VOA常速英语2019--日本重启商业捕鲸惹众怒

This is commercial whaling. The International Whaling Commission or IWC banned the practice in 1986. Japan announced Wednesday it was leaving the IWC. We decided¹ to resume commercial whaling from July 2019 and to withdrawal² from the International Convention for the regulation of whaling.

这是非法捕鲸。国际捕鲸委员会（IWC）于1986年禁止非法捕鲸。日本周三宣布其将退出IWC。我们决定从2019年7月开始，重启商业捕鲸并退出IWC，不再受捕鲸法规的管制。

The decision quickly sparked criticism from Humane³ Society International which said Japan will be breaking international law. The International Whaling Commission agreed a global ban on all commercial whaling on the high seas and in countries’ coastal⁴ waters.

这一决定迅速受到了国际人道协会的批评。后者认为，日本此举会违反国际法。国际捕鲸委员会同意禁止公海和各国沿海水域的商业捕鲸行为。

Japan is rejecting that international law. What they will be doing is pirate whaling. And it should be condemned⁵ by the international community.

日本拒绝服从该项国际法。日本将要做的行为是海盗捕鲸，这种行为是会受到国际社会谴责的。

Japan unsuccessfully lobbied the IWC in September to resume commercial whaling. Countries that focus exclusively on the protection of whales did not agree to take any tangible⁶ steps towards reaching a common position.

日本曾于9月游说国际捕鲸委员会，想要重启商业捕鲸，但失败了。专注于保护鲸鱼的国家不同意采取任何实质性的措施来达成共识。

And it became obvious that it is not possible to seek the coexistence of states with different views, which led to this decision. Since the mid-1980s, Japan granted so-called scientific permits that served as a loophole in the whaling ban to research limited marine⁷ resources.

显而易见，在持不同意见的国家间寻求共处是不可能的，所以日本做了这个决定。自上世纪80年代以来，日本颁布了所谓的科学许可，利用了禁止捕鲸中的漏洞来掠夺有限的海洋资源。

Wednesday’s announcement to resume commercial whaling and set its own quotas⁸ instead of those agreed upon at the IWC puts Japan on a short list of countries that continue the outlawed⁹ practice.

日本周三宣布重启商业捕鲸并为自己设定配额的行为违反了国际捕鲸委员会的共识，这让一些国家将日本视为从事非法行动的国家。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

9 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。