VOA慢速英语2015 美国要求越南停止授权俄罗斯使用其金兰湾

AS IT IS 2015-03-14 US Asks Vietnam to Stop Russian Use of Cam Ranh Bay 美国要求越南停止授权俄罗斯使用其金兰湾

The United States embassy in Hanoi has asked the Vietnamese government to stop permitting Russia to use a military base to refuel its airplanes. The U.S. says Russia has performed what it calls “provocative² flights” around the U.S. territory in the Pacific. Officials have not received an answer from the Vietnamese government.

Lisa Wishman is an embassy official in Vietnam. She told VOA on Thursday that the U.S. communicated its concerns privately³ to the Vietnamese government last week. She says that the U.S. government respects Vietnam's right to enter agreements with other countries. But she adds that the U.S. does not want Vietnam to permit the Russian military to use Cam Ranh Bay to “conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region."

The former U.S. base is 290 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly⁴ known as Saigon. It is a natural deep-water harbor.

Vincent Brooks⁵ is the commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific. He told Reuters news agency on Wednesday that Russian planes had carried out "provocative" flights. These include flights over areas around the U.S. territory of Guam, which is 4,000 kilometers east of Vietnam.

NATO officials say Russian aircraft have been seen recently over the English Channel. Officials say Russia’s military is carrying out more aggressive air and sea patrols close to borders of NATO countries.

Russia also announced last November that it planned to send long-range aircraft over North American waters. News reports say the Russian military has begun military exercises in southern Russia and in Crimea.

The United States fought the North Vietnamese from the early 1960s until the American withdrawal⁶ in 1973. The South Vietnamese government in Saigon came under North Vietnamese control two years later.

Diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the United States were established in 1995. The two countries have developed closer ties in recent years because Vietnam worries about the threat posed by its huge neighbor to the north, China.

China once controlled parts of Vietnam for hundreds of years.  The two countries fought their most recent border war in 1979. About 30,000 soldiers on both sides died during the short conflict.  The two countries have an ongoing⁷ dispute over territory in the South China Sea.

In 2013, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a plan to help Vietnam strengthen its sea security. The United States agreed to provide at least five modern patrol ships to Vietnam.  

Ted¹ Osius is the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. He recently spoke⁸ at Hanoi University to express understanding that Vietnam would look to "historic partners" for security.  But he says the United States also had, in his words, "much to offer to enhance Vietnam's security in the short, medium and long term."

Words in This Story

aggressive – adj. ready and willing to fight, argue, etc.; feeling or showing aggression⁹

patrol – n. a group of people, vehicles, etc., that go through an area to make sure that it is safe; a group that patrols an area

provocative – adj. causing discussion, thought, argument, etc.

withdrawal – n. an act of moving something away or taking something away

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

3 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

4 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

5 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。