VOA标准英语2009年-India Hopes Clinton Visit Will Demonstrate

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in India Friday for a four-day visit. India hopes the visit will demonstrate that the United States remains¹ committed to building on a strategic partnership² developed between the two countries under the previous Bush administration.
　
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton will visit India's financial hub Mumbai before heading to New Delhi on Sunday where she will hold talks with senior Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

She comes at a time when relations between the two countries have leaped forward. The foundations for the India-U.S. strategic partnership were laid during the previous Bush administration, which lifted a three-decade long ban on sale of civil nuclear technology to New Delhi, although India is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Bharat Karnad, a security expert at New Delhi's Center for Policy Research says India is hoping that the Clinton visit will demonstrate that the Obama administration also intends to strengthen and deepen ties between the two countries.

"This is more of an exploratory trip for both sides," Karnad said. "Both sides are going to sound each other out, see where there is give, where can there be a bit more take, and serious talks and negotiations³ on a whole range of issues is then going to follow."

In recent months, policy makers⁴ and analysts⁵ in New Delhi have voiced concerns on several counts. Some worry that the Obama administration's focus on fighting Taliban insurgents⁶ in Afghanistan and Pakistan could take some attention away from India.

There are also fears that the Obama administration intends to put more pressure on India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which New Delhi has long resisted.

Bharat Karnad says New Delhi will be seeking reassurance⁷, rather than any new initiatives on such issues, during Clinton's visit.

"They are I think a bit apprehensive….in particular the Obama administration's emphasis on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and trying to get India generally into the non proliferation treaty net," Karnad said. "These are concerns that I think have led to a little bit of worry on the part of Indian policymakers, and [they will want] to find out if U.S. policy remains the same, or if it is not the same, how much it departs from what it was in the time of President George W. Bush."

During the visit, the two sides are expected to finalize⁸ two agreements. India is expected to announce that it has set aside two sites for U.S. companies to build nuclear power plants, clearing the way for American businesses to get nearly $10 billion in business. The two countries are also scheduled to sign an agreement to ensure that U.S. arms technology sold to India is not leaked to third countries.

1 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。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 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。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

8 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。