VOA慢速英语2015 以色列总理:伊核谈判是个非常糟糕的交易

Israeli PM: Iran Nuclear Talks are a ‘Very Bad Deal’ 以色列总理:伊核谈判是个非常糟糕的交易

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke¹ to United States lawmakers Tuesday. He told Congress that the negotiations² between the U.S. and Iran would “guarantee” that Iran would get nuclear weapons. He called that a threat to the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Mr. Netanyahu added that Iran’s government was, in his words, "as radical³ as ever." He said it could not be trusted. He said the deal being worked out with the United States would not block Iran's way to a bomb. He said it instead, "paves its way to a bomb."

Republican politicians invited Mr. Netanyahu to address Congress. U.S. President Barack Obama did not support the visit because of the closeness to Israeli elections.

Nearly 60 Democratic members of Congress stayed away from the event. President Obama did not attend the event, either. He was at the White House taking part in a video conference with European leaders. They discussed Ukraine and other security issues.

Kerry, Zarif continue nuclear talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif are meeting for a second day in Switzerland to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

Mr. Kerry and Mr. Zarif met for two hours Tuesday morning in the Swiss city of Montreux.

Iran and the five members of the UN Security Council and Germany, the so-called P5 + 1, are working to reach a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program by March 31.

The Security Council is seeking to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities⁴ and its resources for developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, is seeking an easing of international sanctions.

Russia blocks European leaders from Nemtsov funeral

Thousands of mourners honored Russian opposition⁵ leader Boris Nemtsov Tuesday. The politician was buried after being shot to death in Moscow Friday night.

Also Tuesday, the European Union strongly condemned⁶ Russia for barring Polish and Latvian officials from entering Russia to attend Mr. Nemtsov’s funeral. The Russian government also barred several opposition leaders from the funeral.  

Mr. Nemtsov was a former deputy prime minister. Gunmen shot him in the back four times as he was walking across a bridge with his girlfriend.

Russian President Putin has promised a full investigation⁷ into the murder. Many activists⁸ say Mr. Nemtsov was targeted because of his criticism of Mr. Putin’s government.

North Korea says joint⁹ military exercises could spark war

North Korea’s foreign minister warned Tuesday against the U.S.-South Korea military training that began this week. The official said the exercises could lead to war in the Korean peninsula.

The foreign minister spoke in Geneva, where he was attending the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament.

On Monday, North Korea fired two missiles into the sea to protest the exercises. The training started on Monday and will continue through April.

Words in the News

radical – adj. having extreme political or social views that are not shared by most people

sanction(s) – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country

peninsula – n. a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area

1 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。

2 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。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 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。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。