美国有线新闻 CNN 俄罗斯军事试验场发生爆炸 致5名核专家遇难

 

Day three of our Fall production season begins in Russia. Last Thursday there was an accident —an apparent explosion that killed at least five nuclear scientists at a military test site. But the nation's government didn't speak out about it until yesterday, when a Russian government spokesman said that accidents happen, and that Russia was still, quote, "far ahead in developing advanced weapons."

There's an international mystery surrounding this incident. For one thing, it happened in a city of northern Russia that's only accessible by permit and it's closed off to international visitors. For another, officials in the area said there was a temporary rise in radiation levels after the explosion took place, though the Russian government says radiation levels were normal. Overall, that government has been pretty secretive about this incident in general. It says a blast did take place last week but that it involved liquid fuel. And all this has analysts¹ around the world speculating that they don't know for sure that the explosion involved a nuclear powered cruise missile. Here's why that's significant.

Last year Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had developed new weapons, ones that would make U.S. missile defenses ineffective. He said a new Russian missile would have an unlimited³ range, and suggested it could avoid defense² missiles for as long as needed. An accident at a secret military test range could come as an embarrassment⁴ to the Russian government, and it has a lot of control over the nation's media, so it's possible that information about this explosion is intentionally⁵ being kept quiet, which has some analysts suggesting this is a cover up. Back in 1986, what was then the government of the Soviet⁶ Union initially⁷ tried to cover up an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. To be clear, whatever happened last Thursday did not appear to have given off a large plume⁸ of nuclear radiation like the Chernobyl disaster did. But more than 30 years later, Chernobyl's effects are still rippling⁹ across Russia.

1 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。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

4 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

5 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 plume   

n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰

参考例句：

• Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
• He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。

9 rippling   

起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的

参考例句：

• I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
• The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。