2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Predicts Tough Year in Iraq

By Paula Wolfson
White House
20 December 2006

President Bush is predicting another tough year ahead in Iraq. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, Mr. Bush says many options are under consideration to quell¹ the violence, including a possible surge in U.S. troop levels.

George W. Bush answers questions during press conference, 20 Dec 2006

President Bush says 2006 was a difficult time for U.S. troops in Iraq and the Iraqi people. He says 2007 will entail² more sacrifice, as insurgents³ and extremists seem to derail Iraq's young democractically-elected government and force an American pull-out.

"We enter this new year clear-eyed about the challenges in Iraq, and equally clear about our purpose," he said. "Our goal remains⁴ a free and democratic Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself and an ally in this war on terror."

During a news conference, the president said the enemy remains merciless and violent. He said he is working with others to come up with a revised strategy to meet the challenge and ensure victory.

"We can be smarter about how we deploy⁵ manpower and resources," he said. "We can ask more of our Iraqi partners and we will. One thing we cannot do is give up on the hundreds of millions of moms and dads across the Middle East that want the hope and opportunity for their children that terrorists and extremists seek to deny them."

Mr. Bush said he has many options under consideration, including a possible surge in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. He stressed he has made no decision on deployments in Iraq. But he reaffirmed his intention to seek an overall increase in the size of the Army and Marine⁶ Corps⁷ to better wage the global war on terrorism over the long term.

"I have asked Secretary [of Defense⁸ Robert] Gates to determine how such an increase could take place and report back to me as quickly as possible," he said.

President Bush first revealed his intention to expand the military during an interview Tuesday with The Washington Post, in which he also provided an assessment⁹ of conditions in Iraq.

Two months ago, Mr. Bush said the United States was winning in Iraq. But during the session with The Washington Post, he said America is neither winning nor losing.

At his news conference, he was asked if he has had a change of heart. The president said no, adding he has always felt America will win in the long-run.

"My comments yesterday reflected the fact that we are not succeeding nearly as fast as I wanted, as I said at the time, and that conditions are tough in Iraq - particularly in Baghdad," he said.

The White House originally suggested that President Bush would unveil his revised strategy for Iraq before the end of December in a speech to the nation. That address has now been pushed back to sometime in January.

1 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

2 entail   

vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要

参考例句：

• Such a decision would entail a huge political risk.这样的决定势必带来巨大的政治风险。
• This job would entail your learning how to use a computer.这工作将需要你学会怎样用计算机。

3 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

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 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

6 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。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• 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。

8 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。

9 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？