VOA常速英语2008年-Missle Defense to Top Bush, Putin Meeting Agend

By Ivana Kuhar
Washington
02 April 2008
 

U.S. President George W. Bush will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin April 6 at the Russian leader's Black Sea vacation home in Sochi. As VOA's Ivana Kuhar reports, cooperation on antiballistic missile defense¹ is expected to top the summit agenda. Jim Bertel narrates².

When President Bush meets with Russian President Putin on Sunday the two leaders are expected to discuss a number of thorny³ issues, chief among them the Bush administration's plan to build a missile shield in Europe.

Last month Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates held talks with senior Russian officials in Moscow.  They also delivered a letter from Mr. Bush to the Russian president, which Mr. Putin later described as "a serious document aimed at resolving disputes between two countries."

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton tells VOA a missile defense system against rogue⁴ states with nuclear capabilities⁵ has been one of the top priorities of Mr. Bush's presidency⁶.

"Back in 2001, President Bush offered full cooperation with Russia so we could jointly⁷ develop additional missile defense capabilities,” Bolton said. “It was a sincere offer at the time, I am sorry the Russians did not take it up."

Bolton says President Bush is anxious to secure the future of the missile defense program before stepping down next January.

Russia is strongly opposed to U.S. plans to put interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar⁸ system in the Czech Republic. Moscow says the plan threatens Russia's security, while Washington insists the defense shield is intended to protect Europe from a potential threat from Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters last month the U.S. had agreed to allow Moscow to monitor the missile defense system.

Before leaving Washington, Mr. Bush said he is optimistic a deal on an antiballistic missile shield can be reached. 

Angela Stent of Georgetown University in Washington believes a deal is possible if it includes U.S. incentives⁹.

"It's possible that there could be some agreement," she says. "But I still think that for the Russian side to come into agreement with the United States, which includes the deployment¹⁰ in the Czech Republic and Poland, that would already - from their point of view - they would be agreeing to something that they have before said was nonnegotiable.  But I think it will also depend [on] what the U.S. offers them."

Stent, a former National Intelligence Officer at the National Intelligence Council, says it is unlikely the U.S. would give up planned missile defense sites in the Czech Republic and Poland as part of some new deal with Moscow.

"I think there is a desire on the United States' part to cooperate with Russia on this issue, I think its not just propaganda,” Stent said. “But I think it is also true that there is unwillingness¹¹ on a part of the Bush administration to forgo¹² the deployments in the Czech Republic and Poland."

Sunday's meeting is likely to be the last between the two presidents. Mr. Putin steps down from the Russian presidency on May 7.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

4 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

5 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

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 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。

8 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

9 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

11 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

12 forgo   

v.放弃，抛弃

参考例句：

• Time to prepare was a luxuary he would have to forgo.因为时间不够，他不得不放弃做准备工作。
• She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.只要她的父母停止争吵，她愿意放弃生日宴请。