VOA标准英语2010年-Major US Military Command Closure Caus

On August 9, U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates announced the elimination² of a major U.S. combat command as a cost-cutting measure. The Joint³ Forces Command employs about 6,000 people around (the US southern city of) Norfolk, Virginia.  People who live in the region are concerned possible job losses will create a downturn in the local economy.

The city of Norfolk, Virginia is home to the largest naval⁴ base in the world.  Cities and businesses in the region have grown around that base and other military facilities. 

Jack⁵ Hornbeck, who heads the local chamber⁶ of commerce, said "It's devastating⁷ for our region.  There's no question about that, a lot of impact, a lot of concern."

Vinod Agarwal, an economics professor in Norfolk, says local businesses rely on the military for income. "Forty to 45 percent of this economy is directly or indirectly⁸ related to what happens to U.S. Department of Defense, so when the U.S. Department of Defense cuts down its spending, its effects are felt all throughout this economy," he said.

The Pentagon created the Joint Forces Command in 1999 to develop better ways for the various armed forces to work together. But the Pentagon now wants to cut down on the size of the military's  bureaucracy.  Reporters recently got an inside look at the command.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the move to close the command is part of an effort to reduce certain kinds of military spending-- money the Pentagon says could be better spent on fighting war.  Some of its functions, and military and civilian⁹ personnel, will be put elsewhere, including at the Pentagon outside of Washington.

There have been military cutbacks in the region before, but nothing as significant as this, and it caught Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim by surprise. "If you break it apart, you are just going to have to do it in different places. Maybe it's going to be more expensive to do some of it in northern Virginia than it is in Norfolk," he said.

Businesses are concerned cutbacks will have a trickle¹⁰ down effect on their profits.  Jim Wofford the manager of a shopping center in Norfolk, said "The average person normally visits our center about two and a half times a month.  So you take six thousand jobs and you multiply that at least by three in a family, you are talking about 18,000 folks that we probably won't see in the shopping center."

Randy Windley, the manager at a restaurant in Norfolk, says job cutbacks will especially affect small businesses. "We'll lose money in profits.  It has an impact on the whole area when you lose six thousand plus people, their families, so it will hurt our business overall," he said.

Secretary Gates says he wants to dismantle¹¹ the command over the coming year and is promising¹² money for Navy ship building in Virginia which will create jobs.   Virginia politicians are fighting the closure of the Joint Forces Command but may not be able to do anything about it.

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 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

5 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

8 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

9 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。

10 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

11 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。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。