VOA标准英语2012--US Moves to Restore Relations with Pakistan

US Moves to Restore Relations with Pakistan

Protests like this one show the anger many Pakistanis feel toward the United States.
The latest incident to spark public anger was the accidental bombing of a Pakistani army border post by U.S. forces based in Afghanistan in November.
Twenty-four Pakistani troops were killed, and the powerful head of the army, General Ashfaq Kiyani, went to the northwestern town of Peshawar to give them full military honors. The airstrike, the U.S. attack on Osama Bin¹ Laden’s hiding place near Islamabad, and murder charges against a CIA contractor² in Lahore have set back U.S.-Pakistan relations.
For a while, Pakistan closed the important supply route through its territory for U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.
Matthew Nelson of the University of London says the relationship will not likely ever be as close as it once was. “The terms used to describe U.S.-Pakistan relations will no longer be words like ‘alliance’ or ‘stable partnership³.’ They will be sort of ‘tactical relations of mutual⁴ interest on a shorter-term basis.’ The new normal will sort of recognize that Pakistan’s interests do not easily correspond with U.S. interests,” he said.
That was evident this month when Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad for a summit with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The United States is expected to counter with a visit to Islamabad by General James Mattis, the U.S. military commander responsible for South and Central Asia.
The commander of international forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, says he believes Pakistani officials, including General Kiyani, want to improve the relationship.
“I do not believe there is any absence of enthusiasm on his part for us to cooperate in ways that can control the cross-border flow of insurgents⁵, but also to minimize the conditions that might replicate⁶ the tragedy of the 26th of November. At a tactical level there is an inclination⁷ to cooperate. What we need to do is restore that inclination to cooperate at the strategic level,” Allen stated.
Matthew Nelson says that should be the top U.S. priority in the region. "The stability of Pakistan is perhaps the United States’ most important strategic interest in the whole region. Afghanistan is important," he noted⁸. "Pakistan is more important.”
Nelson and other experts say to improve relations with Pakistan, the United States will have to find a way to ease the public anger. But that may become increasingly difficult with some politicians and religious leaders stoking the anger as they prepare for expected early parliamentary elections this year.

1 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。

2 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

5 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

6 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

7 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。