2006年VOA标准英语-Iran Presses on With Nuclear Work Despite World

By Gary Thomas
Washington
18 December 2006

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, and President of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Reza Aghazadeh, left, visit Natanz uranium enrichment facilities, 15 Feb 2006

While much of the world's attention focused on Iraq in 2006, its neighbor to the east also drew considerable scrutiny¹. Iran pushed forward with a nuclear program that it says is for peaceful nuclear energy, but which critics say is a veiled attempt to become a nuclear weapons power. VOA correspondent Gary Thomas, who visited the country during the year, gives us this look at Iran in 2006.

Iranian officials broke the U.N. seals on their nuclear facility at Natanz last January, and in April, President Mahmoud Admadinejad proudly announced Iran had successfully enriched a small amount of uranium.

Even though the amount of enriched uranium Iran produced in 2006 was far less than what would be needed to construct nuclear weapons, the move nevertheless sparked great international concern about Iran's nuclear intentions.

European Union negotiators dangled² incentives³ to get Iran to halt enrichment. President Bush offered to break with long-standing U.S. policy and join the European nations in direct talks with Iran if enrichment was stopped.

"I would hope they would make the choice that most of the free world wants them to make, which is there is no need to have a weapons program; there is no need to isolate⁴ your people; there's no need to continue this obstinance when it comes to your stated desires to have a nuclear weapon. It's not in your interest to do so," said Mr. Bush.

But those offers were rebuffed in Tehran. Iran has denied it seeks nuclear weapons and continues to insist it only wants peaceful nuclear energy.

On July 31, the U.N. Security Council called on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment within 30 days, but laid down no punishment for Tehran if it refused to comply. Former U.S. Defense⁵ Secretary William Cohen told VOA U.N. resolutions that are not backed up with action will not deter⁶ Iran.

"If you pass laws or resolutions that go unenforced, then you breed contempt for those resolutions or laws," explained Cohen. "That's why I think it's very, very important for Russia and China, who have signed on to the resolutions that say Iran should not get nuclear weapons, should join in a signal that they are prepared to enforce that resolution. That would then put the United States in the position of having some leverage⁷."

Throughout the year, the United States tried to muster⁸ support for tough sanctions at the U.N. Security Council. But Russia and China, which have significant trade and investment with Iran, have balked⁹ at any strong sanctions. Kenneth Katzman, an Iran analyst¹⁰ at the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, says Iran's slow pace of nuclear development has given some leverage to opponents of significant sanctions.

"There is not a unity¹¹ on this issue. And I think that part of it is that Iran's nuclear progress seems to have slowed, which I think has created less urgency to the issue, and has allowed Russia and China to say, 'Why are we punishing Iran now? They haven't really crossed the line dramatically to the point that we can say definitively¹² that they have a nuclear, let's say, weapons ambition,'"noted Katzman.

Some analysts¹³ have advocated a military strike on Iran to destroy its nuclear program. Wayne White, a former senior regional State Department intelligence analyst now at the Middle East Institute, says that would be worse than Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

"In a region where it seems no good options exist on any issue, I frankly¹⁴ think that a military strike against that infrastructure¹⁵, which would be huge, would be much worse, in my view, than Iran actually getting a nuclear weapon," said White, "because I don't think Iran, despite the rhetoric¹⁶, would be hurling¹⁷ one or two crude [nuclear] devices in the direction of Israel, inviting¹⁸ a counterstrike that could make Iran glow in the dark."

But White is very concerned about the prospect¹⁹ of a Middle East arms race, particularly from Iran's neighbor Saudi Arabia, if Iran gets nuclear weapons.

"I would expect that following very closely behind Iran going nuclear, Saudi Arabia would go nuclear," he continued. "And people would wonder, well, how could that happen, they don't really have a [nuclear] program? They'll just buy bombs from Pakistan."

"And so I would assume the Saudis would get a few bombs, not to use as a deterrent²⁰, frightened about what Iran could do, a few bombs just so they could put up a few billboards²¹ with arrows pointing to them, saying 'leave us alone,'" added analyst Wayne White.

Iran's tough position comes in large part, analysts say, from its hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Elected in mid-2005, he has hardened international opposition²² to his regime by making threatening remarks about Israel and questioning the murder of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis²³ in World War II. At the end of 2006, Iran hosted a conference questioning the existence of the Holocaust²⁴, which sparked international condemnation²⁵ and revulsion.

1 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

2 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

3 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

5 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。

6 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

7 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

8 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

9 balked   

v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑

参考例句：

• He balked in his speech. 他忽然中断讲演。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They balked the robber's plan. 他们使强盗的计划受到挫败。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• 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。

11 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

12 definitively   

adv.决定性地，最后地

参考例句：

• None of the three super-states could be definitively conquered even by the other two in combination. 三个超级国家中的任何一国都不可能被任何两国的联盟所绝对打败。 来自英汉文学
• Therefore, nothing can ever be definitively proved with a photograph. 因此，没有什么可以明确了一张照片。 来自互联网

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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。

14 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

15 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

16 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

17 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

19 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

20 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

21 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

22 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

23 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

25 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• 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。