U.S. VP calls for early passage of new START

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- As part of the Obama administration's continued efforts, U.S. Vice¹ President Joe Biden on Wednesday wrote about the urgency to pass this year in the Senate the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed with Russia in April.
    "In September 2009, when President (Barack) Obama decided² to alter his predecessor's plans for missile defense³ in Europe, some critics claimed that we had sacrificed our allies in the interest of the 'reset⁴' with Russia," Biden wrote in The Wall Street Journal. "Others thought that we would derail the reset by proceeding⁵ with the new plan. The skeptics were wrong on both counts."He argued that at NATO's summit in Lisbon, Portugal last weekend, President Obama united Europe behind U.S. missile-defense plans and received "strong support" for the new START treaty that is awaiting ratification⁶ in the Senate. "In doing so, he proved that missile defense and arms control can proceed hand-in-hand," the vice president added.
    He was addressing concerns of some Republican senators that the pact⁷ would limit U.S. missile defense programs.
    He dwelled on the changes taking place in U.S.-Europe relations after two years of intensive diplomacy⁸, citing examples like the positive atmosphere in Lisbon and the "substantial progress" on priorities like missile defense, arms control and the Russia reset.
    "NATO's adoption⁹ of territorial¹⁰ missile defense as a new mission shows that President Obama has rebuilt the alliance's underlying¹¹ consensus¹² about the threats we face and how to meet them," Biden wrote. "The U.S. contribution to this effort will be the European Phased Adaptive Approach, which will include Aegis¹³ ships capable of ballistic missile defense, a forward-based radar¹⁴, and land-based SM-3 interceptor sites in Romania and Poland.""NATO missile defense also provides the opportunity for further improvements in both NATO-Russian and U.S.-Russian relations. NATO and Russia agreed at Lisbon to carry out a joint¹⁵ ballistic missile threat assessment¹⁶, to resume theater missile-defense exercises, and to explore further cooperation on territorial missile defense - - things that were nearly unimaginable two years ago," he wrote.
    The new START treaty is seen as a major achievement of the Obama administration in foreign relations and part of its efforts to reset relations with Russia.
    The treaty stipulates¹⁷ that the number of nuclear warheads be reduced to 1,550 on each side over seven years, while the number of delivery vehicles, both deployed¹⁸ and non-deployed, must not exceed 800. It also sets out rules for verification and monitoring of the nuclear arsenals¹⁹ on both sides.
    When signing the pact in Prague, Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medevedev agreed that the ratification process should be simultaneous at U.S. Senate and Russia's Duma.
    Obama and other high-ranking officials have warned time and again that delayed passage of the pact would, among others, undercut warming relations with Russia and weaken its cooperation on key issues like Iran.
    "These agreements underscore the strategic importance the alliance attaches to improving its relationship with Russia, but trust and confidence in our relationship with Russia would be undermined without Senate approval of the new START treaty, which reduces strategic nuclear forces to levels not seen since the 1950s, and restores important verification mechanisms²⁰ that ceased when the first START treaty expired last December," Biden wrote in the paper.
    He said: "European leaders understand that new START advances their security as well as America's, and that is an important foundation for future negotiations²¹ on conventional forces and tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. That is why all 27 of our NATO allies expressed their desire to see the treaty's early ratification."Stressing the pact as a "cornerstone" of U.S. efforts to reset relations with Russia, Biden pointed²² to Russia's cooperation on strong sanctions against and cancellation²³ of the sale of an advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Iran. He also stressed Russian permission of flow of material through its territory for U. S. troops in Afghanistan.
    "The Lisbon summit showed that American leadership in Europe remains²⁴ essential, it also reminded us why the stakes of the new START treaty are so high," the vice president wrote. "Our uniformed military supports it. Our European allies support it. Our national security interests are at stake. It is time for the Senate to approve new START."（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• 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。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

5 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

6 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

7 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

8 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

9 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

10 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

11 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

12 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

13 aegis   

n.盾；保护，庇护

参考例句：

• Medical supplies are flied in under the aegis of the red cross.在红十字会的保护下，正在空运进医药用品。
• The space programme will continue under the aegis of the armed forces.这项太空计划将以武装部队作后盾继续进行。

14 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

15 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

16 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

17 stipulates   

n.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的名词复数 )；规定，明确要求v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的第三人称单数 )；规定，明确要求

参考例句：

• The trade contract stipulates for the settlement of balances in RMB. 贸易合同规定余额以人民币结算。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The contract stipulates for the use of seasoned timber. 合同上订明用干透的木料。 来自辞典例句

18 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

19 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

20 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• 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。

22 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

23 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

24 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。