VOA标准英语2015--美国选民对总统候选人就IS胜利原因寻求答案

US Voters Seek Answers From Presidential Candidates on IS Gains 美国选民对总统候选人就IS胜利原因寻求答案

CEDAR¹ FALLS, IOWA—

The growth of the Islamic State militant² group in Iraq and Syria comes as the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign kicks off in the Midwest state of Iowa. Voters want to know how the candidates would handle recent militant gains in the Middle East.

It is one of the biggest issues on the minds of voters in Iowa – the growing threat of Islamic State militants³ in Iraq and Syria.

Iowa voter Michael Downey is especially torn by the fall of Ramadi, where U.S. soldiers battled insurgents⁴ during the Iraq war.

“The people who fought over there paid a price for that city.  They’ve got to be heartbroken today.  There are people who are injured or who lost family members," he said. "Today they have to ask the question, was it worth it?”

It is a question Downey knows well.  His son Luke is a former U.S. Marine⁵ who served several combat deployments to Afghanistan.

“It is a sacrifice, whether it’s your sons or daughters who are in harm's way, the mothers brothers fathers and sisters, they all pay a price too," he said.

Downey and his son Luke attended a forum⁶ with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Voters here want to know where the candidates stand on sending more ground forces back to Iraq.

"You’re in an area in the United States where a very high percentage of families serve, so sacrifice and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice of losing your life for your country is taken very seriously," said Jeff Danielson, a Democratic Iowa state senator from Cedar Falls. 

Danielson, who is also a veteran of the first Gulf⁷ War and serves on several Iowa committees for veterans, is running for local re-election next year alongside presidential candidates.  He says possible U.S. involvement with places like Iraq and Afghanistan tops the list of concerns voters have discussed with him.

“Foreign policy is one of the reasons people vote for a president, so it's always going to be highly salient," Danielson said. "It’s probably equal to the economy and domestic issues when it comes to thinking about who you are voting for, for president."

Michael Downey is still thinking about who he wants to vote for.  But there is one thing he’s looking for in whomever he chooses – someone who can generate bipartisan cooperation.

“A divided nation cannot win a war," he said.

1 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。