VOA标准英语2009年-India Poised for Major Expansion of Nuclea

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
29 September 2009

India will see a large increase in nuclear-power generation in the coming years, helping¹ the country bridge its huge energy deficit² and combat climate change. India says global efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons have failed.    

 
Indian PM Manmohan Singh gestures during an international conference on peaceful uses of atomic energy, in New Delhi, India, 29 Sep 2009
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the global nuclear industry will have huge opportunities in India, as the country could have a hundred-fold increase in nuclear energy generation, in the next four decades.

Addressing an international conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in New Delhi, Tuesday, Mr. Singh said that India's nuclear energy industry is poised³ for major expansion.

"If we can manage our program well, our three-stage strategy could yield potentially 470,000 megawatts of power, by the year 2050," he said. "This will sharply reduce our dependence⁴ on fossil fuels and will be a major contribution to global efforts to combat climate change."

Many companies from countries like United States and France have been eyeing the opportunity to build nuclear power plants in India since an international ban on civil nuclear trade with the country was lifted last year.

India hopes a massive increase in cleaner nuclear power will help it to check greenhouse gas emissions⁵ and cut its dependence on oil, most of which it imports.

The conference in New Delhi also focused on the issue of nuclear disarmament. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El-Baradei, who attended the conference, says nuclear disarmament has moved to the top of the international agenda after a couple of what he calls "wasted decades." He says plans by the United States and Russia to resume talks on reducing their nuclear arsenals⁶ could contribute to efforts to rid the world of such weapons. 

Prime Minister Singh criticized the existing global non-proliferation program, saying it has failed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The cornerstone of this is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which considers only five countries as nuclear-weapons powers.

Mr. Singh's comments come in the wake of a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on all countries to sign the treaty. The American-backed resolution, passed last week, has raised concerns that India will come under pressure to join the treaty, to which it is not a signatory.

"Its deficiencies, in fact, have had an adverse⁷ impact on our security," said Singh. "Global non proliferation, to be successful, should be universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory and linked to the goal of complete nuclear disarmament."

India has said there is no question of its joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a nuclear weapon state, saying nuclear weapons are an integral part of its national security.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

4 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 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

7 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。