VOA慢速英语2018 伊朗计划扩大铀浓缩能力

Iran Plans to Expand Ability to Enrich Uranium

Iran's nuclear chief says his country has launched plans to increase its ability to enrich uranium.

伊朗核项目负责人表示，伊朗已经启动了提高铀浓缩的计划。

Such a move would intensify¹ pressure on Britain, France and Germany. Those countries are struggling to prevent collapse² of an international agreement aimed at controlling Iran’s nuclear program.

这样的举动会加大对英国、法国和德国的压力。这些国家正在努力防止一项旨在控制伊朗核计划的国际协议瓦解。

The agreement was weakened after the United States announced it will withdraw from the deal.

该协议在美国宣布退出之后被削弱。

Ali Akbar Salehi is director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. He told reporters that the country was developing technology for building advanced centrifuges at a nuclear center in Natanz. The city lies about 300 kilometers south of Tehran.

阿里·阿克巴·萨利希（Ali Akbar Salehi）是伊朗原子能组织的负责人。他对记者表示，该国正在纳坦兹的一个核中心开发用于制造先进离心机的技术。这座城市位于德黑兰以南约300公里处。

"What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement, Salehi said. He added that the government sent a letter Monday to the International Atomic Energy Commission about “the start of certain activities."

萨利希表示：“我们这样做并不违反2015年签订的核协议。”他补充说，伊朗政府周一就“开始某些特定活动”向国际原子能委员会提交了信函。

Salehi said this did not violate the nuclear deal, but that it marked an increase in the development of the nuclear program.

萨利希称这并没有违法核协议，但是这标志着加大核项目开发。

Iranian state television broadcast his comments.

伊朗国家电视台播放了他的评论。

The country’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Monday he ordered preparations to expand uranium enrichment capacity in the event the agreement collapses³.

该国最高领导人哈梅内伊周一表示，他他已下令一旦核协议崩溃，伊朗要准备提高铀浓缩能力。

Salehi said Iran could not support a "flawed" nuclear deal and could not obey new restrictions⁴ in the agreement while facing new sanctions. He noted⁵ Iran's position that it is ready to sharply increase its nuclear activity if the agreement falls apart.

萨利希表示，伊朗不能接受一项“有缺陷”的核协议，也不能在面临新制裁的同时遵守协议中的新限制。他指出了伊朗的立场，即如果协议破裂，该国就准备大幅增加其核活动。

Britain, France and Germany are attempting to save part of the deal that calls for an easing of sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear activities.

英国、法国和德国正在争取挽救该协议中要求放松制裁这部分内容，以换取对伊朗核活动的限制。

The U.S. government has re-established actions designed to punish Iran since it withdrew from the nuclear deal last month. At the time, President Donald Trump⁶ said Iran was a threat to national security.

美国政府自上个月退出核协议以来，已经重新制定了对伊朗的惩罚措施。当时，川普称伊朗是对美国国家安全的一大威胁。

Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian⁷, not military purposes. But Israel, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb.

伊朗一直声称其核项目是民用而不是军用目的。但是以色列、沙特和美国指责伊朗试图制造核弹。

Under the deal, Iran can continue to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent. That is far below the 90-percent required for weapons grade uranium.

根据协议，伊朗可以继续浓缩铀到3.67%。这远远低于武器级铀所需的90%。

The three European powers still support the deal. But they have concerns about Iran's missile program and its influence in the Middle East.

欧洲三大强国仍然支持该协议。但是他们担心伊朗的导弹计划及其对中东的影响。

I'm Caty Weaver⁸.

Words in This Story

advanced – adj. highly developed

centrifuge – n. a machine used for separating substances

certain – adj. being fixed⁹; known to be true

flawed – adj. not perfect; having one or more problems

sanction – n. an action taken by one or more nations to make another country obey a law or rule

1 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 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。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。