VOA标准英语2011--US Military Chief Says Aid to Egypt Shou

The top U.S. military officer has cautioned against any move to cut U.S. aid to Egypt's military in the midst of the current protests, saying the aid has "intangible benefits" that contribute to the military's neutral and, so far, non-violent role in the crisis.
In an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America, Admiral Mike Mullen rejected threats by some members of Congress to cut the $1.3 billion of annual U.S. aid to Egypt if a government transition does not happen soon.
"There's a lot of uncertainty¹ out there, and I would just caution against doing anything, until we really understand what's going on," said Mullen.
Admiral Mullen says the aid, including a substantial military component², benefits the United States, as well as Egypt. He said the long and close U.S.-Egyptian military relationship has paid dividends³ in the current crisis, after years of American training of Egyptian officers.
"Beyond just the equipment and those kinds of things, what that has also done is establish a relationship with the Egyptian military, which is one between our militaries of great strength," added Mullen. "And there are some intangibles associated with that tied to how they handle themselves, and how the focus and what they understand about who they should be, which are very, very positive."
Key Players in Egypt's Crisis
President Hosni Mubarak: The 82-year-old has ruled Egypt for 30 years as leader of the National Democratic Party. Egypt's longest-serving president came to power after the assassination⁴ of his predecessor⁵, Anwar Sadat.
Mohamed ElBaradei: The Nobel Peace laureate and former Egyptian diplomat⁶ has gained international attention as a vocal⁷ critic of Mr. Mubarak and his government. Until recently he headed the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, and he has lived outside Egypt for years. ElBaradei founded the nonpartisan movement National Association for Change, and has offered to lead a transitional administration in Egypt if Mr. Mubarak steps down.
Vice⁸ President Omar Suleiman: The new Egyptian vice president has served as head of intelligence and is a close ally of President Mubarak. He earned international respect for his role as a mediator⁹ in Middle East affairs and for curbing¹⁰ Islamic extremism.
Ayman Nour: The political dissident founded the Al Ghad or "tomorrow" party. Nour ran against Mr. Mubarak in the 2005 election and was later jailed on corruption¹¹ charges. The government released him in 2009 under pressure from the United States and other members of the international community.
Muslim Brotherhood¹²: The Islamic fundamentalist organization is outlawed¹³ in Egypt, but remains¹⁴ the largest opposition¹⁵ group. Its members previously¹⁶ held 20 percent of the seats in parliament, but lost them after a disputed election in late 2010. The group leads a peaceful political and social movement aimed at forming an Islamic state.
Admiral Mullen is referring to the mostly neutral role the troops in the streets have played and their restraint in not using their weapons against the demonstrators. In addition, senior American and Egyptian officers have long-standing and close relationships, creating a valuable back channel of communications. The admiral himself has spoken twice in the last week with his Egyptian counterpart, Lieutenant¹⁷ General Sami Anan.
"In my discussions with General Anan, he has assured me, he's not going to fire on his people, that they are very focused on the people of Egypt," explained Mullen. "They would like this, clearly, to transition peacefully. There are more army forces out today. You can see them just in the pictures. And so they've worked very hard to remain neutral, and they really do want to continue to do that."
The admiral said U.S. forces in the Middle East are in what he called a "higher state of awareness¹⁸" as they monitor the crisis in Egypt, but their alert level has not been raised.

1 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。

2 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

3 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

4 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

5 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

7 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

10 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

11 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

12 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

13 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

17 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

18 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。