VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Administration: Iran to Face 'Co

The Obama administration says Iran will face consequences from an increasingly-united global community if it continues to rebuff multilateral efforts to ensure the peaceful application of its nuclear program.

Michael Bowman | Washington 20 December 2009

 
 
In recent weeks, Iran has rejected a plan to process nuclear material outside the country and tested an upgraded medium range missile believed to be capable of reaching Israel.

A senior advisor² to U.S. President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, says Iran's actions belie¹ its long-standing insistence³ that its nuclear program is intended solely⁴ for peaceful purposes.

"Nobody has any illusions about what the intent of the Iranian government is. And the international community is going to have to deal with that if they [Iranian officials] do not change their minds," he said.  "Plainly, there are going to be consequences if they do not turn around [cooperate]."

Axelrod was speaking on ABC's This Week program. He said the international community's resolve to limit Iran's nuclear program has grown.

"When we [the Obama administration] came to office, Iran was united and the world was divided in an approach to deal with Iran," he added.  "Today Iran is bitterly divided, and the world community has come together. And the president [Barack Obama] has been a big force in bringing them together."

But Mr. Obama's opponent in last year's presidential election, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, says the administration's efforts to engage Iran have only served to give Tehran more time to develop it nuclear potential. Appearing on the Fox News Sunday television program, McCain urged swift new sanctions against Iran and unambiguous U.S. support for Iran's political opposition⁵.

"The president [Obama] should stand up for the people who are demonstrating and risking their lives on behalf of freedom on the streets of Tehran. When the president refused to speak up on the first days of those demonstrations⁶ [after Iran's presidential election], I think it was wrong," he said.

President Obama decried⁷ bloodshed in the wake of Iran's contested presidential vote in June, but was careful not to endorse⁸ the opposition which claimed that the election had been stolen by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

1 belie   

v.掩饰，证明为假

参考例句：

• The gentle lower slopes belie the true nature of the mountain.低缓的山坡掩盖了这座山的真实特点。
• His clothes belie his station.他的衣服掩饰了他的身分。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

4 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

5 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。

6 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

7 decried   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责，说是不起作用。
• The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。