2006年VOA标准英语-North Korea Agrees to Return to Nuclear Disarma

By Luis Ramirez 31 October 2006 The United States and China say North Korea has agreed to return to nuclear disarmament talks. The announcement came after informal meetings between U.S., Chinese, and North Korean officials in Beijing. ----- Tuesday's announcement appears to be a breakthrough in a crisis that escalated1 following North Korea's October 9 testing of a nuclear device. The chief U.S. negotiator to talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program, Christopher Hill, met with his Chinese and North Korean counterparts Tuesday at the invitation of China.  U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill takes a question at a press conference in Beijing Tuesday Oct. 31, 2006           After a seven-hour meeting, Hill told reporters the three sides agreed multi-party talks should resume soon. "We believe it will be either in this coming month, in November, possibly in December," he said. North Korea has boycotted2 the negotiations3, which also include Japan, South Korea, and Russia, since last year, after the United States imposed sanctions on the North for its alleged4 money laundering5 activities, counterfeiting6 and other crimes. Hill said North Korean officials on Tuesday did not put any conditions on their decision to return to talks, but he said they did bring up the issue of the U.S. financial sanctions. "They made very clear these were not conditions but they wanted to hear that we would address the issue of financial measures in the context of the talks and I said we would be prepared to create a mechanism7, a working group, to address these financial issues," he said. Hill said the North Koreans did not explain what made them decide to return to negotiations. U.S. officials say they are now in consultation8 with other partners in the talks to prepare for a new round of negotiations. Hill said the United States would expect substantial progress in reaching the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. At the last round of talks in 2005, North Korea agreed in principle to abide9 by promises to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Washington on Tuesday welcomed the North Korean decision but said U.N. sanctions imposed on the North in response to its nuclear test will continue. Beijing on Tuesday said it had no plans to cut aid to the North, despite Chinese government reports that indicated a drop in oil exports to North Korea in September.

1 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

2 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

3 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。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 counterfeiting   

n.伪造v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was sent to prison for counterfeiting five-dollar bills. 他因伪造5美元的钞票被捕入狱。 来自辞典例句
• National bureau released securities, certificates with security anti-counterfeiting paper technical standards. 国家质量技术监督局发布了证券、证件用安全性防伪纸张技术标准。 来自互联网

7 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

8 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

9 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。