2006年VOA标准英语-US Lawmakers Set to Consider US-India Nuclear D

By Dan Robinson
Washington
25 July 2006

Legislation required to allow the U.S.-India agreement on civilian¹ nuclear cooperation to go forward comes up for consideration Wednesday in the House of Representatives. House lawmakers have included strong language underscoring concerns about nuclear proliferation and worries about any Indian violations² of the accord.

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The agreement being debated by Congress would remove decades-long restrictions³ and allow the United States to sell technology to assist India's civilian nuclear sector⁴. In return, India would open up civilian nuclear plants to international inspection⁵.

As the deal moves closer to possible approval by Congress, the Bush administration is pushing lawmakers to approve necessary changes in U.S. law to allow the nuclear-related exports. But the deal remains⁶ just as controversial as it was when it was first proposed in early 2005.

The Bush administration says approval will mark an important turning point in U.S.-India relations, and will not harm global nonproliferation efforts.

However, many in Congress believe that in the process of providing such assistance, the United States may help India free up resources it will then devote to producing more nuclear weapons.

Such skepticism was made plain in a House subcommittee hearing last week chaired by Republican Congressman⁷ Dana Rohrabacher. He said Congress must be very cautious. "As we move forward with this India initiative, that number one, that we are not doing so in a way that will in some way enhance the nuclear weapons capability⁸ of India," he said.

Acting⁹ Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation, Francis Record, says provisions will prevent this from happening, with assistance going only to nuclear reactions in India that are safeguarded.

India, he says, has enough uranium to meet both civilian and military needs, while other steps, such as negotiating a Fissile Material Reduction Treaty of which India would be part, will further strengthen safeguards.

Skeptics are not satisfied. In one exchange during the hearing, California Democrat¹⁰ Howard Berman got the assistant secretary to acknowledge that the U.S. did not achieve what it originally intended in negotiations¹¹ with India.

BERMAN: "In the earlier discussions, the U.S. position was to safeguard a much higher percentage of the reactors¹³ than we finally achieved, isn't that right?"

RECORD: "There were a number of objectives I think, a number of issues that we had before us in discussions with the Indians that we didn't fully¹⁴ achieve."

Compromises notwithstanding, Record says failure to go ahead with the agreement could result in up to 80 percent of Indian nuclear facilities lacking safeguarded status.

As the House prepares to consider the U.S.-India agreement, and with the Senate also considering it, the White House continues to lobby lawmakers to support it.

But opponents now point to a Washington Post report [published Monday] quoting nuclear analysts¹⁵ as saying Pakistan is moving to greatly expand its nuclear weapons program to support their assertion that the U.S-India deal could spark a new South Asia arms race.

Rep. Ed Markey (behind podium)and other House Democrats   
  
Congressman Rep. Ed Markey urges President Bush to renegotiate what he calls a verifiable treaty and press India and Pakistan to agree to suspend production of bomb-making fissile materials. "If you think Pakistan's new [nuclear] reactor¹² and this nuclear deal with India aren't related, you are fooling yourself. We are moving towards a world with more and more nuclear material that could fall into terrorist hands rather than less and less," he said.

Markey will propose an amendment¹⁶ to require President Bush to certify¹⁷ India is not sending nuclear materials to Iran before the U.S. begins providing India with nuclear fuel.

White House spokesman Tony Snow was asked about the Washington Post report on Monday. "We continue to discourage the expansion and modernization¹⁸ of nuclear weapons programs, both of India and Pakistan. We also support a fissile material cutoff treaty that we have introduced to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament. We are continuing [to urge] all states that produce fissile material to observe a voluntary production moratorium¹⁹ as we have in the U.S. for a very long time," he said.

Leonard Spector, deputy director of the California-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies, says the U.S. achieved only modest nonproliferation pledges from New Delhi. Spector praised Congress for strengthening the accord. "Congress has stepped in. It has strengthened the deal to a certain extent and it will have the chance to do so further when the House bill comes to the floor and I hope there will be some additional strengthening of the deal as it is finally enacted," he said.

That is precisely²⁰ what House lawmakers are doing. A report accompanying the legislation to revise the 1954 Atomic Energy Act emphasizes the need for strict conditions to avert²¹ any violations by India, and gives the president broad powers to ensure compliance²².

The legislation requires India to give the U.S. and International Atomic Energy Agency a credible²³ plan to separate civilian and military nuclear programs and materials, and reach agreement with the IAEA to permanently²⁴ abide²⁵ by IAEA standards.

It also requires the president to certify to Congress that India is working for the early conclusion of a multilateral Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, tightening²⁶ laws regarding security of nuclear materials and technology, and adhering to requirements of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which must agree by consensus²⁷ to an exception for India to its guidelines.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 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。

13 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

14 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

17 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。

18 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

19 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

20 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

21 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

22 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

23 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

24 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

25 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

26 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

27 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？