2006年VOA标准英语-EU Nuclear Deadline Passes Virtually Unmentione

By Gary Thomas
Tehran
11 July 2006

The European Union deadline for an answer on new proposals to end the Iranian nuclear controversy¹ went almost unnoticed in Iran. 

The July 11 deadline passed with almost no mention of the issue by official Iran.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran for a visit to the northwestern city of Tabriz, where he gave a fiery² speech, but made no mention of the nuclear controversy or the deadline.

Repeated attempts to obtain comment from various Iranian officials about the deadline were unsuccessful. A scheduled press conference by Foreign Ministry³ spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was abruptly⁴ canceled. No reason was given for the cancellation⁵.

The only official mention of the deadline inside Iran came in a dispatch by official state radio, which quoted Asefi as saying that the European Union must remove, what he termed, ambiguities⁶ in the proposal. He said the ambiguities are clearest in the economic and political fields and in the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

Asefi said that if the G-8 summit, which is scheduled to open in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, were take any actions that are, as he put it, not consistent with the rights of the Iranian nation, there will be no constructive⁷ points for Iran to continue the negotiations⁸.

Iranian officials have said Tehran will not respond to the proposals until the end of August. U.S. officials have accused Iran of stalling.

In the bustling⁹ Tehran central bazaar¹⁰, people voiced support for President Ahmadinejad's tough stance on the nuclear issue.

Mehdi Meshkini, a young wandering street vendor¹¹, echoed the Ahmadinejad administration's position, saying that Western countries are trying to deprive Iran of its right to nuclear technology.

While making no direct mention of the nuclear issue in Tabriz, President Ahmadinejad railed against Israel and what he termed the bullying¹² powers of the West. He warned those who support Israel, which he referred to as the Zionist regime, to beware of the increasing anger of Muslims in the Middle East region and of the entire Islamic world, saying "this anger will not be limited to the region.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

3 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。

4 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

5 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

6 ambiguities   

n.歧义( ambiguity的名词复数 )；意义不明确；模棱两可的意思；模棱两可的话

参考例句：

• His reply was full of ambiguities. 他的答复非常暧昧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Fortunately, no ambiguities hang about this word or about its opposite, indeterminism. 值得庆幸的是，关于这个词和它的反义词，非决定论都不存在多种解释。 来自哲学部分

7 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

8 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。

9 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

10 bazaar   

n.集市，商店集中区

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• We bargained for a beautiful rug in the bazaar.我们在集市通过讨价还价买到了一条很漂亮的地毯。

11 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

12 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》