时间:2018-12-19 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2012年1月


英语课

  Iran's National Security Adviser 1 Saeed Jalili is calling for a new round of negotiations 2 with the West over its nuclear program, amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf 3 over threats by Tehran to close the vital Strait of Hormuz. About 40 percent of the world's oil purchases transit 4 through that waterway.

伊朗国家安全顾问贾利利呼吁和西方开展新一轮有关期核项目的谈判,这一呼吁发出之时正值波斯湾局势高度紧张、德黑兰威胁要封锁霍尔木兹海峡之际。世界40%的石油购买以后都会通过这条水上要道。

Iran's Al-Alam TV reported that security adviser Jalili made the offer to resume negotiations with the West Saturday, during a meeting with Iranian ambassadors in Tehran. It added that Iran's ambassador to Germany would present the proposal to EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton.

伊朗官方电视台称,伊朗国家安全顾问贾利利提出,希望和西方恢复谈判。他星期六在德黑兰会晤伊朗驻外大使时发出了这项呼吁。他还补充说,伊朗驻德国大使将把这一提议转达给欧盟外交政策高级代表阿什顿。

The fresh diplomatic overture 5 follows Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. The U.S. later countered with a promise to keep the strait open - calming oil markets, which had been roiled 6 by the earlier threats.

德黑兰本周稍早时威胁说要关闭霍尔木兹海峡。随后,美国针对这种说法提出承诺,保证让这个海峡畅通,以此来安抚石油市场,早先石油市场已经被伊朗的这一威胁搅乱。

Iran also appeared to have backed down Saturday from an earlier vow 7 to launch long-range missiles during its ongoing 8 10-day naval 9 maneuvers 10 in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. Initial reports that it had launched the missiles were followed by later denials by a naval spokesman.

伊朗星期六看来还从稍早的说法上后退了一步。德黑兰曾表示在霍尔木兹海峡附近进行10天海上军演过程中将发射远程导弹。最初的报道说,伊朗已经发射了导弹,但随后伊朗海军发言人否认了这种说法。

Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi portrayed 11 the naval maneuvers as a mostly defensive 12 action by Iran. He said that the Iranian naval maneuvers in the region of the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean are aimed at keeping the vital Strait of Hormuz open, and that Iran is testing its defensive capabilities 13, including various missiles in its arsenal 14.

穆萨维少将描述海上军演主要是伊朗采取的防御行动。他说,伊朗在阿曼湾和印度洋地区的海上军演主要是为了保证关键的霍尔木兹海峡通畅,而伊朗是在测试自己的防御功能,包括军火库中的各种导弹。

Reports in the Arab press indicate the U.S. aircraft carrier John C. Stennis had entered the Persian Gulf and was observing the Iranian maneuvers from a distance. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and closing it would constitute an act of war.

来自阿拉伯媒体的报道说,美国斯坦尼斯号航空母舰已经进入了波斯湾,正从远处观察伊朗海上军演过程,霍尔木兹海峡是国际水域通道,关闭这一通道将被认为是发动战争。

Iran analyst 15 Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute in Washington says Tehran is trying to show that it is capable of closing the Strait of Hormuz, while at the same time trying to resume negotiations over its nuclear program which broke off last January:

华盛顿智库中东学会的伊朗问题分析师亚历克斯·瓦坦卡说,德黑兰在设法表明它有能力关闭霍尔木兹海峡,同时也在设法恢复有关其核项目问题的谈判。伊朗核问题谈判去年1月中断。

"The primary message, I think, from the latest Iranian naval exercises and their suggestion that they are both able and perhaps willing to close down the Strait of Hormuz, if it comes down to that, is for the Iranians to say to the West that they, too, can raise the stakes," said Vatanka. "I think that is the key issue here. But as we've also seen the Iranian state in action elsewhere, there are signs of them again raising the issue of the continuation of the negotiations track, aimed at resolving the nuclear stalemate."

瓦坦卡说:“我认为,从伊朗最近的海军演习以及他们表明他们既有能力而且也可能愿意关闭霍尔木兹海峡来看,伊朗主要是要向西方表明他们也能够提高谈判筹码。我认为这是问题的关键所在。但我们也已经看到,伊朗也在其它地方采取行动,有迹象表明他们提出继续进行旨在解决伊朗核问题僵局的谈判。”

Mehrdad Khonsari of the Center for Arab and Iranian Studies in London argues that Iran's recent threats to close the Strait of Hormuz is an attempt to scare the West into avoiding further economic sanctions now being debated in both the U.S. and Europe:

伦敦的阿拉伯和伊朗研究中心的梅尔戴德·洪塞里则认为,伊朗最近威胁要封锁霍尔木兹海峡是企图吓唬西方,以避免受到进一步的经济制裁。美国和欧洲现在正讨论是否对伊朗实行进一步制裁。

"The Iranians have resorted to bluffing 16 and to trying to intimidate 17 people into inaction against them," said Khonsari. "So this issue over the Strait of Hormuz, which has gained so much public attention, is really much ado about nothing, because nothing has happened."

洪塞里说:“伊朗是在虚张声势,设法威胁大家不要对他们采取(制裁)行动。因此,关于已引起众人关注的霍尔木兹海峡这个问题,真的没什么好怕的,因为什么都没有发生。”

He goes on to argue that the Iranians "are in no position to carry out any of their threats," and that most policy-makers in the West Know that. Some analysts 18 say that economic sanctions recently passed by the U.S. Congress preventing dealings with Iran's central bank could prompt Tehran to lash 19 out at the West. Khonsari, however, says the sanctions will not bite too hard, because neither Russia nor China will allow the U.N. Security Council to pass a similar resolution.

洪塞里继续说,伊朗“无力采取任何行动,”西方国家的大多数决策者知道这一点。一些分析人士认为,美国国会最近通过的禁止与伊朗央行交易的经济制裁方案导致德黑兰向西方发出威胁。不过,洪塞里说,这些制裁措施不会产生太大影响,因为不管是俄罗斯还是中国,都不会让联合国安理会通过类似的决议。



1 adviser
n.劝告者,顾问
  • They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
2 negotiations
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过
  • negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
  • Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。
3 gulf
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂
  • The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
  • There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
4 transit
n.经过,运输;vt.穿越,旋转;vi.越过
  • His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
  • The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。
5 overture
n.前奏曲、序曲,提议,提案,初步交涉
  • The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
  • His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。
6 roiled
v.搅混(液体)( roil的过去式和过去分词 );使烦恼;使不安;使生气
  • American society is being roiled by the controversy over homosexual marriage. 当今美国社会正被有关同性恋婚姻的争论搞得不得安宁。 来自互联网
  • In the past few months, instability has roiled Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas. 在过去的几个月里,西藏和藏人居住区不稳定。 来自互联网
7 vow
n.誓(言),誓约;v.起誓,立誓
  • My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿,每星期日都去做礼拜。
  • I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。
8 ongoing
adj.进行中的,前进的
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
9 naval
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的
  • He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
  • The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
10 maneuvers
n.策略,谋略,花招( maneuver的名词复数 )
  • He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到,她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
  • Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句
11 portrayed
v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 );描述;描绘;描画
  • Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中,他始终把自己说成是受害者。
  • The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
12 defensive
adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的
  • Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题,使她警觉起来。
  • The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
13 capabilities
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力
  • He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大,自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
  • Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为,标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
14 arsenal
n.兵工厂,军械库
  • Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
  • We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。
15 analyst
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家
  • What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
  • The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
16 bluffing
vt.恐吓,威胁
  • You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事?
  • The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。
17 analysts
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
  • City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
  • I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
18 lash
v.系牢;鞭打;猛烈抨击;n.鞭打;眼睫毛
  • He received a lash of her hand on his cheek.他突然被她打了一记耳光。
  • With a lash of its tail the tiger leaped at her.老虎把尾巴一甩朝她扑过来。
学英语单词
a brown eye
acoustical unit
acrylonitril butadiene styrene resin
AMEEGA
angular process (mandible)
beanflower
Biggekerke
blonde moment
bottom sector gate
bread tree
buoyancy vent
cardrooms
cerebral penetrating wound
clusters of needles
COLREGS
come down hard on sb
concentric-wound coil
cornman
cumulative temperature
cymming
diazonium hexafluorophosphate
duration of breaker contact
evaporation from land
fear of missing out
figurative element of mark
flap inlet
focal acral hyperkeratosis
genus trionyxes
gizzes
Gobiidae
good conscience
gordon identity
Great Zimbabwe Ruins National Park
ground communication system
guaiacol
having a cow
hydrangea family
internal-control
international mile
key to disk system
kohner
Komi-Permyatskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug
laelaps traubi
luidiid
mackerel gale
make oneself obeyed
mass mailing
maximum normal strain theory
McCloskey
measling
merzoite
methyl-hydrazine-sulfonic acid
mordors
mother's spot
nonmedically
nosographer
nucleus habenulae lateralis
onmod
ossebi
pear blight
Peristrophe tianmuensis
physiognomic categories
piexe handling time
pittari
Pleioblastus incarnatus
Preparation plant
printing-houses
Propacin
quadrature-axis synchronous impedance
radar conspicuous object
regulated value
reliability control
Rhabdophaga swainei
rocasil
rocklin
roll-driving shaft
roller lever activator
sample interval
seguidilla (spain)
shortened form
solid-state electrolyte oin sensor
source-destination order code
stichocyte
take the average
tangerine tree
task declaration
the lost generation
travia
treponemes
umbrella spray
unmoradanted
unobjectively
vacuum phototube
varix
velangiocarpy
Virignin
wadcutters
walens
washbasket
water starwort
western spruce
wet hydrogen