VOA标准英语2013--奥巴马称必须调查叙利亚化武情况

 

奥巴马称必须调查叙利亚化武情况

The Administration of President Barack Obama expressed deep concern over reports that hundreds of Syrian civilians¹ were killed near Damascus in an attack that included the use of chemical weapons and requested that a United Nations team in Syria be allowed immediate² and unfettered access to investigate the reports.

In an August 21 statement, White House principal deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said the United States strongly condemns³ “any and all use” of chemical weapons, and that those responsible for their use must be held accountable.

“If the Syrian government has nothing to hide and is truly committed to an impartial⁴ and credible⁵ investigation⁶ of chemical weapons use in Syria, it will facilitate the U.N. team’s immediate and unfettered access to this site,” Mr. Earnest said.

For the U.N. team’s efforts to have credibility, the team "must have immediate access to witnesses and affected⁷ individuals, and have the ability to examine and collect physical evidence without any interference or manipulation from the Syrian government,” he said.

The Obama administration has also called for urgent consultations⁸ in the U.N. Security Council to discuss allegations of the attack and to call for Bashar al-Assad’s regime to provide the U.N. investigative team with immediate access. Mr. Earnest added that all Syrian parties need to provide the team with access to any site of importance to its investigation and to ensure team members security.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said August 21 that after months of working to get the U.N. investigative team into Syria, its presence in the country offers of opportunity to immediately investigate the allegations of chemical weapons use.

If Syrian officials “have nothing to hide, they should be providing the team with unfettered access,” she said and urged international support for the U.N. team.

“There should be no country that stands by or accepts the credible use or the potential credible use of chemical weapons, and every country should be supporting the effort by the U.N. investigative team to go in and look at as many cases as they can possibly look at,” said Ms. Psaki. “And we believe there's a moral imperative⁹ to allow that to happen.”

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 condemns   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

5 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。