2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Returning Home From APEC, Stops At Hawaii

By Paula Wolfson
Honolulu
09 September 2007

President Bush stopped in Hawaii on his way home from the Pacific rim¹ summit in Australia. VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson reports from Honolulu Mr. Bush met with military commanders, and visited with wounded soldiers, sailors and marines.

President Bush greets troops at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii

The meetings in Hawaii came at a crucial time for the president's Iraq policy, as the Bush administration prepares to report to the U.S. Congress on progress in the war effort.

The president's talks with military commanders took place behind closed doors. But after his hospital visit with wounded troops, Mr. Bush spoke² briefly³ to reporters.

He said he talked to the war wounded about his visit to Iraq's al-Anbar province - a surprise stop on his way to the Pacific rim summit in Australia. "I told them when I was in the room that I came back from Iraq encouraged by what I saw. No question there is still hard work to do. But my resolve is as strong as it has ever been. I believe we are doing the right thing there for the security of the country and the peace of the world," he said.

The president has already announced that he will be addressing the nation on Iraq in the next few days. A mandatory⁴ White House report to Congress on the situation in Iraq is due by September 15. And the two top U.S. officials in Iraq - US military commander General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker - are scheduled to appear before lawmakers on Monday and Wednesday. "I will then talk about a way forward after their report. I ask the members of Congress to sit back and listen to what we all have to say before they reach the conclusions that they're going to reach," he said.

Speaking one day after the release of a new video featuring al-Qaida leader Osama bin⁵ Laden⁶, the president reaffirmed his determination to continue the fight in Iraq. "One thing is for certain: Now is the time to do the hard work in order to make sure that we can have a peaceful world, now is the time to deny radicals⁷ and extremists a safe haven⁸, and now is the time to advance democracy in the heart of the Middle East," he said.

President Bush arrives back at the White House on Sunday morning, local time.

1 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

4 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

5 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

6 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

7 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

8 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。