VOA常速英语2019--美国国会对如何对待伊朗 态度分化

Heading to the Hill to make their case. We do not want the situation to escalate¹. This is about deterrence², not about war. We’re not about going to war. This is about continuing to protect our interests in the Middle East and conducting the missions that there we are there to perform. Recent attacks on Persian Gulf³ oil tankers⁴ and Saudi pipelines⁵, possibly the work of Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. If it continues, the president has left the door open for action. I think Iran would be making a very big mistake if they did anything. If they do something, it will be met with great force. But we have no indication that they will. But the briefing did not convince some lawmakers. I worry very much, and intentionally⁶ or unintentionally we can create a situation in which a war will take place, and let me tell you: I think when you do that, you’re talking about a war that will go on and on and on. The war of words continued on Twitter.

以下是我台记者从国会大楼发回的报道。我们不希望问题升级。这是有关威慑的问题，与战争无关。我们不是要打仗，而是要继续保护美国在中东地区的利益，以及完成我们在中东本来要完成的使命。最近，有袭击发生在波斯湾油轮和沙特输油管道，国务卿蓬佩奥如是说道。如果情况继续，特朗普总鸥汀不排除采取行动的可能。我认为伊朗如果真有所为，那就是大错特错。如果伊朗真有所为，就会面临美国的强大武力。但我们也不确定伊朗是否会有所行动。但这次发布会没能说服一些议员。我非常担心，我担心我们有意无意地引发战争。我认为，一旦我们引发战争，这场战争就会持续下去。推特上现在还嘴仗不停。

Iran’s foreign minister telling trump⁷ to try respect: It works. The Trump administration withdrawal⁸ from the nuclear agreement with Iran removed us leverage⁹, Democrats¹⁰ say. If the Iranians aren’t ready to talk and they are ramping¹¹ up their provocative¹² actions in the region, that would seem to be a pretty significant indictment¹³ of our current policy right now. But the tougher U.S. stance on Iran’s nuclear program has helped, Republicans said. We’re at a point in time where we’re pushing back against the regime, and we’re resetting¹⁴ the rules of engagement, so we’re letting them know that you’ve attacked us in the past; you provided IEDs during the Iraq war that killed at least 300 Americans. Those days are over. But that stance is tied to politics not policy, Democrats said.

伊朗外长告诉特朗普试着尊重别人，因为尊重别人真地有效果。特朗普政府退出伊朗核协议一事削弱了美国的影响力，一些民主党议员如是说道。如果伊朗没有做好会谈的准备，并且在酝酿其在中东地区的挑衅行为的话，这就是我们对当前政策的一个重要提示。但是美国对伊朗核项目更加强硬的立场有效果了呀，一些共和党议员如是说道。现在我们正处于抵制伊朗政权的时候，我们正在重新设置参与核谈的规则，因此我们要让伊朗明白：你们过去袭击过我们；你们在伊拉克战争期间提供给了简易爆炸装置，导致至少300名美国人死亡。那段时期已经过去。但这个立场与政治有关，与美国政策无关，一些民主党议员如是说道。

Secretary Pompeo made a very lengthy¹⁵ political argument. He argued that here’s all the terrible things that have Iran had done and he spent about 10 minutes. I don’t like cut him off, making that our hats, and as every member who stood up said, we know Iran is bad. OK. What is the policy going forward? Domestic political concerns could make that Iran strategy a tough sell for Trump. The divide down party lines over foreign policy comes as an increasing number of Democrats call for the president’s impeachment¹⁶.

国务卿蓬佩奥做了一段冗长的政治讲话。他指出了伊朗所做的滔天罪行，耗时十分钟长篇大论。我不想打断他，这是我们的责任。而且，正如每位站起来发言的同仁所说的那样，我们都知道伊朗居心叵测。那么，未来的政策方向是什么呢？国内的政治忧虑会让特朗普很难接受伊朗战略。两党在外交政策上产生分歧之际正值越来越多的民主党议员呼吁弹劾特朗普之时。

1 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

2 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

5 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

6 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

9 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

12 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

13 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

14 resetting   

v.重新安放或安置( reset的现在分词 )；重拨（测量仪器指针）；为（考试、测试等）出一套新题；重新安置，将…恢复原位

参考例句：

• Range represents the maximum strain which can be recorded without resetting or replacing the strain gage. 量程表示无需重调或重装应变计就能记录到的最大应变。 来自辞典例句
• Adding weight to the puddle jumper by resetting its inertial dampeners. 通过调节飞船的惯性装置来增加重量。 来自电影对白

15 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

16 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。