VOA常速英语2008年-Russian-British Relations Reach Low Point

By Anya Ardayeva
Moscow
07 April 2008
  

Relations between Russia and Britain have reached their lowest point since the collapse¹ of the Soviet² Union. Tensions between the two countries began after the murder of Russian security service defector Alexander Litvinenko in November 2006 in London. More recently, two out of three offices of the British Council in Russia were shut down by Russian authorities. As Anya Ardayeva reports from Moscow, the standoff is likely to continue following the election of a new Russian president.

The Kremlin youth group Nashi demonstrated outside the American Embassy after Vladimir Putin's appointed successor Dmitri Medvedev won the presidential election. The group says Russia will no longer allow outsiders to meddle³ in Moscow's affairs.

The government recently shut down two out of three offices of the British Council, an organization which promotes cultural and educational ties.  Council offices in the Russian cities of Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg were closed last month.

Analyst⁴ Vladimir Rozhankovsky, of the Ak-Bars Bank, along with others signed a letter to Russian authorities protesting the closure of the offices where he once worked.

"This determined⁵ my career,” Rozhankovsky said. “I was 28, graduated from an average Russian institute in 1995, my profession was not in demand because the country was in shambles⁶. This was a chance to get a second profession, participate in a serious program."

Tensions between Britain and Russia began when Moscow refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi.  He is the man Britain suspect murdered ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.

Some officials in Moscow accuse Britain of not providing enough evidence of Lugovoi's involvement in the case

"We do not believe your words,” Russian Duma deputy Sergei Markov said. “You have been telling us for a year that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. Where is it? Iraq is destroyed, Sunnis and Shiites are fighting with each other, tens of thousands of people are dead - where are the weapons? Will you do the same thing here, in this case? And then tell us that you are sorry? We don't want it. We don't want to be victims of your mistakes."

Russia's President-elect Dmitri Medvedev recently accused Britain of spying - an indication that Moscow doesn't plan to back down.

Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accuses the British Council of opening illegally, without government permission. He says, "I understand that a historic memory, connected with nostalgia⁷ for colonial times, is dominating over the lawful⁸ side of the question - but this is not the language one should use to talk to Russia."

In recent years, Russia has appeared less willing to compromise when dealing⁹ with its former allies. Analysts¹⁰ such as Vladimir Rozhankovsky say that is largely because Moscow feels more confident with its booming economy and high oil prices.

"Russia suddenly feels that it can be independent, that it's a rich country with massive resources and one of the most dynamically developing economies, and we can go over board here and lose friends. It's a sad thing," he said.

Meanwhile, neither Britain nor Russia indicates they will back down in a diplomatic dispute now in its second year.

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

4 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。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

7 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

8 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

9 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。

10 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。