潘基文赞“清洁能源计划”

 　　WHITE HOUSE—When the leaders of the United States and United Nations meet, there is seemingly no limit to the number of pressing issues that are up for discussion.  President Barack Obama acknowledged the demands on the United Nations have never been greater when he welcomed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the White House for talks Tuesday.

　　Obama said the “urgency of a world response” to the threat of climate change topped the list of issues during their talks, which came a day after he unveiled a plan to sharply cut the carbon pollution produced by American power plants.

　　The president's call to cut carbon emissions¹ by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 is opposed by major U.S. industry groups as too costly² and illegal. Republicans in Congress vowed³ to fight the tougher power plant standards, saying they would hurt coal-mining states.

　　UN Chief Praises Obama Climate Proposal

　　Sitting next to Ban in the Oval Office, Obama said he highlighted U.S. work on renewable energy and meeting “aggressive” targets in preparation for the U.N. climate conference in Paris later this year.

　　He said he encouraged the secretary-general “to continue to work with us to press those countries who have not yet put forward bold, aggressive plans to do so. Because we need Paris to be a success, and the world has to step up in a concerted way on behalf of our children and future generations.”

　　Ban commended Obama’s strong commitment to climate change from his first day in office, noting his “visionary and bold” announcement Monday.

　　“This Clean Power Plan powers economies and generates jobs. And also it can generate huge dividends⁴ here at home in the U.S. economy,” Ban said, turning to Obama. “And I am sure this will impact a lot of countries. And I really appreciate your personal engagement, starting with China, Brazil and India and many others.”

　　Syria, Yemen, Libya

　　Conflicts in the Middle East were also a focus of the talks between Obama and Ban, with the two leaders sharing “deep concerns” about the humanitarian⁵ situation in Syria. Obama noted⁶ the need to “stop the killing⁷ and arrive at a realistic, political process that can lead to a stabilizing⁸ of the country.”

　　But diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving Syria's political conflict have stalled. The United States leads an anti-Islamic State coalition⁹ conducting airstrikes in Syria, and recently welcomed Turkey's adoption¹⁰ of a military role in Syria.

　　Ban said the United Nations is trying to expedite humanitarian assistance to the war-torn nation.

　　The secretary-general also made a plea to member states for generous humanitarian assistance in Yemen, where he said 80 percent of the population, or more than 21 million people, is in need of urgent help. Ban said both leaders reinforced the need for a political, not military, solution in that country.

　　And in Libya, Obama noted some “modest progress” in bringing together the many factions¹¹ that have created great difficulty in governance and “created a vacuum that is causing everything from to an outflow of refugees to the safe havens¹² for organizations like ISIL,” an acronym¹³ used for the Islamic State group.

　　Both leaders also discussed the situation in South Sudan, with the secretary-general praising the president’s efforts to stop the violence. He noted Obama’s recent trip to Ethiopia, where the president convened¹⁴ a meeting with regional leaders on South Sudan.

　　Obama said hope regarding South Sudan’s recognition as a country had been squandered¹⁵ by President Salva Kiir and opposition¹⁶ leader Riek Machar. He said the goal is to have an agreement in place by August 17 to stop the bloodshed and move forward with an inclusive government.

　　“If they miss that target, then I think it is our view that it’s going to be necessary for us to move forward with a different plan and recognize that those leaders are incapable¹⁷ of creating the peace that is required,” Obama said.

1 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。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

4 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 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。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

11 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

12 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

13 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

14 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

15 squandered   

v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squandered all his money on gambling. 他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌博上了。
• She felt as indignant as if her own money had been squandered. 她心里十分生气，好像是她自己的钱给浪费掉了似的。 来自飘（部分）

16 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。

17 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。