voa标准英语2008-Russia Expects Early Meeting with Obama in 2009

The United States and Russia have a testy¹ relationship over a number of issues, including NATO expansion, the U.S. proposal to deploy² a missile-defense system in central Europe, and the Russian attack on Georgia earlier this year.

Russia eager for early meeting with president-elect

Russia has taken a defiant³ stance toward Washington, but also appears eager for an early meeting with President-elect Barack Obama.
　

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev (file photo)

The day after Barack Obama's historic election, and as much of the world celebrated⁴, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev struck a different chord. In a major address, Mr. Medvedev not only failed to acknowledge Mr. Obama's victory, but also threatened to deploy short-range conventional missiles in Kaliningrad, near Poland and Lithuania, to counter a proposed U.S. missile-defense system in Central Europe. Washington insists that system is geared against Iran, not Russia.

Moscow holds war games with Venezuela

Russia has also sent navy ships to the Americas - for joint⁵ maneuvers⁶ with Venezuela, a visit to Cuba, and for passage of a warship⁷ through the Panama Canal.

Despite these seemingly defiant moves against Washington, President Medvedev appears eager to meet his new American counterpart.

According to Mr. Medvedev, the most important thing is that a meeting with Mr. Obama takes place as soon as possible. He said Russia has the same understanding as the American president-elect, that it take place without delay and without pre-conditions.

Obama taking over during difficult times
　

President-elect Barack Obama

Mr. Obama assumes office at a time when the United States is engaged in two wars and is suffering the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Independent Russian political analyst⁸ Alexander Konovalov said Russia, therefore, is not likely to be a top U.S. priority.

Konovalov said Mr. Obama's priorities will look like this: the economy, the economy, and again the economy; Iraq, Iraq, and Iraq yet again; Afghanistan, Afghanistan and once again Afghanistan. Only then, said Konovalov, will the new president have time to think and do something about Russia.

Obama will seek cooperation with Russia

Mr. Obama said in early December that his administration will seek to cooperate with Moscow where possible, citing nuclear non-proliferation and joint efforts against terrorism. But Mr. Obama added that America should also send a clear message that Russia must not bully⁹ Georgia and other neighbors.

Yet Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the USA-Canada Institute in Moscow, said Russia and the United States can cooperate on many important issues despite their differences.

Kremenyuk said these issues include not only financial problems, and not only proliferation of nuclear weapons, but also climate change, energy security and numerous other complicated matters that Russian and the United States need to address together.

Russia calls for new international order
　

Mikhail Gorbachev: World needs US (file photo)

Russian leaders have been calling for the establishment of a new international order to replace what they say is a uni-polar world in which the United States is dominant¹⁰. Nonetheless, former Soviet¹¹ President Mikhail Gorbachev said the current global financial crisis shows that the international community still needs the United States.

"America is needed - [an] America that is strong, democratic and sure of itself - for the entire world, not just for the Americans," Mr. Gorbatchev said.

The former Soviet leader said the world now sees that "if it is bad for America, it is bad for all."

President-elect Obama has not spoken in detail about his Russia policy, saying the United States has only one president at a time. And while Kremlin leaders did not take part in the widespread international celebration of Mr. Obama's historic victory, they do expect to be among the first to meet with him after his inauguration¹².

1 testy   

adj.易怒的；暴躁的

参考例句：

• Ben's getting a little testy in his old age.上了年纪后本变得有点性急了。
• A doctor was called in to see a rather testy aristocrat.一个性格相当暴躁的贵族召来了一位医生为他检查。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

7 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

8 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。

9 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

10 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

11 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

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。