VOA标准英语10月-Sydney Weapons Summit Warns of Growing Nuclear Th

A new non-proliferation group warns the world is on the brink¹ of a massive increase in nuclear weapons. The global organization has spent the past two days in Sydney looking at ways to strengthen international agreements to halt the spread of nuclear arsenals². From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
　

International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament meeting in Sydney, 21 Oct 2008

Leaders of the new International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament say the world had been "sleepwalking" on the issue of nuclear weapons for a decade.

They warn that a nuclear attack would dwarf³ the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

The organization was first proposed by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after his June visit to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, which was devastated⁴ by an American atomic bomb in 1945.

It aims to reinvigorate the global debate on the nuclear weapons before a 2010 conference that will review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The co-chairman of the group, Gareth Evans, said Tuesday that tough new measures are needed to stop the spread of nuclear warheads.

"The big problem with both North Korea and Iran is the demonstration⁵ that while doing what you're totally allowed to do under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, namely develop energy for peaceful purposes, you can acquire the capacity to create enriched uranium, which in turn gives you the capacity to very quickly convert that into the material for making bombs," said Evans.

North Korea has tested a nuclear device, although it is negotiating with China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States to give up its nuclear programs. Many governments, including the United States, think Iran is trying to violate its NPT commitments by developing a nuclear weapon.

Evans says that there are between 13,000 and 16,000 nuclear warheads deployed⁶ around the world.

The former Australian foreign minister says it is "a bit of a miracle" that a nuclear catastrophe⁷ had not occurred during the Cold War or afterward⁸.

Evans heads the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament along with a former Japanese diplomat⁹ Yoriko Kawaguchi.

The new body includes representatives from five nuclear powers - the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France - as well as other countries, including South Africa, Indonesia and Germany.

Two senior figures from Pakistan and India also attended the Sydney conference. Both governments have developed nuclear weapons, and neither has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The NPT allows nations to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy - such as power generation, but bars the spread of nuclear weapons.

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

3 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

4 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

5 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

8 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

9 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。