美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Administration Unveils Sanctions To Curb North Korea's Weapons Program

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now, even as the Trump¹ administration is trying to soothe² tensions in the Middle East, as we just heard, they've also unveiled new sanctions against China and Russia over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. These sanctions target 16 individuals and companies the U.S. says are helping³ North Korea. NPR's Jackie Northam has more.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE⁴: This new round of sanctions represents a ratcheting up of pressure by the Trump administration on countries and companies doing business with North Korea. And the aim of that is stemming the flow of money going towards Pyongyang's weapons program. The Treasury⁵ Department says North Korea generates about a billion dollars a year from coal exports.

The new sanctions target Chinese and Russian entities⁶ and individuals trading coal, oil and mineral resources with North Korea. The Treasury Department singled out three Chinese companies, which it says imported almost a half a billion dollars in North Korean coal.

KENT BOYDSTON: It's a signal. It's a message to firms throughout the world that United States is going to target these entities, and you cannot hide behind a cover of being in China or Russia.

NORTHAM: Kent Boydston is a research analyst⁷ with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He says the sanctions also hit those helping North Korean entities gain access to U.S. and international financial systems.

BOYDSTON: It's really forcing firms to decide, are you going to deal with these shady North Korean financial institutions or firms, or do you care more about having access to the U.S. market?

NORTHAM: Anthony Ruggiero, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense⁸ of Democracies, thinks the sanctions are a significant step forward and part of a strategy by the Trump administration to clamp down on those who continue to work with North Korea. Ruggiero says the move won't be lost on China's leadership.

ANTHONY RUGGIERO: No Chinese banks were targeted, but that's the next level. And if the Trump administration is continuing this robust⁹ sanctions campaign, the next level's going to be some kind of action against Chinese banks, which I think the leadership in Beijing wants to avoid.

NORTHAM: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says the U.S. would continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement¹⁰ of its nuclear and ballistic missile program. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOUSE ON THE KEYS' "DARK LIGHTS")

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 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。

9 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

10 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。