2012年ESL之日常生活 15 Negotiating a Peace Treaty

 

Negotiating a Peace Treaty

Ahmed: Have you heard the news? 

Menna: The nations of Palicia and Isram have signed a peace treaty. This means that there will be an immediate¹ ceasefire and an end to hostilities². This is a historic day! 

Ahmed: I never thought I’d live to see this day. Has everything been settled? 

Menna: Only the most important things. The borders have been decided³, there will be a recognition of statehood, and political prisoners will be exchanged. 

Ahmed: That’s great, but does the treaty need to be ratified⁴ by the people of the two nations? 

Menna: Yes, but the leaders have already signed the documents and the ratification⁵ process is just a formality at this point. 

Ahmed: This means that refugees will be able to return home. 

Menna: That’s right. They’ll be able to go home at long last. 

Ahmed: This is a banner day for world peace, don’t you think? 

Menna: Yes, and in that spirit, why don’t you call Hanna and invite her over for dinner? You two haven’t spoken in weeks. 

Ahmed: It’s not going to be that easy. A peace treaty with my sister will require a formal apology and reparations! 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

3 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。

4 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

5 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。