VOA标准英语2010年-Clinton Condemns N. Korean Sinking of

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (l), talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during a meeting at Hatoyama's official residence in Tokyo, May 21, 2010

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the evidence that a North Korean torpedo¹ sank a South Korean navy ship is "overwhelming and condemning²."  Clinton made the comments during a brief stop in Tokyo Friday, where she met with her Japanese counterpart and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Secretary Clinton expressed the United States' strong condemnation³ of the March 26 sinking of the South Korean warship⁴.  The torpedo, launched from a North Korean submarine, sunk the Cheonan and killed 46 sailors.

Clinton said she and her Japanese counterpart, Katsuya Okada, discussed the situation, which has raised tensions on the Korean peninsula. "We agree that North Korea must stop its provocative⁵ behavior, halt its policy of threats of belligerence⁶ towards its neighbors, and take irreversible steps to fulfill⁷ its denuclearization commitments and comply with international law," she said.

Clinton said she plans in-depth consultations⁸ in the coming days with regional allies China and South Korea to determine the international response to the North Korean attack.  But when asked by a reporter what options the international community has in responding to North Korea, she said it was too premature⁹ to make any announcements.

"I think it is important to send a clear message to North Korea that provocative actions have consequences.  We cannot allow this attack on South Korea to go unanswered by the international community.  So we will determine our best options moving forward and send a clear, unmistakable message to North Korea regarding the international community's and its neighbors' concerns about its behavior," she said

On Thursday, South Korea released the results of an international investigation¹⁰ which found that a torpedo fired from the North Korean submarine sunk the ship.

North Korea has rejected the findings as a "fabrication" and has vowed¹¹ to respond to any potential retaliation¹² with "all out war." 

In addition to the South Korean issue, Clinton and Okada discussed the future of a U.S. military base on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

When he took power last year, Prime Minister Hatoyama promised to move the base off the island but has since gone back on that pledge, garnering¹³ much public outrage¹⁴ manifested in his falling approval ratings.

Locals say the Futenma Air Base, is, among other things, too close to residential¹⁵ areas and causes excessive noise.

During a joint¹⁶ news conference with Secretary Clinton, Foreign Minister Okada said the government is continuing negotiations¹⁷ with the United States on resolving the issue, and he hopes to do so by the end of the month.  He is heard here through a translator speaking about the importance of the base in light of the recent tensions between North and South Korea.

"In the current security environment, the presence of U.S. forces is indispensable for the security and stability of Japan, but not only just that - but the region's stability," he said.

Secretary Clinton said the United States wants to see an "operationally viable¹⁸ and politically sustainable" solution.

Clinton's next stop is China, where she will visit the Shanghai Expo and then go on to Beijing for high-level economic and political talks.
 

1 torpedo   

n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏

参考例句：

• His ship was blown up by a torpedo.他的船被一枚鱼雷炸毁了。
• Torpedo boats played an important role during World War Two.鱼雷艇在第二次世界大战中发挥了重要作用。

2 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

4 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

5 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

6 belligerence   

n.交战，好战性，斗争性

参考例句：

• He could be accused of passion,but never belligerence.可以说他很冲动，但不能说他爱挑事。
• He was almost back to his belligerent mood of twelve months ago.他故态复萌，几乎又像一年前那样咄咄逼人了。

7 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

8 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

12 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 garnering   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• And at the forefront was Bryant, garnering nothing but praise from his coaches and teammates. 而站在最前沿的就是科比，他也因此获得了教练和队友的赞美。 来自互联网

14 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

15 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

16 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。

17 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

18 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。