VOA慢速英语--伊朗无视美国制裁进行导弹测试

AS IT IS 2016-03-09 Iran Defies US With Test Missiles 伊朗无视美国制裁进行导弹测试

Iran said Tuesday it conducted ballistic missile tests to defy U.S. sanctions and to show its "deterrent¹ power" and “ability to confront any threats.”

The tests came two months after the United States imposed new sanctions against Iranians and companies with links to Iran’s missile program.

Iranian state television reportedly showed a missile being fired from underground silo at night. The announcer said it was a medium-range Qiam-1 missile, according to Reuters.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps², or IRGC, is the security force under Iran’s supreme³ leader, Ali Khamenei. On its official website, it said Tuesday's test was "to show Iran's deterrent power and also the Islamic Republic's ability to confront any threat against the (Islamic) Revolution.”

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh is the head of the IRGC’s space program. He said “the missile struck a target 700 kilometers away.”

Last July, the U.S. and world powers reached an agreement with Iran on its nuclear activities. Iran agreed to remove most of its nuclear fuel and to avoid testing nuclear-capable missiles in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

After two Iranian missile tests last October, the U.S. announced new sanctions in January against Iranians and companies for helping⁴ Iran’s ballistic missile program.

The U.S. said the tests violated a U.N. resolution. The resolution banned Iran from “any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology."

Iran has always denied any link between its missile program and the disputed nuclear activity.

Words in This Story

deterrent – adj. able or intended to stop the progress of development of something

silo - n. underground chamber in which a guided missile is kept ready for firing

1 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 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。