U.S. expects Canada to buy F-35

    OTTAWA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense（防卫,防护） Robert Gates said here on Thursday that he expects Canada's continued support for the F-35 joint¹ strike fighter plane program, which is under fire from opposition² politicians here.
    Gates, in Ottawa for a meeting with Peter MacKay, his Canadian counterpart, waded³ into a debate on Canada's purchase of the F-35. The 16-billion-Canadian dollar (about 16.11 billion U.S. dollars) purchase and maintenance deal is expected to be an important issue in a federal election campaign （运动,活动）that could come as early as April.
    At a news conference after the meeting, Gates made it clear that the Obama administration expects Canada and other U.S. allies to buy the F-35.
    "Without getting into domestic affairs in Canada I would just say that my hope is, for all of our sakes, that all of our partners continue to move forward with us on this program," Gates said.
    He downplayed criticism of the F-35, saying the air force version, unlike the vertical⁴ take-off naval⁵ variant⁶, has had few production problems and cost over-runs. He said he expects about 3, 000 F-35s to be built for the United States and its allies.
    The Liberal Party of Canada opposes the purchase of 65 of the F- 35s, saying they are too expensive and are technically⁷ not suited to Canada's needs. The Liberals have already put commercials on Canadian TV channels to attack the deal.
    Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff also claimed the government should have sought bids from other aircraft builders, rather than make an untendered deal with Lockheed Martin, the builder of the F- 35.
    "We need this aircraft," MacKay told reporters. "It is the only fifth-generation aircraft that has the capability⁸ and the on-board equipment and the stealth capacity and the weapons radar⁹ system that is interoperable with our colleagues and our allies in the United States through NORAD."(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 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。

2 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。

3 waded   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。

4 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

5 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。

6 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

7 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

8 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

9 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。