VOA常速英语2017--美国务卿要求北约成员国增加占GDP2%的军事支出

Speaking in Brussels at a meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on March 31, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the United States is strongly committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. This transatlantic political and military alliance came into being in 1949, at the start of the Cold War, in response to aggressive tactics used by the Soviet¹ Union against its former, Western allies in liberated² Europe.

3月31日在布鲁塞尔举行的北约(NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization)外长会议中讲话时，美国国务卿蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)表示，美国深切致力于北约组织。北约组织这一跨大西洋的政治军事联盟于1949年冷战伊始成立，初衷是为了回应苏联针对其已然解放的欧洲前西方盟友所采取的侵略性战略。

“This Alliance was forged from the ashes of World War II, and for more than half a century has been a necessary defense³ measure against common threats. Our bond remains⁴ essential for facing national and international security challenges in an increasingly unstable⁵ world,” said Secretary Tillerson.

“北约联盟建立在二战废墟的基础之上，半个多世纪以来，北约始终是其成员国所面临共同威胁的必要防御措施。在一个稳定性愈发下降的世界中，要应对国家性和全球性的诸多安全挑战，北约成员国间的联盟关系是很有必要的，”蒂勒森说。

So for example, NATO member states are working together to defeat ISIS, which is a threat to every country. As well, NATO's engagement in Afghanistan is critical, because peace there will ensure that Afghanistan will never again become a safe haven⁶ for terrorists. And once again, the Alliance is countering both violent and non-violent aggression⁷ coming out of Russia.

比如，北约成员国正在通力合作打击IS，因为IS威胁着每个成员国。同时，北约还参与了阿富汗事宜，发挥了重要作用，因为阿富汗的和平可以确保阿富汗不会再次成为恐怖分子的避风港。此外，北约再次对抗来自俄罗斯的暴力和非暴力的侵略行为。

“The United States is committed to ensuring NATO has the capabilities⁸ to support our collective defense. We understand that a threat against one of us is a threat against all of us, and we will respond accordingly. We will uphold the agreements we have made to defend our allies,” said Secretary Tillerson.

“美国致力于确保北约有能力支持成员国的共同防御。我们都明白，对一个成员国的威胁就是对我们所有人的威胁，所以我们会一起做出相应的回应。我们会坚守我们为捍卫盟友利益所达成的各项协议，”蒂勒森表示。

But that doesn't mean that that the United States will not insist on some changes. All member states must increase their military spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic product, as had been agreed at the 2014 Wales summit. The Alliance's ability to secure the transatlantic community depends on it, said Secretary Tillerson.

但这并不意味着美国不会坚持做出一些改变。所有北约成员国必须增加占GDP2%的军事支出，这一点是在2014威尔士峰会上达成共识的。联盟确保跨太平洋社群安全的能力也建立在各成员国军事支出的基础上，蒂勒森表示。

“The United States will not abandon its allies or forget its friends. Many of the nations in NATO have been working together for decades to protect shared freedoms, shared values, and shared security. But we cannot keep protecting them without meeting our shared responsibility of financial and other resources,” he said.

“美国不会抛弃自己的盟友，也不会忘记自己的伙伴。北约的很多成员国已有几十年共同合作的经历，一起保护并共享自由、价值观、安全。但这一切的保护都要建立在满足共有财务责任和其他资源支出责任的基础上。”

Long term stability, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, depends upon all allies, not just those who are the most exposed, paying their full share for defending the Alliance.

波罗的海到黑海范围的长期稳定取决于所有盟友竭尽所能地捍卫北约联盟，而并不只是那些受冲击最为严重的成员国。

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

3 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。

4 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。

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

6 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

7 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

8 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