英国新闻听力 美国关于伊拉克的进程报告

美国关于伊拉克的进程报告(Us Progress Report on Iraq)

在未来两周，美国驻伊拉克军队的最高指挥官大卫?彼得雷乌斯将军和美国驻巴格达大使瑞安?克罗克将就伊拉克方面的进展情况向布什总统和美国国会做一次重要汇报。他们的任务是评估考察伊拉克政府是否在调解民族矛盾和减少暴力冲突方面取得进展。美国国会之前已为伊拉克政府设置了18个进展指标，并预计伊拉克在9月中旬达到这些指标，只有这样美国国会才会继续支持和资助伊拉克战争。

注释：

1,Headway n. 进展 2,benchmark n. 基准点 

3,subconsciously¹ adv. 下意识地 4,regime n. 政权，政体，政权制度 

5,claustrophobic adj. 幽闭恐怖的 6,kidnapper n. 绑匪 

7,dejection n. 沮丧 8,quell v. 镇压 

9,dubious² adj. 可疑的，不确定的

ANNOUNCER: In the next two weeks, General David Petraeus, the senior American military commander in Iraq and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Baghdad are due to present a crucial progress report to President Bush and the US Congress. Their task is to assess whether any headway been made towards national reconciliation³ and reducing the violence in Iraq. US congress has set out 18 benchmarks which are supposed to be fulfilled by mid-September to ensure continued support and funding for the war. Richard Gulping⁴, who is back in Baghdad for the first time in almost two years, has been assessing the situation there using some benchmarks of his own. 

播音员：在未来两周，美国驻伊拉克军队的最高指挥官大卫?彼得雷乌斯将军和美国驻巴格达大使瑞安?克罗克将就伊拉克方面的进展情况向布什总统和美国国会做一次重要汇报。他们的任务是评估考察伊拉克政府是否在调解民族矛盾和减少暴力冲突方面取得进展。美国国会之前已为伊拉克政府设置了18个进展指标，并预计伊拉克在9月中旬达到这些指标，只有这样美国国会才会继续支持和资助伊拉克战争。理查德?高尔平以他自己的标准评估那里的局势，这是他两年内第一次回到巴格达。 

RICHARD GULPING: As my plane made the stiff, tactical descent to Baghdad airport, I was thinking about those much debated American benchmarks. I realized that almost subconsciously, I developed my own. Mine not of course deeply, unscientific and highly personal if not slightly eccentric but they help. 

理查德?高尔平：当我乘坐的飞机笔直的、技术精湛的降落在巴格达时，我就想到了那些倍受争议的美国指标。我发现原来在我的潜意识里，我早就有了自己的一套标准。当然我的标准并不是很深入，也欠缺科学性，并且带有强烈的个人主义色彩，但是只要不是特殊情况，它们一般都是很准的。

The first is the width of our street. When I first came to Baghdad just after the American troops had matched in four years ago, we lived and worked in a normal street. We walked around freely, even at night, taking just basic security precautions, but this didn’t last long. The American Military founded, not knowing what to do after taking Baghdad because it didn’t have a serious plan for the day after declaring victory. And that the members of the former regime seized the initiative launching a well planned campaign of guerrilla warfare⁵ which also attracted Islamic Extremists. So over the next two years, our lives in Baghdad became ever more restricted. Our street was sealed off and guarded, became increasingly narrow as each building had huge concrete block barriers placed in front of it. On my return here three weeks ago, I discovered that our street was even narrower because yet more blast barriers have been brought in. Its now also much shorter cutting half by huge metal gate and everywhere security cameras. Living here is deeply claustrophobic where once we could spend time speaking with top members of the Iraqi Government, we now fear to tread because of the threat of being kidnapped. And that’s because at the end of May, a British consultant⁶ and his four British bodyguards⁷ were seized by gunmen from inside the Finance Ministry⁸ in Baghdad. The fate is still unknown. The incident says so much about the current state of the Iraqi security forces. The kidnappers⁹ were all wearing Police uniforms and drove up in police vehicles. Clear evidence of involvement of militia¹⁰ groups within the police force or the very least collusion between the two. 

第一个标准是街道的宽度。当我四年前第一次来到巴格达的时候，那时美国军队刚刚进驻伊拉克，我们生活和工作都是在正常的街道上进行的。我们可以自由行走，即使是在晚上，只要具备最基本的防范意识就可以了，但是这种情形并没有持续很久。美国在这里建立军部，但他们却不知道在攻占巴格达以后该做些什么，因为他们没有为胜利后的局面制定一个严格的计划。而且前政府成员抓住了主动权，发起了一场精心策划的游击战，这次战役还吸引了伊斯兰极端主义者的参与。因此在随后的两年时间里，我们在巴格达的生活就变得越来越受限制了。我们的街道被封锁，纳入警戒，由于每个建筑物前面都堆积着巨大的混凝土块障碍物，街道开始变得狭窄。当我三周前重返这里的时候，我发现这里的街道变得更加狭窄了，因为堆积了更多的建筑混凝土块。并且街道现在也变短了很多，一扇大铁门把整条街分成了两半，到处都安装着安全摄像头。这里是过去我们和伊拉克政府高层领导人会谈的地方，而如今住在这里却有一种非常幽闭恐怖的感觉。由于害怕被绑架，我们不敢随便走动。因为在五月末，一名英国顾问和他的四名英国贴身保镖就在巴格达的财政部被持枪者绑架。至今生死未卜。这起事件很能说明当时伊拉克安全武装力量的状态。绑架者都穿着警服，开着警车。这一证据明显说明民兵组织已渗透到警察部门，或者至少他们二者存在相互勾结。

My second benchmark is the face of an Iraqi friend here. Over the past four years, I have seen his face evolve into picture of dejection. But now there seems to be something even worse, despair. He is trying to persuade the members of his own family to move abroad where he knows they will be safe even if it means being apart for years. But this is minor¹¹ league compared with what our colleague at an international news agency has been through. A few days ago, I attended a wake for two of their Iraqi staff, a photographer and a driver who were killed in Baghdad in July. An American attache helicopter opened fire on them. US military said it was engaged in fire fight with insurgents¹² at the time. In total the agency has now lost 7 staff since the invasion. The photographer was just 22 years old. And in exhibition of some of his most powerful images have been put on display for us to see. Most of his short professional life has been correcting just one thing, the violence tearing apart his own country.

我的第二个标准是一个伊拉克朋友的面容。在过去的四年多的时间里，他的面容逐渐变成一副沮丧的样子。现在似乎变得更糟糕了，变成了绝望。他正尽力的说服他的家人搬到国外，他觉得那里会比较安全，尽管这意味着要离开很多年。但是和我的一个国际新闻通讯社同事的经历相比，这种离别要舒心的多。几天以前，我参加了一个葬礼，这个葬礼是为他在伊拉克工作的两位同事举行的，他们一个是摄影师，一个是司机，今年七月在巴格达遇害。一架美国专属直升机向他们开火。美军称当时他们正在和叛乱者进行激烈的枪战。自从美军入侵以来，通讯社已经损失了七名工作人员。那位摄影师才刚刚22岁，他的一些颇具震撼力的摄影作品已经展出。在他短暂的职业生涯中，大部分时间都是在纠正一个错误，那就是暴力拆散了他的祖国。

And that brings me to my third benchmark, the board in our office. Everyday it's used to compile a list of the shootings, bombings and other violent incidence we hear about around the country. Last week we decided¹³ the board was too small, we needed something bigger. 

这让我想到了第三个标准，那就是我们办公室的桌子。我们每天都在这张桌上把我们听说的各种枪击、爆炸和暴力冲突事件汇编起来，做成列表。上周我们发现桌子实在太小了，我们需要换一个更大的。

My fourth and final benchmark is a more direct look at how the American troops now operate on the ground. It derives¹⁴ from a brief trip we did with General Raymond Odairmo the second most senior American military commander in Iraq, a great bull of a man with a shaved head. He had some very specific people he wanted us to meet; they are known as the Volunteer Security Forces or Civilian¹⁵ Guards. They sprang up in the wake of the surge of the American troops across central Iraq this year which has had some success in quelling¹⁶ the violence in some of the most troubled regions. Thousands of volunteers all Sunni Arabs have been stepping forward and often to protect their own neighborhoods. Some a former insurgents, which says others are young unemployed¹⁷ men who have had enough of the violence. It is a remarkable¹⁸ turn around. It is so many now want to co-operate with the Americans, the very people that previously¹⁹ they been trying to kill. The Americans of course have been eager to sign the map and give them contracts, 20,000 apparently²⁰ so far. In the Sunni district of West Baghdad which we went to, the volunteers are filling a void. There was no regular police there because the police are mostly Shiite. With the American enthusiastic about this great force, the majority Shite population in the country is becoming increasingly alarmed. They fear that a Sunni militia of dubious loyalty²¹ to the government is being created across the Sunni heartlands and if the Americans hand responsibility to them and then go back, it could be that they have created a perfect recipe for all out civil war.

我的第四个，也是最后一个标准是更加直接的关注美军如何对这块土地进行管理。这个标准是在一次简单旅行中想到的。当时和我们同行的是雷蒙德?奥丹尔默将军，他是美军驻伊拉克高级指挥官的第二把手。他身体强悍、剃着光头。他有一些很特别的人想介绍我们认识，他们就是所谓的“安全武装志愿者”或“公民护卫者”。今年，他们穿越了伊拉克的中部，紧随着美军的大部队来到这里，他们已经成功平息了伊拉克几个最动乱地区的暴力冲突。成千上万的志愿者都是逊尼派阿拉伯人，他们一直冲在前面，目标是保卫他们的家园。一位曾是叛乱分子的人说，叛党中的其他人都是年轻没有工作的男人，他们有的只是足够的暴力。这是一个非常引人注目的转变。很多人过去只想着杀戮，而如今却希望和美国人合作。美国人现在当然急切的为他们标注地图，签订合同，事实上目前已有20000人和他们签订了合同。在西巴格达的逊尼派地区，也就是我们去的地方，志愿者填补了那里的空缺。那里没有固定的警察，因为警察大部分是什叶派教徒。美国对这股强大的武装力量很感兴趣，现在伊拉克的主要什叶派教徒已经产生了日益严重的危机感。他们害怕逊尼派对政府的忠诚是虚假的，目的是为了建立一个逊尼派民兵的核心阵地，如果美国人把责任转交给他们，自己返回美国，这样他们就有足够的能力应付全面内战。

ANNOUNCER: Richard Gulping. 

播音员：以上是理查德?高尔平为您带来的报道。

1 subconsciously   

ad.下意识地，潜意识地

参考例句：

• In choosing a partner we are subconsciously assessing their evolutionary fitness to be a mother of children or father provider and protector. 在选择伴侣的时候，我们会在潜意识里衡量对方将来是否会是称职的母亲或者父亲，是否会是合格的一家之主。
• Lao Yang thought as he subconsciously tightened his grasp on the rifle. 他下意识地攥紧枪把想。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

2 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

3 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

4 gulping   

v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的现在分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住

参考例句：

• She crawled onto the river bank and lay there gulping in air. 她爬上河岸，躺在那里喘着粗气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• And you'll even feel excited gulping down a glass. 你甚至可以感觉到激动下一杯。 来自互联网

5 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

6 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

7 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

12 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

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

16 quelling   

v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Quelling her grief, she said 'Good-bye! 'again and went on. 她把悲痛压下去，二番说了一声再见，又转身走去了。 来自辞典例句
• The police succeeded in quelling the riot. 警方把暴乱镇压了下去。 来自辞典例句

17 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

18 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

19 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。

20 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

21 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。