VOA标准英语--朝鲜使用VX神经毒气杀人意味着什么?
时间:2018-12-08 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2017年(三月)
WASHINGTON —
Kim Jong Nam was killed February 13 when two women smeared 1 a liquid on his face at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong have been charged with murder, a crime that carries with it the death penalty. The two women say they thought they were participating in a televised prank 2.
How does this attack in Kuala Lumpur compare with other North Korean moves to consolidate 3 power?
“The use of deadly force or the use of violence to purge 4 any challengers or potential challengers, that's not new,” said Daniel Pinkston, Lecturer on International Relations at Troy University in Seoul, South Korea. “But the new element in this is, of course, the VX [nerve agent], if the reports are true, and I have no reason to disbelieve the report. So that is a brand new development.”
Stratfor Vice 5 President of Strategic Analysis Rodger Baker 6 adds, “Certainly the way in which they carried out this assassination 7 using VX [nerve agent] is different than what we've seen in the recent past.”
Baker recalled an incident in which North Korea tried to eliminate the South Korean Cabinet in Myanmar. "So they've done extreme things, but this is certainly something very different than what we've seen,” he said.
Seriousness of VX use
So how serious of an issue is it for the international community that a state like North Korea would use a substance like VX nerve agent in a public space?
Baker says that when examining the assassination method, the attack suggests the VX nerve agent was put together during the assassination.
"So it just wasn't the general release of VX in the space. So in that sense, we could say that this was very targeted in the application and didn't have a major ripple 8 effect to the airport or to other people in the airport ... or apparently 9 even significantly to the two individuals who engaged in the assassination,” said Baker.
He goes on to say the attack itself is a clear signal North Korea not only is willing to use substances like VX, but do so far from home.
Pinkston reiterates 10 that VX is an extremely deadly substance.
“Only a single drop of it, if it were to get on your skin, will kill you,” said Pinkston. “Anyone who would introduce that substance into a public area, in the international airport, I think it's extremely brazen 11 and completely unacceptable, and crosses a red line that's beyond the acceptable international norms.”
North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and test ballistic missiles, despite several international sanctions put in place and condemnation 12 by the U.N. Security Council.
Options?
So, how might the international community respond in this instance?
“I think that North Korea must pay a very high price for this, and to not to impose serious costs upon North Korea, I believe, would invite further and more brazen transgressions 13, and I think it would be the wrong signal to send to North Korea that they could engage in this type of behavior with impunity,” said Pinkston.
Pinkston says that a “menu of options” be made available to the international community, including banning all of their aircraft from international airports, placing greater sanctions on individuals and entities 14, placing North Korea once more on the list of state-terrorism sponsors, and a proportional use of force directed at chemical weapons facilities.
And in Washington, United States lawmakers have called for North Korea to be listed once more as a sponsor of state terrorism.
Baker adds that a question often asked about North Korea is, “What more can be done?” He says that boils down to basically three action items: negotiate with North Korea, further isolate 15 Pyongyang, or carry out some sort of military action.
“There's a growing change of view, for example in China, and the debate in China is growing stronger over whether the risk of a destabilized North Korea is still a greater risk than an uncontrolled North Korea pursuing these weapons and carrying out these actions. That would be the most significant change, if it occurs. And China is the one country, I think, that could really alter the balance,” said Baker.
Furthermore, he says that as the United States completes its review of North Korean policy, one can't rule out that military options won't be included in the review.
- The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
- A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。
- It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。
- The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。
- The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
- The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。
- The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
- The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。
- He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
- They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
- The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
- The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
- The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
- Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年,林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。
- The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
- The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来,碎在沙滩上。
- 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。
- The Chinese government reiterates that the question of Taiwan is China's internal affair. 中国政府重申,台湾问题是中国的内政。 来自汉英非文学 - 汉英文件
- Wang Jianzhou reiterates a fact and a viewpoint in Davos. 王建宙在达沃斯重申一个事实和一个观点。
- The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
- Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败,而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。
- There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
- The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。
- Many marine transgressions occur across coastal plains. 许多海运是横越滨海平原。 来自辞典例句
- For I know my transgressions, and my sin always before me. 因为我知道我的过犯,我的罪常在我面前。 来自互联网