2006年VOA标准英语-US Senators Discuss Options to End Iran's

By Michael Bowman
Washington
22 January 2006

High-ranking senators from both U.S. political parties say there are no easy answers when it comes to dealing¹ with Iran's nuclear ambitions, but that the possible use of force cannot be ruled out. The comments follow a statement by Israel's defense² minister that the Jewish state would not tolerate Iranian nuclear capability³ and is preparing to defend itself in that regard.

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Sen. John McCain (file photo) 
  

Arizona Senator John McCain says the time has come to bring Iran's nuclear activities before the United Nations for possible sanctions. The Republican lawmaker spoke⁴ on the U.S. television program Fox News Sunday.

"I would be pressing now, and I think the [Bush] administration will be very soon, to go to the [U.N.] Security Council," he said.

But when it comes to U.N. sanctions against Iran, which has restarted what Tehran describes as a peaceful nuclear energy program, the senator acknowledged that opposition⁵ could arise from permanent Security Council members Russia and China.

Another Republican lawmaker was more blunt in assessing the prospects⁶ for resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute through the United Nations.

"Sanctions do not work unless you have a unified⁷ position among all trading partners with Iran," said Kansas Senator Pat Roberts speaking on CBS' Face the Nation program. "Now, in the Security Council you have a problem, because you have China and Russia who trade with Iran. And they are not going to permit any sanctions."
 

Senator Joe Lieberman (file photo)   
  
Also appearing on Face the Nation was Connecticut Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman, who said all avenues must be pursued to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

"It is good that we are working with Britain, France and Germany, but the pace [of those efforts] is too slow," he said. "We have to try to take it [the Iranian nuclear situation] to the United Nations. I am pessimistic that Russia and China will let us do what we want to do. And then I think we form a 'coalition⁸ of the willing' - first to impose economic sanctions on Iran. Secondly⁹, we can never take the military option off the table."

Senator Lieberman described U.S. armed forces as the most potent¹⁰ military force in the history of the world, and said that, despite heavy military commitments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, the United States is fully¹¹ capable of launching a pre-emptive military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Those words were echoed by his Republican colleague, Senator John McCain.

"We cannot take the military option off the table," he said. "But we have to make it very clear [that] it is the last option. There is only one thing worse than the United States exercising a military option, and that is Iran having nuclear weapons. They already have the missiles to put them on."

Senator McCain said he understood Israel's fear of Iranian intentions, given recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel should be wiped off the map.

Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said "Israel will not be able to accept an Iranian nuclear capability and it must have the capability to defend itself, with all that implies."

In 1981, Israeli warplanes destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor¹² outside Baghdad. Military analysts¹³ have said that an air strike against Iran's nuclear program would be much more difficult to carry out given the existence of multiple facilities, many believed to be underground.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

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 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

4 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。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

7 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

10 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

13 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。