VOA慢速英语2015 克里敦促美国国会支持伊朗核交易

AS IT IS 2015-09-03 Kerry Urges US Congress to Support Iran Nuclear Deal 克里敦促美国国会支持伊朗核交易

Secretary of State John Kerry appealed to U.S. lawmakers Wednesday to support the international agreement with Iran. He spoke¹ a short time after Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski promised to support the nuclear deal when Congress votes on it. Her vote is important because it means at least 34 senators plan to support the agreement.

A majority of the Senate’s 100 members could still vote against the deal. But President Barack Obama has said he would use his veto power to reject their “disapproval”. With 34 votes, he can now be sure any attempt to overturn his veto will fail.

World powers and Iran signed the agreement in July. They agreed to ease international economic sanctions against Iran. In return, Iran promised to limit its nuclear activities.

Congressional debate

The U.S. Congress will debate the agreement next week. Members of Congress have had 60 days to examine the document. Each member will vote for or against the deal.

Congressional Republicans oppose the deal. Critics say it does not prevent Iran from making nuclear weapons. They say Israel would be in danger. The country is about 1,500 kilometers from Tehran.

Mr. Kerry spoke about the agreement during a visit to Philadelphia Wednesday. He said the United States remains² a strong ally of Israel. He said the U.S. sends more aid to Israel, including military aid, than all other countries combined.

The Associated Press reported that Mr. Kerry will send a letter to members of Congress. The letter reportedly will list U.S. security guarantees to Israel and the Gulf³ Arab countries.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told CNN on Monday that she supports the nuclear deal with Iran. Last month, The New York Times published a letter of support for the deal. The letter was written by 29 nuclear scientists in the United States. The Washington Post reported that more than 30 retired⁴ generals and admirals released an open letter in support of the agreement.  

Americans divided on deal

The American public seems split on the subject. A new survey found that 55 percent of Americans supported the deal, while 44 percent did not. The University of Maryland reported the findings.

If Congress voted against the deal, U.S. measures against Iran could remain in place. That would threaten the nuclear agreement. 

The United Nations Security Council expressed support for the agreement in July. It says international sanctions would be lifted once it was sure that Iran has met all agreements and reviews. Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear program is peaceful. Sanctions would be imposed again if Iran violates the deal.

Words in This Story

overturn – v. to cancel, change or overrule

sanctions – n. a punishment for disobeying a rule or law

survey – n. a study of public opinion; studying something as a way of making a judgment⁵ about it

reviews – n. studies; carefully looking at or examining something

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 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。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。