VOA标准英语2009年-British Cultural Body Suspends Operations in Ir

The British Council, the United Kingdom's worldwide cultural body, said it is suspending operations in Iran after its staff members were unable to gain entry visas. The organization also said its local employees have been singled out for intimidation¹ by authorities in Tehran.

Most of the 16 Iranians who were working in the council were summoned to the Office of the Iranian President in December and were ordered to resign their posts.

Iranian actions 'deliberate'

The Council's London-based chief executive Martin Davidson told the BBC the actions of the authorities have been deliberate, and the council simply could no longer operate under those conditions.

"It makes me very angry that dedicated² colleagues are put in a position where they are, in essence, forced to resign. It means that they give up their jobs. It means that they are no longer able to build the relationship with the U.K. which they had been doing for a number of years with huge dedication," Davidson said.

The British Council resumed work in the country in 2001 after a break of 22 years.

Mr. Davidson said by definition, cultural exchanges go both ways.

"They appear to be looking for a cultural relationship with the U.K., but a cultural relationship which is one-way only and you cannot do that. Ultimately we cannot afford a one-way street in a cultural relation," he explained.

Iranians 'nervous' before national elections

Some analysts³ speculate that nervousness about perceived foreign cultural influences in the months before upcoming Iranian national elections may have something to do with the actions.

Davidson said he hopes an agreement with the Iranian authorities can be struck so the British Council can resume its work in the country as soon as possible.

"Really what worries me is that there are no winners out of this situation as staff lose their jobs," Davidson noted⁴. " Iranians who are looking to build a stronger relationship and personal opportunities through coming to the U.K. either for study or learning English or building academic links are not able to do so. Here in the U.K. we are losing the opportunity to build relationships with young Iranians who are going to be essential for our long-term future relationship with our country because no matter what happens politically now, at some point in the future we are going to be a strong partner for Iran and we will need those relationships."

The council operates in more than 100 countries worldwide.

The organization said last year about 13,000 Iranians took part in its programs that included English lessons and university-level study and research partnerships⁵.

1 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 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。

4 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。

5 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句