VOA常速英语:US-Pakistan Joint Raid Viewed as Rare, Hopeful Sign for Troubled Ties

短语讲解：

1. Both sides have attempted to play down the tensions through public statements, but the expulsion of American security personnel by Pakistan and the suspension of some U.S. military assistance have highlighted the distrust on both sides.

play down贬低;降低...的重要性
例句：He tried to play down my part in the work and play up his own.
他极力贬低我在这工作中的作用,而拼命抬高他自己的份量。

2. “I think in the wake of what happened on May 2, there was a great deal of consternation on the side of Pakistan because of the issue of the sovereignty, the questions that were raised," Munter said.

in the wake of尾随,紧跟,仿效
例句：Misery follows in the wake of war.
苦难随着战争而来。

3. But after months of their tense relationship playing out in public, this week the Pakistani military made a rare public acknowledgement that U.S. agents provided key information that helped them plan the successful raid that captured senior al-Qaida planner, Younis al-Mauritani, along with two aides.

play out进行到底; 演完, 做完
例句：The children succeeded in playing out the comedy within two hours.
孩子们成功地在两小时内演完那出喜剧。

4. We have been connecting dots and therefore when we found out that they are there in the suburbs of Quetta then we conducted this raid.

find out发现, 看穿, 揭发
例句：We must find out the truth of the matter.
我们必须弄清楚事情的真相。

5. The Pakistani military says al-Qaida leader al-Mauritani was mainly responsible for the network’s international operations and was suspected of planning attacks on important American economic interests, including oil pipelines.

be responsible for为…负责,形成…的原因
例句：Who is responsible for breaking the mirror?
谁对打碎镜子负责？
suspect of怀疑
He was suspected of treason.
他被怀疑有背叛行为。

6. Although the arrests may help ongoing negotiations between the two sides on how to conduct future joint-operations, professor Askari Rizvi points out that important disagreements remain.

point out指出
例句：If I make any mistakes, please point them out.
如果我出了错, 请指出来。

7. They still diverge on certain matters whether to take action in North Waziristan and also on the issue of presence of American intelligence and security personnel in Pakistan.

take action采取行动, 行动起来
例句：The police had to take firm action to deal with the riots.
警方不得不采取果断行动来对付骚乱。

8. Pakistani military authorities also have objected to the presence of U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operatives gathering intelligence about militant groups inside Pakistan.

object to反对
例句：I don't object to the children going with us.
我不反对孩子们和我们一道去。

9. “Even though there may be a broad question, conceptually, where are we going, and what is the relationship, the body of the relationship is there and will remain there and I am optimistic that we are going to make a lot of progress in the years to come," Munter said.

make progress前进,进步
例句：During these years the labour movement of the United States has made great progress.
这些年来, 美国的工人运动已取得巨大的进展。