VOA标准英语2008年-South Korean Officials Try to Keep Lid on Kim J

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is still nowhere to be seen, more than a week after South Korean intelligence officials revealed the belief he is recovering from a stroke. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, South Korean officials are trying to cool down a sizzling media demand for rumors¹ and speculation² about the North Korean leader's condition.
　
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong speaks during news briefing in Seoul, 04 Jun 2008

South Korea's main Cabinet minister in charge of North Korean affairs warned lawmakers Thursday to keep matters related to the health of the North's leader, Kim Jong Il, discrete³.

Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong says spreading reports could lead to confrontation⁴.

He says it is inappropriate to pass on reports, even credible⁵ ones, that have not been officially confirmed by North Korea. He says Pyongyang could eventually view such behavior as slanderous⁶ and antagonistic⁷.

Kim Jong Il has not been seen in public since last month, and was most notably⁸ absent from a military parade this month marking the country's 60th anniversary. South Korean intelligence officials told lawmakers last week they believe the North Korean leader is recovering from a stroke.

North Korea has officially denied all reports of their leader's ailing⁹ health, calling them a worthless international conspiracy¹⁰. South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo told Cabinet ministers this week to avoid provoking Korea by discussing intelligence. He reminded them that nobody knows how the situation with the North Korean leader will progress at this point.

South Korean media reports have included details from unnamed sources ranging from alleged¹¹ convulsions being suffered by the North's leader, to speculation about whether or not he is able to brush his teeth by himself.
　
Kim Jong Il (Aug 2002 file photo)

For South Koreans, Kim Jong Il's health is no matter of petty gossip, but a national security issue of the first order. He has absolute personal control of North Korea's secretive government, and he has never publicly named a successor. Any compromise of his health is viewed as potentially destabilizing to the North Korean system - and even to peace on the Korean peninsula.

Unification Minister Kim called reports of a possible post Kim Jong Il collapse¹² of North Korea unhelpful Thursday, and warned they could further aggravate¹³ the already sensitive North-South relationship.

 

1 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

3 discrete   

adj.个别的，分离的，不连续的

参考例句：

• The picture consists of a lot of discrete spots of colour.这幅画由许多不相连的色点组成。
• Most staple fibers are discrete,individual entities.大多数短纤维是不联系的单独实体。

4 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

5 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

6 slanderous   

adj.诽谤的，中伤的

参考例句：

• A man of moral integrity does not fear any slanderous attack.人正不怕影子斜。
• No one believes your slanderous talk anyway!不管你怎么说，也没有人听信你这谗言！

7 antagonistic   

adj.敌对的

参考例句：

• He is always antagonistic towards new ideas.他对新思想总是持反对态度。
• They merely stirred in a nervous and wholly antagonistic way.他们只是神经质地，带着完全敌对情绪地骚动了一下。

8 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

9 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

10 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

11 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

12 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

13 aggravate   

vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火

参考例句：

• Threats will only aggravate her.恐吓只能激怒她。
• He would only aggravate the injury by rubbing it.他揉擦伤口只会使伤势加重。