VOA慢速英语2015 朝鲜提核谈判条件

 

AS IT IS 2015-01-19 North Korea Offers Nuclear Talks with Conditions 朝鲜提核谈判条件

This week, North Korea offered direct talks with the United States. The North Korean offer came days after the U.S. government rejected an earlier offer by the Asian nation. North Korea said it would suspend nuclear testing if the U.S. suspends joint¹ military exercises with South Korea.

North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, An Myong Hun, says the joint military exercises are the cause of rising tensions. He added that many things would have been possible had the offer been accepted.

Last Saturday, the United States called the earlier North Korean offer an ‘implicit² threat.’ It said the North’s nuclear tests violate many U.N. Security Council resolutions. An American official said the U.S. government remains³ open to discussions. But she said such talks must deal with the Korean peninsula’s denuclearization.

Tensions have risen after U.S. officials accused North Korea of launching a cyber-attack against Sony Pictures in November. The cyber-attack led to the release of sensitive documents. It is believed to have cost the film company millions of dollars. North Korea has denied involvement in the attack.

In early January, the Obama Administration announced new measures against North Korean individuals and organizations.

Daniel Glaser is a Treasury⁴ Department official. He says the new sanctions will enable the U.S. to financially pressure agencies and officials involved in cyber-terrorism. He says sanctions have even had an effect on the Chinese financial system.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim says the U.S. is working more closely with China, North Korea’s main ally in Asia. He said there is growing concern about the North’s continued work on nuclear weapons and its human rights record.

“I think what we have seen in our cooperation with China is that China is working with us more effectively and trying to stifle⁵ North Korea’s dangerous activities.”

South Korea has offered to meet with North Korean officials without any pre-conditions. However, the United States continues to demand that North Korea limit its nuclear activities and honor earlier agreements before opening new negotiations⁶.

The U.S. and South Korea often hold joint military exercises. The Korean War ended with a ceasefire in 1953. No treaty officially ending the war was ever signed.

Words in This Story

implicit - adj., not clearly stated, though understood

peninsula - n., a piece of land almost completely surrounded by the sea

sensitive - adj., needing careful handling, or protection

sanctions - n., actions taken or an order given to make a country obey international law

1 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。

2 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。

3 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。

4 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

5 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

6 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。