 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。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。

9 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。