NPR边听边练249：美俄总理会谈

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　　一、泛听建议：

　　1、完整听一遍，掌握大意。

　　2、继续听，特别注意关键信息。遇到相似的词，写下来。

　　Secretary of State John Kerry began talks with his Russian counterpart in Geneva today, _1_ the world is watching to see if two major powers can work together to rid Syria of chemical weapons.NPR's Michele Kelemen reports Kerry _2_ how serious both Moscow and Damascus are about this diplomatic way forward.Secretary Kerry has already raised concerns about the timetable for a plan to destroy Syria's chemical weapons.

　　国务卿约翰·克里今天在日内瓦开始与俄罗斯总理进行会谈,有传言称世界关注这两个超级大国是否可以协作来解除叙利亚的化学武器危机。NPR新闻记者米歇尔·科勒曼报道克里正在检测莫斯科和大马士革对于这种外交方式的重视程度。克里已经对计划摧毁叙利亚化学武器的时间表忧心忡忡。

　　Syria says it has 30 days to declare its arsenal¹ once it joins the Chemical Weapons Convention.But Kerry says there is nothing standard about this moment, and he says there are a lot of issues for the experts to iron out quickly.“The technical challenges of _3_ to do this in the context of a civil war are obviously immense.”But he says he thinks it can be done as long as there are consequences for Syria if it does not follow through.

　　叙方表示一旦加入《禁止化学武器公约》将有30天时间来公布其武器。但克里称此刻没有什么标准,专家尚有很多问题需要尽快解决。“根据这一内战环境在技术性层面的挑战显然是巨大的。”但是他表示自己认为只要对于如果叙利亚不遵循会带来相应后果，是可以做到的。

　　Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Geneva.

　　NPR新闻,记者米歇尔·科勒曼,日内瓦报道。

　　Senate Majority Leader Harry² Reid says GOP lawmakers _4_ their time in trying to delay or defund the president's health care law.NPR's Craig Windham reports Reid's comments come after he met with House Speaker John Boehner and other congressional leaders as they try to head off a government shutdown in less than three weeks.Conservative GOP lawmakers are demanding that any measure to keep federal agency's operating include a provision to defund or delay the health care law.Boehner acknowledges that is a key issue.

　　参议院多数党领袖里德称共和党议员在试图延迟或撤资总统医改法律上是浪费他们的时间。NPR新闻记者克雷格·温德姆报道里德做出此番表态之前,他曾会见众议院议长约翰·博纳及其他试图避免在不到三周内关闭政府的国会领导人们。保守的共和党议员们要求任何措施来保持包括一个撤资或延迟保健法条款的联邦机构运作。博纳承认那是一个关键问题。

　　“For the sake of our economy we’ll continue to do everything we can to repeal³, dismantle⁴ and defund Obamacare.”Boehner also wants the president to agree to more spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation's debt limit this fall.But Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray of Washington state says that is not going to happen.“Democrats are not _5_ Obamacare, we certainly are negotiating over the debt limit and it's insane to play partisan⁵ games with our nation's economy.”

　　“为了我们的经济,我们将继续竭尽所能来废除、取消和撤资奥巴马医改。博纳也希望总统同意更多的削减开支以换来这个秋天提高国家债务上限。但是华盛顿州的美国参议院预算委员会主席帕蒂·默里表示这不会发生。“民主党人不会拖延奥巴马医改,我们当然是围绕债务上限进行谈判,而且用我们国家的经济进行党派之争太疯狂了。”

　　Craig Windham, NPR News, Washington.

　　NPR新闻, 克雷格·温德姆,华盛顿报道。

　　词汇解析：

　　1.iron out 烫平，消除；熨平；解决；处理

　　eg:Using plentiful⁶ night-time energy to iron out daytime peaks can work, too.

　　而利用夜间充裕的能源以消除日间高峰的做法也是可行的。

　　eg:But both sides kept finding fresh details to iron out.

　　但双方发现有一个又一个的细节性问题需要解决。

　　2.head off 使改变方向，阻挡

　　eg:A common international approach is needed to head off a future crisis.

　　要阻止未来危机的爆发，国际社会需要制定一套通行的游戏规则。

　　eg:That should head off violence in the election run-up.

　　这样的局势应该能避免选举前出现的暴力行为。

　　3.for the sake of 为了

　　eg:So why not work on your limiting beliefs for the sake of your loved ones?

　　那么，为什么不为了你所爱的人改变你的受限心理呢？

　　eg:To throw everything away for the sake of one last commitment could yet crown them all.

　　为了最后一项承诺而抛弃一切，这将会是所有错误中登峰造极的一个。

　　4.in exchange for 交换

　　eg:Mr monti's big idea is a swap⁷: liberalism in exchange for redistribution.

　　蒙逖先生的妙计是一个互换机制：自由主义交换再分配。

　　eg:You'll get free accommodation in exchange for watering some plants and walking a dog.

　　你将会获得免费住宿，与此相交换的就是你要做一些植物浇水、遛狗的工作。

　　参考答案：

　　1、saying 2、is testing 3、trying

　　4、are wasting 5、delaying

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