VOA常速英语2007年-Al Gore Blames US for Climate Change Deadlock i

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Bali, Indonesia
13 December 2007

Former U.S. vice¹ president and Nobel Laureate Al Gore² blamed the United States on Thursday for blocking progress at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali. He urged delegates to forge ahead without the U.S.  VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins is in the Indonesian island of Bali and brings us this report.

In an impassioned hour-long speech interrupted many times by applause, former vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore said the United States was stopping progress at the U.N. Climate Change talks in Bali.

"I am going to speak an inconvenient³ truth. My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing⁴ progress here in Bali. We all know that. We all know that," he said.

The Bali talks are aimed at launching negotiations⁶ to replace the Kyoto Protocol⁷ which expires in 2012.

The United States strongly objects to a section in the draft document which asks industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions⁹ by between 25 to 40 percent by 2020.

But the European Union and the vast majority of the delegates representing the 190 nations at the conference want the emission⁸ targets included to show that industrialized nations are serious about fighting global warming.

The United States, backed by Japan and Canada, say targets should come at a later date.

Earlier today, the head of the U.N. conference, Yvo de Boer, warned that the deadlock¹⁰ between the United States and the European Union over greenhouse gas emission targets could derail the conference

Al Gore called on delegates to go ahead and forge an agreement without the United States.

"You can do one of two things here. You can feel frustration¹¹ and direct it at the United States of America, or you can make a second choice," said Gore. "You can decide to move forward and do all of the difficult work that needs to be done."

Gore told delegates the U.S. stance on climate change would likely change after the 2008 presidential elections.

"And during this upcoming two year period, there will be a national election in the United States. One year and 40 days from today there will be a new inauguration¹² in the United States," he continued. "I must tell you candidly¹³ that I cannot promise that the person who is elected will have the position I expect they will have. But I can tell you that I believe it is quite likely."

Gore, who helped in the final negotiation⁵ of the 1997 Kyoto accord, said emission targets must be part of the so-called Bali road map.

In Washington, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino disputed Gore's accusations¹⁴. She said his comments were not constructive¹⁵ and that the specific reduction number should be negotiated only after the Bali conference.

The 12-day conference is due to end Friday.

1 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。

2 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

3 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

4 obstructing   

阻塞( obstruct的现在分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• You can't park here, you're obstructing my driveway. 你不能在这里停车，你挡住了我家的车道。
• He was charged for obstructing the highway. 他因阻碍交通而受控告。

5 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

6 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。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

8 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

9 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

10 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

11 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

12 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

13 candidly   

adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地

参考例句：

• He has stopped taking heroin now,but admits candidly that he will always be a drug addict.他眼下已经不再吸食海洛因了,不过他坦言自己永远都是个瘾君子。
• Candidly,David,I think you're being unreasonable.大卫，说实话我认为你不讲道理。

14 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

15 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。