2006年VOA标准英语-Leaders from France, Germany, Russia Meet Near

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
23 September 2006

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is ready to send a small group of construction engineers to Lebanon to help with reconstruction¹. He spoke² at the end of a meeting with the leaders of France and Germany that focused largely on energy issues.

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Chancellor3 Angela Merkel, center, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Sept. 23, 2006" src="/upimg/allimg/070428/1048410.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> France's President Jacques Chirac, left, with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Sept. 23, 2006

Much of Saturday's summit, at a chateau⁴ outside Paris, was devoted⁵ to energy and aerospace⁶ matters. Security of energy supplies from Russia is a top European priority after a pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine last January temporarily halted Russian gas bound for Europe.

Friday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to allay⁷ French fears on another energy question, saying suggestions that France's Total oil group could lose its license⁸ in Western Siberia were "greatly exaggerated."

During a joint⁹ news conference with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel Saturday, the Russian leader downplayed another potential source of friction¹⁰, Russia's possible role in the European aerospace company, EADS.

Russia's VTB state bank recently purchased a five percent stake in EADS, but Mr. Putin told reporters the move was not an aggressive action.

President Putin said Russia had no intention of changing the policies of the European aerospace group. And, he said, France, Germany and Russia would form a working group to study a Russian role in EADS.

The three leaders also focused on Middle East hot spots, including Lebanon. Mr. Putin said he was ready to send Russian engineers to Lebanon to help with reconstruction, if all parties agreed.

During the news conference, French President Jacques Chirac said he could not confirm a report in a regional French newspaper Saturday citing an allegedly leaked intelligence document suggesting al-Qaida leader Osama bin¹¹ Laden¹² may have died of typhoid in Pakistan.

President Chirac expressed surprise that such a note could have been published, and said he had no comment on it.

1 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

4 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

6 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

7 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

8 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

9 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。

10 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

11 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

12 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。