VOA标准英语2009-Israeli PM: Iranian Authorities "Unmasked&q

Israel's prime minister says repressive actions taken by Iranian authorities against demonstrators protesting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed election victory have revealed the true nature of the government, and underscore the need to prevent Iran from developing offensive nuclear capability¹.

Appearing on U.S. television, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said events in Iran over the last week have shown the true face of the government in Tehran. "Obviously, you see a regime that represses its own people and spreads terror far and wide. It is a regime whose real nature has been unmasked," he said.

Mr. Netanyahu was speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. The prime minister said the repression² the world has witnessed should strengthen the international community's resolve to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. "The problem that now faces the entire world is to ask a simple question: can we allow this brutal³ regime that sees no inhibitions in how it treats its own citizens and its purported⁴ enemies abroad -- can we allow such a regime to acquire nuclear weapons? And the answer we hear from far and wide is 'no'," he said.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program's sole aim is to generate energy to meet the needs of a growing population, and that it is entirely⁵ within its rights to develop such a capability. The United States and many other nations are highly skeptical⁶ of Tehran's claim of peaceful nuclear intentions.

Mr. Netanyahu was asked if Israel has plans to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, as it has done against suspected nuclear sites of other Middle Eastern nations in the past. The prime minister responded "We [Israelis] are threatened as no other people are threatened. We have suffered exiles, massacres⁸ and the greatest massacre⁷ of them all, the holocaust⁹. So, obviously Israel always reserves the right to defend itself."

In recent days, U.S. President Barack Obama has repeatedly spoken out against repression and bloodshed in Iran, while insisting that the country's future is a matter for the Iranian people to decide. The White House says it hopes to engage Tehran on its nuclear program.

Asked whether he thinks the Obama administration is doing enough to stand up for liberty and democracy in Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was not, in his words, "going to second-guess the president of the United States".

1 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

2 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

7 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

8 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

9 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。