VOA慢速英语--美国对俄罗斯超高声速武器试验作出反应（在线收听）

US Reacts to Russian Test of Hypersonic Weapons 俄罗斯研制高超音速导弹 美国心惊

Russia says it tested a new hypersonic glide vehicle this week. President Vladimir Putin observed the test. He declared that the vehicle cannot be stopped and will guarantee his country’s security for many years.

俄罗斯称其已于本周试飞一种新型高超音速导弹。普京总统观测了这次试飞。普京称，该导弹所向披靡，可以确保俄罗斯未来多年内的国家安全。

Putin spoke of the successful test of the weapon Wednesday during a visit to the defense ministry in Moscow.

普京提到周三的这次试飞十分成功，当时他访问了俄罗斯政府的国防部。

The following day, the U.S. Department of Defense reacted to the Russian announcement.

第二天，美国国防部就对俄罗斯宣布的内容作了回应。

“While the United States has been the world leader in hypersonic system research for many decades, we did not choose to weaponize it,” said a department official, Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza.

虽然近几十年来，美国一直是高超音速系统的国际领头羊，但我们没有选择将导弹武器化，国防部官员、中校米歇尔·巴尔丹萨如是说道。

She added that the decision to make hypersonic weapons creates an imbalance that the department must deal with. She said the United States was considering “options” to answer the new weapons.

她补充说，研制高超音速导弹的决定会导致不平衡局面，这是美国国防部必须要予以处理的。她表示，美国正在考虑几个方案，以回应该新型武器的研制。

The hypersonic glide vehicle described by Putin is called the Avangard. It was tested on December 26 at the Dombarovskiy missile base in the southern Ural Mountains. Russian officials said the missile successfully hit a target in Kamchatka, about 6,000 kilometers away to the east.

普京所说的高超音速导弹名为先锋。先锋是在12月26日试飞的，地点是乌拉尔山脉南部的栋巴罗夫斯基基地，距离实验地点有近6000公里。

The new weapon is called hypersonic because of its extremely high speed. It travels as fast as several times the speed of sound.

这类新型导弹之所以叫“高超音速”是因为其速度极快，是声速的数倍。

Putin called the test an “excellent New Year’s gift to the nation.”

普京称这次试飞是“给俄罗斯最好的新年礼物。”

His announcement comes at a time when relations between Russia and the United States are tense. Conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, as well as reports of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections have tested relations. Some observers say ties between the two sides are at their worst since the period known as the Cold War.

他宣布这则消息时，美俄关系正值剑拔弩张的局面。叙利亚和乌克兰的冲突、2016年俄罗斯对美国大选干预的报道都是对美俄关系的考验。一些观察家表示，双方关系正值冷战以来的低谷期。

A rocket lifts the Avangard to a great height. The missile then glides back to Earth at speeds many times faster than sound.

一只火箭将先锋带上了新的高度。然后，导弹会以声速的几倍速飞回地球。

U.S. Defense officials were not surprised by the announcement of the test. In a speech to Russians on March 1, Putin described a group of new weapons that, he said, could make others “useless.”

美国国防部官员对于试飞的消息并不惊讶。在3月1日面向俄罗斯人讲话时，普京就曾描述过一类新型武器。当时，他说在这类新型武器面前，其他武器都黯然失色。

Among the weapons he spoke about were new nuclear weapons, including cruise missiles and underwater drones.

他提到的武器就有新型核武器，比如巡航导弹、水下无人机等。

In his latest announcement, Putin said the Avangard is designed from composite materials. He also said it is able to resist temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Celsius.

在最近的这次宣布中，普京表示，先锋是用复合材料设计的。普京还表示，该武器可以抵御高达2000摄氏度的温度。

Putin said the Avangard would be ready by as early as 2019. It is not clear if it is able to carry a nuclear weapon.

Another hypersonic missile test reported。

There were reports of another Russian hypersonic weapon test this month.

American broadcaster CNBC reported that Russia successfully tested a new anti-ship missile. The missile is said to travel eight times the speed of sound, or more than 9,800 kilometers an hour.

The missile is called Zircon, but little information about it is known. The magazine Popular Mechanics reported that the weapon can travel a distance of 300 kilometers and be launched from ships, which may include submarines.

Zircon may be similar to a hypersonic missile developed with India.

The U.S., Russia and China are all believed to have hypersonic weapons under development.

Words in This Story

decade –n. a period of 10 years

option –n. something that can be chosen, a possibility

glide –v. to fly without engine power

composite –adj. made of different parts or elements, especially in layers