VOA标准英语10月-US Envoy Extends North Korea Stay

A senior American envoy¹ has prolonged his visit to North Korea, in an effort to keep Pyongyang from unraveling a major deal to get rid of its nuclear weapons. At the same time, military talks between North and South Korea have stalled and a South Korea media report quotes intelligence officials who say the North appears to be preparing a missile test. VOA Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin reports.
　

Christopher Hill (File)

U.S. Undersecretary of State Christopher Hill extended his stay in North Korea by at least a day Thursday - continuing negotiations² involving a stalled nuclear deal.

Hill met with Kim Kye Kwan, his negotiating counterpart in six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons capabilities³ altogether. Last week, North Korea ejected international inspectors⁴ from the main nuclear facility it agreed to disable as part a deal reached in Beijing last year. It warned it would resume reprocessing activity before the end of this week.

Hill is trying to get the North to agree on verification steps to confirm a nuclear declaration Pyongyang made this year is accurate. Tuesday, a senior American official said North Korea may be enticed⁵ to submit a verification agreement to China, if the United States removes the North from a State Department list of nations accused of sponsoring terrorism.

North and South Korean military delegates met Thursday for an hour and a half in the border-straddling village, Panmunjeom, where an armistice⁶ was signed to pause the 1950's Korean war. A formal peace has never been declared.

North Korea's representative, Pak Rim⁷ Su, said the talks come at a significant time. He says the North-South relationship is in a very serious situation. He says the current discussions could "greatly effect" the bilateral⁸ relationship.

North Korea halted most contact with the South, earlier this year, when South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made transfers of food and other aid contingent⁹ on the North's cooperation on the nuclear issue. The North's military has refused any cooperation on a probe into the July shooting of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier in a jointly¹⁰ managed resort zone.

South Korea's military envoy, Lee Sang-chul, agreed Thursday's contact is important. Lee points out the meeting is the first in eight months. He says the South has high expectations for the talks and hopes they are sincere and productive.

The talks North-South ended with no significant agreements.

Separately, South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo cites unnamed government officials as saying there are signs North Korea may be preparing a long-range missile test. The report described, in detail, apparent North Korean moves to renovate¹¹ a missile testing site on its east coast. Two years ago, the North conducted an unsuccessful test at the site of a long-range missile hypothetically capable of reaching the continental¹² United States.

South Korea will not confirm the missile-site report.

1 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。

2 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。

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 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》

5 enticed   

诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He enticed his former employer into another dice game. 他挑逗他原来的老板再赌一次掷骰子。
• Consumers are courted, enticed, and implored by sellers of goods and services. 消费者受到商品和劳务出售者奉承，劝诱和央求。

6 armistice   

n.休战，停战协定

参考例句：

• The two nations signed an armistice.两国签署了停火协议。
• The Italian armistice is nothing but a clumsy trap.意大利的停战不过是一个笨拙的陷阱。

7 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

8 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

9 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

10 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

11 renovate   

vt.更新，革新，刷新

参考例句：

• The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
• They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。

12 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。