2006年VOA标准英语-Pyongyang Remains Defiant After Missile Launche

By Heda Bayron
Hong Kong
06 July 2006
 

Passengers read the newspapers reporting North Korea's launching of missiles on a subway train in Seoul, Thursday, July 6, 2006  
  
Countries taking part in negotiations¹ to end North Korea's nuclear programs are seeking diplomatic means to defuse tensions over the North's missile launches. North Korea defied international condemnation² of the launches, vowing³ to retaliate⁴ should it be pressured from firing more missiles.

---------

Washington and Tokyo continued their strong condemnation of Pyongyang over the missile launches, and Beijing reiterated⁵ the importance of diplomacy⁶.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry⁷ said it is sending its own top negotiator, Vice⁸ Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, to Pyongyang next week. He will make another push to get the North Koreans to return to stalled six-party negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs, a forum⁹ the Chinese believe can be used to discuss a variety of issues.
 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu takes a question at a press briefing in Beijing   
  
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu says China will continue efforts to promote the six-party talks, and strive for the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula.

Shinzo Abe, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary, called for North Korea to stop its missile tests immediately, and to return to the six-party talks with no conditions. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi questioned why North Korea was launching the missiles, saying it had nothing to gain from such an act.
 
 
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (left) and President Bush
  
The Japanese Foreign Ministry says Mr. Koizumi and President Bush have agreed to cooperate in crafting a strong message to North Korea from the United Nations Security Council.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun spoke¹⁰ by telephone with President Bush. Mr. Roh, whose government is at odds¹¹ with the United States over Seoul's policy of engagement with the North, also promised to cooperate on diplomatic steps to address the issue. 

Christopher Hill (file photo)  
  
The chief U.S. envoy¹² to the six-party talks, Christopher Hill, arrives Friday in Asia to consult with China, South Korea, and Japan.

Pyongyang has refused to return to those negotiations since November, despite agreeing in principle in September to dismantle¹³ its nuclear programs in exchange for economic and diplomatic incentives¹⁴.

North Korea defended its missile launches as a "sovereign right," and warned it would fire more missiles to bolster¹⁵ its "self-defense."

A statement read on state-owned television says North Korea will take "stronger action" should other countries "pressure" it to stop further launches.

North Korea fired seven missiles Wednesday, including its long-range Taepodong-2, which is potentially capable of reaching the United States.

Washington denounced the launches as a provocation¹⁶.

The launches were the first time North Korea tested a long-range missile in eight years - breaking a moratorium¹⁷ it agreed to in 1998.

1 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。

2 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

3 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

4 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

5 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 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。

11 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

12 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

13 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

14 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

16 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

17 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。