(单词翻译:单击)
中英文本
Suddenly, Yongbyon was in play. But what did North Korea want?
一夜之间，宁边就成了赌注。但朝鲜到底想要干什么呢?
Some analysts said they believed then that the North was seeking an end-of-war declaration
一些分析人士说，他们当时以为朝鲜是想寻求一份战争结束宣言，
as a prelude to legally replacing the armistice that halted the Korean War,
作为合法取代终止朝鲜战争的停战协议的先声，
an idea that Mr. Trump told Mr. Kim in Singapore he supported.
特朗普曾在新加坡对金正恩表示他支持这一想法。
And Mr. Moon was pushing for the end-of-war declaration.
而文在寅也在推动这份战争结束宣言。
American officials were worried it could lead too quickly to a peace treaty
美国官员担心，和平协议
and then negotiations to draw down the 28,500 American troops on the peninsula — a longtime goal of the North.
以及之后减少驻朝鲜半岛的28500名美军的协议————长期以来朝鲜一直都有这一目标——达成得太快。
Then, a few days before the midterm elections in the United States, North Korea released a belligerent statement
就在美国中期选举的前几天，朝鲜发表了一份参战声明
that said the country would return to a policy of strengthening its nuclear force if the United States did not lift sanctions.
声明中说，如果美国不解除制裁，他们将恢复加强其核力量的政策。
In retrospect, it was an important message that was obscured by the discussion of an end-of-war declaration.
回想起来，这是一个颇为重要，却因为战争结束宣言的讨论变得模糊不清了的信息。
What really mattered to Mr. Kim were the sanctions,
对金正恩来说，真正重要的是那些制裁，
which, after three new rounds in 2017, were strangling his nation’s already pitiful economy.
在2017年实行的三轮新制裁之后，这些制裁进一步扼杀了他的国家本已可怜的经济。
The United States had even cut off critical humanitarian aid to the country by barring American aid groups from traveling there.
美国甚至禁止美国的救援组织前往该国，切断了对该国的重要的人道主义援助。
With diplomacy stalled, Mr. Trump decided to weigh in again.
在外交陷入僵局之际，特朗普决定再次介入。
Mr. Bolton announced in December that Mr. Trump wanted another summit meeting in early 2019
去年12月，博尔顿宣布，特朗普希望在2019年初再次举行峰会
because North Korea had “not lived up to the commitments” it made in Singapore.
因为朝鲜“没有履行”在新加坡做出的承诺。
To some diplomats and analysts, that seemed like a reason not to meet again.
在一些外交官和分析人士看来，这似乎应该是不再会晤的理由。
The North Koreans appointed a former ambassador to Spain, Kim Hyok-chol, to lay the groundwork with Mr. Biegun, 55,
朝鲜派遣了前驻西班牙大使金孝哲去与55岁的比根先在前面铺垫，
a pragmatic former senior aide to Condoleezza Rice in the Bush administration
比根曾在布什政府担任康多莉扎·赖斯的高级助手，作风务实，
who had been passed over for the national security adviser position in favor of Mr. Bolton.
后来在国家安全顾问一职上输给了博尔顿。
The first meetings in Pyongyang did not go smoothly.
平壤举行的首期会议进展并不顺利。
And when the two sides met in Hanoi starting six days before the summit meeting,
峰会开始的六天前，双方在河内开始会晤时，
the North Koreans kept demanding that the five most recent rounds of sanctions imposed by the United Nations since March 2016 be lifted.
朝鲜一直要求联合国解除自2016年3月以来实施的最新五轮制裁。
Mr. Ri, the foreign minister, said later that North Korea chose those sanctions because they affected ordinary citizens.
朝鲜外相李勇浩后来表示，朝鲜选择这些制裁，是因为它们已经影响到了朝鲜的普通民众。
These sanctions, imposed to punish Pyongyang for new weapons tests, differed from previous restrictions that were focused on weapons and nuclear-related equipment.
旨在惩罚平壤进行新的武器试验的这些制裁不同于以往主要针对武器和核相关设备的限制。
Instead, they covered entire export sectors, including minerals, metals, coal, agriculture and seafood.
它们覆盖了包括矿产、金属、煤炭、农业和海产品在内的整个出口行业。
They also banned energy sales to North Korea.
他们还禁止向朝鲜出售能源。
Altogether, they held back billions of dollars of trade, a senior State Department official said.
美国国务院一名高级官员说，他们总共遏止了价值数十亿美元的贸易。
The far-reaching nature of the sanctions — and the suffering they were causing — were exactly why hard-line administration officials wanted to keep them up.
这些制裁的深远影响——及其造成的痛苦——也是美方强硬派政府官员希望继续制裁的原因。
After Mr. Trump’s surprise decision at Singapore to suspend military exercises with South Korea, these officials worried the United States was losing leverage.
出人意料的是，特朗普决定暂停与韩国的军事演习，所以，这些官员担心，美国正在失去其在美朝关系中的上风地位。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
重点讲解
1. as a prelude to 作为铺垫
As a prelude to these contestable claims, Mr Dawkins examines the interesting question of why religion is so widespread.
道金分析了为何宗教得以广泛流传这样一个有趣的问题，作为这些有争议之论点的铺垫。
2. draw down 减少
I also made it clear that our commitment would not be open-ended, and that we would begin to draw down our forces this July.
我也明确表示了，我们的承诺不是没有期限的，我们要在今年7月开始减少驻阿部队。
3. weigh in 参与讨论；发表意见
The President's political advisers also weighed in on the plan...
总统的政治顾问也对这项计划发表了看法。
4. be passed over for sth. 被淘汰
She claimed she was repeatedly passed over for promotion.
她说，她一直没能得到升迁。
5. hold back 阻挡
Stagnation in home sales is holding back economic recovery...
国内销售的停滞不前正阻碍着经济复苏。
