2006年VOA标准英语-Congress Examines Economic Impact of US-India N

By Deborah Tate
Washington
18 July 2006

The Bush administration's nuclear accord with the Indian government was the focus of a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, with witnesses underscoring the benefits to both the United States and India.

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In testimony¹ before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Michael Gadbaw, vice² president for international law and policy at the General Electric Company, said the U.S.-India nuclear agreement would be good for the U.S. economy.

"The opening of the civilian³ nuclear relationship will deepen the support for American jobs. For every order we receive for a one-and-a-half gigawatt power plant, we anticipate U.S. exports in the neighborhood of $1billion, which would equate⁴ to supporting around 10,000 U.S. jobs," said Gadbaw.

The Washington Post newspaper Tuesday reports that General Electric is one of only four companies worldwide that build the most sensitive components⁵ of civilian nuclear power plants like those planned for India. The others include France's state-controlled Areva, the Toshiba Corporation, and Russia's Atomprom.

The newspaper says other U.S. companies hope to win related contracts to build containment⁶ structures for the Indian plants, sell turbines or provide services for the handling of waste.

Under the accord, reached during President Bush's visit to India earlier this year, India would be allowed access to U.S. civilian nuclear technology in return for a pledge to open its nonmilitary nuclear facilities to international inspections⁷.

David Pumphrey, deputy assistant secretary for international energy cooperation at the Energy Department, says the deal will help meet India's growing energy needs:

"They rank about fifth in the world in terms of energy consumption. Last year, I believe they were sixth, so they are moving upwards⁸ in terms of other major countries. They passed Germany this year in terms of their energy consumption," said Pumphrey.

But some lawmakers remain concerned that the agreement with India, which has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, could harm efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

Senator Larry Craig    
  
"I think all of us are concerned about the growth of nuclear communities and what it means and how waste or the byproducts are controlled or managed," commented Senator Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican.

Administration officials again dismissed such concerns, saying the agreement would strengthen nonproliferation efforts by putting a majority of India's nuclear plants under international inspections.

"We support this deal because we believe it will actually help counter global proliferation," noted⁹ Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Paul Simons. "It will have a net positive impact in terms of our global nonproliferation strategy."

Before the deal goes into effect, Congress must amend¹⁰ the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which currently bans nuclear sales to countries that have not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

1 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

2 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。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 equate   

v.同等看待，使相等

参考例句：

• You can't equate passing examination and being intelligent.你不能把考试及格看成是聪明。
• You cannot equate his poems with his plays.你不可以把他的诗歌和他的剧本相提并论。

5 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

6 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

7 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。