VOA标准英语2009年-Russia Cuts All Gas to Ukraine as Europe Shiver

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has approved a halt to all deliveries of Russian natural gas to Ukraine. Earlier, Ukraine shut all four of its pipelines² that ship the fuel to Europe.
　

Vladimir Putin

Prime Minister Putin's go-ahead to stop gas shipments to Ukraine was based on a recommendation from Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller³.

Mr. Putin tells Miller that he agrees with his proposal, but notes the cutoff should be carried out as publicly as possible in the presence of international observers.

Responding to questions from the prime minister, Miller said Gazprom has documented evidence that Ukraine caused the European shutdown.

But there are discrepancies⁴ in the timeline. Ukrainian officials reported Russia ceased delivery hours before the Miller-Putin meeting. Kyiv says it was this stoppage that forced Ukraine to close the pipelines that supply Europe.

Throughout the day Russian officials also insisted they had only withheld⁵ 21 million cubic meters, the amount of gas they allege⁶ Ukraine had stolen from Russia since the previous day.

The spokesman for Ukraine's Naftohaz gas company, Valentyn Zemliansky, told VOA the country's pipeline¹ system was already being used to avoid shortfalls in eastern Ukraine.

Zemliansky says the Ukrainian system is not empty, because it is working in reverse, which means gas is being pumped out of underground storage tanks in western Ukraine and is being shipped to consumers in the eastern part of the country.
　

A gas pressure gauge8 is seen at a snow-covered transit9 point on the main pipeline from Russia in the village of Boyarka, near Kyiv, Ukraine, 06 Jan 2009

Ukrainian officials deny stealing Russian gas and say the country has enough reserves to last through April.

Gazprom's deputy chairman, Alexander Medvedev, warned about possible damage to the Ukrainian pipeline system. He spoke⁷ on Russia's Vesti-24 News Channel.

Medvedev says if gas does not flow through the system in cold weather, it could stop altogether because of hydraulic¹⁰ blockages¹¹. He says removing the blockages entails¹² very serious operations, including cutting new taps in the pipe.

But Naftohaz gas company spokesman Zemliansky rejects Medvedev's statement as fear-mongering aimed at individuals who do not know pipeline technology. He told VOA the system will remain viable¹³ under any circumstances, even if the gas runs out completely.

Ukraine says it had been forced to use reserves to maintain the pressure needed to move gas to European consumers before the valves were closed.

Shortages are being felt as far downstream as France and Germany. Complete halts were reported in Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey.

Subzero temperatures throughout much of Europe is increasing demand for gas, and several governments have issued calls for conservation. While many countries have reserves or alternative sources, Bulgaria relies heavily on Russian gas and the country's president, Georgi Parvanov, says it could restart one of its nuclear reactors¹⁴, which the European Union had previously¹⁵ deemed unsafe.

Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold face-to-face talks Thursday aimed at resolving the situation.

The European Union is calling for immediate¹⁶ resumption of all gas deliveries.

President Yushchenko expressed extreme concern over the situation in telegrams to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso. Prime Minister Putin has made his own appeals to Europe through Alexei Miller, ordering the Gazprom chairman to show Russia's gas contracts with Ukraine to EU officials in Brussels.

State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack issued a statement Tuesday calling the gas cutoffs unacceptable, and expressing regret over dispute. McCormack notes the episode underscores the critical need to diversify¹⁷ sources of natural gas, as well as other energy sources.

1 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

2 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

3 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

4 discrepancies   

n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• wide discrepancies in prices quoted for the work 这项工作的报价出入很大
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

9 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

10 hydraulic   

adj.水力的；水压的，液压的；水力学的

参考例句：

• The boat has no fewer than five hydraulic pumps.这艘船配有不少于5个液压泵。
• A group of apprentics were operating the hydraulic press.一群学徒正在开动水压机。

11 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

12 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

13 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

14 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。

15 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。