VOA标准英语2008年-Australia, Japan Clash at International Whale S

Australia and Japan have traded barbs¹ ahead of a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Santiago, Chile. Japan accuses Australia of lacking the conviction to save crucial talks from "a state of collapse²". Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett has fired back, insisting he will not compromise on the issue of whale conservation. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

The challenge ahead of the International Whaling Commission - or IWC - is to get pro- and anti-whaling nations to find common ground.

But that could be tough. Several countries vow³ to not accept any loosening of the whale hunting ban, while Japan and a few other countries, such as Norway, say whale stocks have expanded enough to allow commercial hunting.
　
Peter Garrett

Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett says Canberra must stand firm and condemn⁴ Japan's scientific whaling program.

Garrett says that Australia will not sign any deal at the IWC that might lead to an end to the moratorium⁵ on the commercial hunting of whales.

"Australia hasn't come to this whaling commission to compromise at all," Garrett said. "We are absolutely strongly of the view that we do not want to see the commercial exploitation of whale populations. We are strongly of the view that this commission needs to focus on the science of conservation, not on the science of killing⁶ whales."

A spokesman for the Japanese delegation⁷, Glenn Inwood, accuses the Australians of trying to derail critical talks.

"I think it's a huge miscalculation for the Australian minister to step straight off the plane and come here to this meeting with fresh demands when the rest of the IWC is trying to come up with an 11th hour solution to save it from collapse," he said.

Japan is lobbying for a return to commercial whaling, which was banned in 1986. Its delegation in Santiago has warned that without progress on this issue, it is "difficult to see any future for the IWC". In the past, Japan has threatened to withdraw from the organization if it does not allow hunting.

The Australian government staunchly opposes Tokyo's annual whale harvest in the Antarctic. Canberra calls the hunt an unnecessary slaughter⁸. Japan says its whaling fleet is conducting scientific research.

At the start of the IWC's annual meeting this week in Santiago, the Chilean government proposed a permanent ban on whaling in the country's coastal⁹ waters.

The International Whaling Commission has the responsibility to conserve¹⁰ and manage whale populations.

 

1 barbs   

n.（箭头、鱼钩等的）倒钩( barb的名词复数 )；带刺的话；毕露的锋芒；钩状毛

参考例句：

• She slung barbs at me. 她说了些讥刺我的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I would no longer uncomplainingly accept their barbs or allow their unaccountable power to go unchallenged. 我不会再毫无怨言地洗耳恭听他们带刺的话，或让他们的不负责任的权力不受到挑战。 来自辞典例句

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

4 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

5 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

9 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

10 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！