VOA标准英语2009-US Withholds Judgment on Iran Election Resul

U.S. Vice¹ President Joe Biden says he is withholding² judgment³ on Iran's presidential election, as protests continue in Tehran over election results showing a landslide⁴ re-election victory for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
　
Vice President Joe Biden, 11 Jun 2009

Vice President Joe Biden says the United States has questions and doubts as to whether Iran's presidential vote was free and fair.

"Is this the accurate response we are getting? Is this the result of the Iranian people's wishes? The hope is that the Iranian people - all their votes have been counted, and they have been counted fairly," said Biden, speaking on NBC's Meet the Press program. "But, look, we just do not know enough [to make that judgment]."

The vice president said the United States must accept Iran's official results "for the time being". But he added that careful analysis is required, and that actions taken by Iran's government do not lend credence⁵ to its claims of a free and fair vote.

"It sure looks like the way they are suppressing speech, the way they are suppressing crowds, they way in which people are being treated that there is some real doubt about that [the accuracy of vote count]. I do not think we are in a position to say," he said.

Biden expressed surprise over President Ahmadinejad's reported margin⁶ of victory - especially in urban areas where Iran's opposition⁷ appeared strongest.

But if the Obama administration is reacting with caution and a wait-and-see approach to Iran's election results, some Republicans are far less circumspect⁸. Former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Mitt⁹ Romney spoke¹⁰ on ABC's This Week program.

"The election is a fraud. The results are inaccurate," said Romney. "And you are seeing a brutal¹¹ repression¹² of the people."

Romney said that President Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to the Muslim world show no signs of producing a moderating effect on America's adversaries¹³, such as Iran.

Vice President Biden dismissed any suggestion that Iran's disputed election results will complicate¹⁴ efforts to promote dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

"Talks with Iran are not a reward for good behavior. They are only a consequence of the president making a judgment that it is in the best interest of the United States of America - our national security interests - to talk with the Iranian regime," said Biden.

President Ahmadinejad says his margin of victory in Friday's vote was so large that it cannot be questioned. Official results showed him beating his reformist challenger nearly two-to-one. Sunday saw a second day of clashes between protesters and security forces, while tens of thousands of Ahmadinejad backers took to the streets to show their support for the president.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 withholding   

扣缴税款

参考例句：

• She was accused of withholding information from the police. 她被指控对警方知情不报。
• The judge suspected the witness was withholding information. 法官怀疑见证人在隐瞒情况。

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

5 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。

6 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

7 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。

8 circumspect   

adj.慎重的，谨慎的

参考例句：

• She is very circumspect when dealing with strangers.她与陌生人打交道时十分谨慎。
• He was very circumspect in his financial affairs.他对于自己的财务十分细心。

9 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

10 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。

11 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

12 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

13 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

14 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。