2007年VOA标准英语-Inspectors: Iran Enriching Uranium on Larger Sc

By Margaret Besheer
Washington
15 May 2007

IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, Austria

Despite U.N. Security Council sanctions and international demands that Iran suspend its nuclear enrichment work, diplomats¹ and international inspectors² say the Islamic Republic is enriching uranium on a much larger scale than before. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

A published report in a leading American newspaper says inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency visited the Iranian underground nuclear facility at Natanz Sunday and found evidence suggesting Iran may have resolved most of its technological³ issues and has started enriching uranium on a significantly larger scale.

The report, in Tuesday's New York Times, cited top officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The paper says the examination was conducted with short notice, and the inspectors found Iranian engineers were already using some 1,300 centrifuges and were producing fuel that could be used in nuclear reactors⁴.

A single centrifuge can only enrich a very small amount of uranium, so many are linked to form a chain, called a "cascade⁵." When uranium is highly enriched, it can be used to form the explosive core of a nuclear weapon.

Andrew Grotto⁶, senior national security analyst⁷ at the Washington-based Center for American Progress, says about 3,000 centrifuges are needed to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make one bomb a year.

"What is still unclear is how good Iran is at running these centrifuges for a long period of time, which is ultimately what you want if your goal is to produce a reliable supply of uranium."

Grotto says centrifuge technology is very complex. "They [centrifuges] are very delicate; they are hard to work with. Iran's made a lot of progress in the last six or seven years, but they still have a way to go before they are in a position to really produce uranium on a large scale and at a reliable pace," he said.

Iran denies accusations⁸ that it is seeking to secretly build nuclear weapons and says it is only pursuing nuclear energy for peaceful, civilian⁹ purposes.

Next week, the International Atomic Energy Agency is to report to the Security Council on Tehran's nuclear work, which could lead to further U.N. Security Council sanctions.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Tom Casey says the fact that Iran is moving forward in defiance¹⁰ of the international community's wishes and efforts proves the United States needs to move forward with its own policy.

"We need to continue to apply pressure, and in fact increase pressure, with an additional Security Council resolution if in fact they don't comply and don't change their mind," he said.

Security analyst Grotto says no one expects Iran to comply with Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment, and that a third round of sanctions are likely.

"People are already talking about the next round of sanctions. From what I hear from diplomats, the conversation is not about whether there will be a third resolution, but what the content of that resolution will be. So there will definitely be more Security Council action on Iran," he said.

But diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the nuclear standoff with Iran continue. Iranian media are reporting that European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana will hold talks on May 31 with Iran's top nuclear negotiator.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

4 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

5 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

6 grotto   

n.洞穴

参考例句：

• We reached a beautiful grotto,whose entrance was almost hiden by the vine.我们到达了一个美丽的洞穴，洞的进口几乎被藤蔓遮掩著。
• Water trickles through an underground grotto.水沿着地下岩洞流淌。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 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。

9 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。

10 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。