美国国家公共电台 NPR In Germany, Construction Has Begun On Controversial New Russian Gas Pipeline

In Germany, Construction Has Begun On Controversial New Russian Gas Pipeline¹

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A new pipeline that will allow Russia to increase its natural gas exports to Europe is ruffling² feathers in Europe and in the U.S. President Donald Trump⁴ said the project known as Nord Stream 2 will make Germany captive to Russia, and many EU countries agree. But the German government is reluctant to intervene. Esme Nicholson reports.

ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE⁵: The quiet beach resort of Lubmin on Germany's Baltic coast has long been an energy hub. Just a mile from the pier⁶ are the remains⁷ of what was once East Germany's largest nuclear power station. Now the town is the entry point for natural gas from Russia, and local mayor Axel Vogt is delighted.

AXEL VOGT: (Through interpreter) This gas pipeline is of huge significance for the region. Our small industrial harbor is earning a lot of money because of it.

NICHOLSON: The gas will be supplied by Russia's state-owned Gazprom. Germany already gets 40 percent of its gas from Russia. This pipeline known as Nord Stream 2 will double Gazprom's supply capacity. While this worries many within the European Union, Mayor Vogt is not perturbed⁸.

VOGT: (Through interpreter) I'm not afraid of Russia. Look; here in former East Germany, we grow up close to Russia. Many people here still have a deep connection to former Soviet⁹ states or directly with Russia.

NICHOLSON: But others are nervous of relying on Moscow for energy. Just 50 miles east of Lubmin is the Polish border, where terminals are being built to receive liquefied natural gas from anywhere but Russia. CDU politician Norbert Rottgen is one of few within the government to criticize Nord Stream 2. He says he's concerned about Germany's relationship with its neighbors.

NORBERT ROTTGEN: It cannot be that a matter that in Poland and the Baltic states, for example, is perceived as a matter of national security is identified and characterized by the German government as a nonpolitical topic.

NICHOLSON: Rottgen argues that Nord Stream 2 is a political move by Moscow intended to deprive Ukraine of the revenue it makes from transporting Russian gas through its territory. But Berlin denies there are any political costs. Merkel's spokesperson, Ulrike Demmer, has repeated the same line again and again.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ULRIKE DEMMER: (Through interpreter) As we've constantly said, Nord Stream 2 is purely¹⁰ an economic endeavor.

NICHOLSON: Reinhard Butikofer, who represents the Greens in the European Parliament, says this is nonsense.

REINHARD BUTIKOFER: It's been a political project from the very beginning. It's part of a very clear geopolitical strategy of the Russian government. And if you look at the high level of involvement of government officials in Germany, it's just a lie.

NICHOLSON: Out in the Baltic, ships are already laying pipes on the seabed ready to transport Russian gas. Surveying the work from a boat nearby, Steffen Ebert of Nord Stream says that Europe's own gas reserves are running out and that all of Europe, not just Germany, stands to profit from the new pipeline.

STEFFEN EBERT: (Through interpreter) Russia has been sending gas to Europe for at least 40 years and has proved itself a reliable partner even during the Cold War. Sinister¹¹ stories about Russia turning off the tap are just scaremongering.

NICHOLSON: Germany plans to eliminate all fossil fuel usage by 2050, so critics say it won't need Russian gas for much longer anyway. And back in the Baltic, Lubmin is already preparing for when fossil fuels are history. A few miles north of the new pipeline, a huge offshore¹² wind farm is also under construction. For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Lubmin.

(SOUNDBITE OF DJANGO FEAT³. HUBERT'S "TRO")

1 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

2 ruffling   

弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱

参考例句：

• A cool breeze brushed his face, ruffling his hair. 一阵凉风迎面拂来，吹乱了他的头发。
• "Indeed, they do not,'said Pitty, ruffling. "说真的，那倒不一定。" 皮蒂皱皱眉头，表示异议。

3 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 perturbed   

adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I am deeply perturbed by the alarming way the situation developing. 我对形势令人忧虑的发展深感不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother was much perturbed by my illness. 母亲为我的病甚感烦恼不安。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

10 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

11 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

12 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。