2006年VOA标准英语-Iranian Americans Seek Solution to Human R

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
17 May 2006

The largest population of Iranians living outside of their country is in Los Angeles. The exile population is watching the growing confrontation¹ over Iran's nuclear program, and worries about continuing human-rights abuses in their homeland.

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Los Angeles Iranian immigrant neighborhood sometimes called Tehrangeles  
  

This section of West Los Angeles, sometimes called Tehrangeles, is home to Persian businesses and restaurants and the offices of Iranian professionals, including doctors, dentists and lawyers.

One immigrant has mixed feelings about Iran's pursuit of nuclear power, which Iranian officials insist is for peaceful purposes.

"They have the right like any other country and any other people on earth, that they have it, like America, Russia, Israel, Pakistan, wherever," he said. "At the same time, they do not have the right to have it because of the experience that we have, the gimmicks² that they play, especially in the Middle East."

He says the bottom line, for him, is that the Iranian regime has a history of deceit and cannot be trusted.

Another Iranian immigrant agrees with him.

"Of course, it goes back to the real motive³ which, to me, is not clear yet, so if they are going to use this power for their factories, things of that nature," he noted⁴. "But again, since you do not know the real motive behind it, it is hard to say. Other than that, we know that whenever people have access to the atomic bomb, there is always the danger of catastrophe⁵."

A third Iranian American, a bookstore owner, wants to see regime change in his homeland.

"We do have the problem of having Iran as a nuclear power, but we have first a problem with the Islamic Republic of Iran," he explained. "If we do not have such a regime, then hopefully we do not have the problem of Iranian nuclear power."

State Department officials say they believe the nuclear dispute with Iran can be solved through diplomacy⁶. The European Union has prepared an incentive⁷ package, which diplomats⁸ say would offer Tehran a light-water nuclear reactor⁹, a technology less susceptible¹⁰ to misuse¹¹ in a weapons program than the heavy-water facility that Iran is now building.

But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected the package, even before it was offered, and says nothing will persuade Iran to freeze its nuclear program.

All of this is being watched closely by the 300,000 or so Iranian Americans who live in and around Los Angeles.

Sometimes called jumbo-jet refugees, many arrived with a good education and some wealth. They are also a diverse group. Mostly Muslim, there are minority populations of Jews, Baha'is, Armenian Christians¹², and others.

Some are loyal to the family of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose son lives outside Washington in the state of Maryland. Others hope to see a secular¹³ government in Iran, and yet others want a moderate Islamic republic.

A former Iranian pop star-turned-journalist named Zia Atabay, who appears on Persian-language television from Los Angeles, says the Middle East is a powder-keg, largely because of Iran.

He says he is frustrated¹⁴ with the futile¹⁵ efforts of the international community in dealing¹⁶ with the regime. He wants more U.S. support for the Iranian opposition¹⁷, and says some in the expatriate community endorse¹⁸ the use of force to bring about regime change.

Other Iranian Americans support continued diplomacy. Freeda Saba is a commentator¹⁹ on IRTV, a Persian-language broadcast system in Los Angeles.

"The majority here are the first-generation immigrants, and mostly they have been born in Iran," said Freeda Saba. "So they have a love for their country. Even though now they are in America, they are Iranian American. But they do not want to see their country to be destroyed like Iraq. They do not want any war or any violence against the country."

Saba says Iranian Americans are concerned about the repression²⁰ of journalists and the harsh treatment of political dissidents, but she says Iran has a functioning economy and working infrastructure²¹, which war would devastate²².

Frank Nikbakht, a Jewish Iranian immigrant and democracy advocate, says the Iranian expatriate community is diverse, but he sees a consensus²³ in favor of a peaceful resolution to the impasse²⁴.

"Naturally, most Iranians do not want a military intervention²⁵ in their country, and even on the question of sanctions, they would prefer a targeted sanction that would target the super-rich and the super-powerful people, organizations and companies in Iran rather than a general sanction which will have negative effects on ordinary people," said Frank Nikbakht.

But he says most Iranian exiles want to rid their homeland of a government that he calls dictatorial²⁶ and ruthless.

Women's studies scholar Nayereh Tohidi says that despite the policies of its hard-line religious regime, Iran is becoming increasingly secularized. She says more than 60 percent of Iran's university students today are women and, she says, young people in Iran are becoming more global in outlook as they use tools like the Internet.

She says the hard-liners have successfully used the nuclear issue to mobilize nationalist sentiment, and that the Western response to Iran should emphasize human rights and democracy, topics that she says resonate with Iran's population.
 
 

1 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

2 gimmicks   

n.花招，诡计，骗人的玩意儿( gimmick的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Financial institutions are also often expected yield of gimmicks. 金融机构也往往以预期收益率为噱头。 来自互联网
• However these are just marketing gimmicks that propagate the myth. 然而这些只是噱头的营销传播的神话。 来自互联网

3 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

7 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

10 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

11 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

12 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

13 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

14 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

18 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

19 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

20 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

21 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

22 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

23 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？

24 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

25 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

26 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。