VOA标准英语2013--Hagel Wraps Up Visit Aimed at Reassuring Asian Allies

 

Hagel Wraps Up Visit Aimed at Reassuring¹ Asian Allies

Chuck Hagel launched his first trip to Asia as secretary of defense² from Hawaii, telling troops of the U.S. Pacific Command the toughest battle ahead is in cyberspace³.

“This is a very difficult, but real and dangerous threat.  And there is no higher priority for our country," he said.

Arriving at the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore, Hagel wasted no time in naming the source of much of that threat.

"The United States has expressed our concerns about the growing threat of cyber intrusions, some of which appear to be tied to the Chinese government and military," he said.

Hagel's main objective in Singapore was to reassure⁴ Asia-Pacific partners including Japan and South Korea that the administration's strategy of rebalancing to the Pacific remains⁵ on track, despite Washington's budget troubles.

The Pentagon is proceeding⁶ with plans to shift 60 percent of its naval⁷ assets to the Pacific.  Hagel on Sunday visited sailors aboard the combat ship USS Freedom, now deployed⁸ in Singapore.

The rebalance has sparked questions from the Chinese, who perceive the strategy as a U.S. attempt to contain China's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific.

Through greater, more visible engagement, Hagel brought the message the United States welcomes a strong and emerging China, one that will be a responsible partner that will contribute to security in this region. 

1 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

2 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。

3 cyberspace   

n.虚拟信息空间，网络空间，计算机化世界

参考例句：

• She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
• The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。

4 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

5 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。

6 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

7 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。

8 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。