VOA慢速英语20060415a

IN THE NEWS - Iran Rejects Appeal to Stop Enriching UraniumBy Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Saturday, April 15, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Iran has rejected an appeal from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.

United Nations nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei met Thursday in Tehran with Iranian officials.




Mohamed ElBaradei holds press conference in Tehran, Iran, Thursday

Mister ElBaradei said Iran repeated its promise to answer questions about issues involving its nuclear program. He also said he could not confirm Iran's claim that it has enriched uranium to a level used in nuclear power centers. Mister ElBaradei said the only way to solve the issue is through negotiation¹. And he said there is enough time to negotiate a settlement.

Earlier this week, Iran announced that it now can enrich uranium to the level used in nuclear power centers. That would raise the possibility of making nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that international pressure would not influence his nation. Mister Ahmadinejad said that from now on, the world would have to deal with Iran as a nuclear power.

Iranian officials say they plan to make fuel for a one thousand megawatt nuclear reactor². The officials say they plan to greatly increase the centrifuge devices needed for the process. They said they plan to expand the program to make three thousand centrifuges by the end of the year. They said they are currently using one hundred sixty-four centrifuges.

Iranian officials have said their nuclear activities are peaceful. But the United States and European nations believe the Iranians are operating a secret nuclear weapons program.

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized Iran. Miz Rice said the nation could face increasing international punishment if it does not stop its nuclear work.

A high level State Department official, Nicholas Burns, spoke³ to a VOA reporter. Mister Burns said a large international coalition⁴, including the United States, Russia, China and Europe, does not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons. He said these countries believe Iran has not told the truth about its secret nuclear weapons research program.

Russia says it will hold more talks next week on the situation. Representatives from the United States, the European Union and China are to attend the meeting Tuesday in Moscow. On Friday, a Chinese diplomat⁵ began a visit to Iran and Russia to discuss the issue.

The United Nations Security Council meets later this month to consider punishing Iran for its nuclear program. The Council had told Iran to stop all uranium enrichment activities before the end of this month. The Council will wait to hear from Mister ElBaradei before deciding on its next step. Mister ElBaradei reports to the Security Council on April twenty-eighth.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Jerilyn Watson. You can read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

2 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。