VOA标准英语2009-Commission Recommends Renewed US Leadership on N

A report released in Washington on Wednesday recommends strengthened U.S. leadership in global efforts to prevent further nuclear weapons proliferation. However, the Commission on the Strategic Posture¹ of the United States says new threats, including potential nuclear terrorism, require a credible² deterrent³ capability⁴.
　
U.S. missile

Created by Congress two years ago to re-evaluate America's long-term strategic posture after the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks, the commission is generally supportive of arms control objectives announced so far by President Barack Obama.

It says the United States should publicly declare its intention to reduce its reliance on nuclear weapons and pursue a step-by-step approach with Russia to draw down stockpiles using successor talks to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START.

But as it works to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and against nuclear proliferation, the commission says the United States must maintain "an appropriately effective nuclear deterrent force".

William Perry, who served as Defense⁵ Secretary during the Clinton administration, and James Schlesinger, who served in that post under Presidents Nixon and Ford⁶, appeared before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee to detail the findings.

Perry warned of the dangers facing the United States and the world. "There is a danger we are going to have a collapse⁷ of the nonproliferation regime. There is a danger that there will be a cascade⁸ of proliferation in the world, particularly if Iran succeeds in going nuclear. And both of those will increase substantially the risk of nuclear terrorism. And there is a danger that the nuclear powers in the world will renew their competition," he said.

The commission says the surest way of preventing a nuclear terrorist attack is to deny terrorists access to weapons or fissile materials. Closure or securing of the most vulnerable nuclear sites, it adds, should be a top national priority.

Perry said the 12-member commission reached a surprising degree of consensus⁹ on issues, but that it had significant differences on the question of achieving U.S. Senate ratification¹⁰ of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

In a 51-to-48 largely party line vote a decade ago -- under a Democratic president and a Republican majority Congress -- the treaty fell 19 votes short of a required two-thirds majority necessary for Senate ratification, sparking criticism from Russia, China and several U.S. allies.

On the U.S. nuclear deterrent, Schlesinger said the commission recommends that there be no unilateral reductions by the United States. "Our NATO allies, and most notably¹¹ the new members of NATO, remain wary¹² of Russia and would eye nervously¹³ any sharp reduction of our nuclear forces relative to those of Russia, especially in light of the now greater emphasize by Russia on tactical nuclear weapons," he said.

The commission says the U.S. needs to maintain missile defenses in response to regional and limited long-range threats such as those posed by North Korea and Iran, but that these defenses should avoid giving Russia or China a reason to increase their strategic arsenals¹⁴ that could threaten the United States or its allies.

Representative Ellen Tauscher, who President Obama has nominated as the new U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, praised the focus on nuclear nonproliferation.

But ranking committee Republican John McHugh questioned President Obama's long-term goals of nuclear disarmament. "While the president's long-term vision is laudable, I fear its allure¹⁵ may be a distraction¹⁶ from the near-term nuclear security and proliferation challenges faced by our nation and the international community," he said.

Perry said that despite the dangers facing the world, the commission also seeks to underscore possibilities for a more hopeful future. "That we will be able to contain the proliferation. That we will be able to stymie¹⁷ nuclear terrorism. And that nuclear powers instead of competing in the nuclear field will learn how to cooperate in the nuclear field," he said.

The commission findings closely track those of another recent report by a task force of the independent Council on Foreign Relations, which also recommends that the United States and Russia pursue further nuclear weapons reductions under an extension of the START treaty.

In a statement read for him at the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York, President Obama said strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is necessary to deal effectively with the threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism.

1 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

4 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

5 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。

6 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

7 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。

8 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

9 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

10 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

11 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

12 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

13 nervously   

adv.神情激动地，不安地

参考例句：

• He bit his lip nervously,trying not to cry.他紧张地咬着唇，努力忍着不哭出来。
• He paced nervously up and down on the platform.他在站台上情绪不安地走来走去。

14 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

15 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

16 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

17 stymie   

v.妨碍，阻挠

参考例句：

• Companies have been stymied by the length of time it takes to reach an agreement.由于耗时过长，各公司一直未能达成协议。
• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen.最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。