With expectations low, Biden ekes out progress with Putin
鉴于外界对会晤的期待值不高，拜登与普京勉强取得进展
In a political career spanning four decades, President Biden has seen American presidents from both parties try to transform the U.S. relationship with Russia only to leave office disappointed. In his first meeting with Russian President Putin, Biden intended not to make the same mistake.
在长达 40 年的政治生涯中，美国总统拜登目睹了美国两党总统试图转变美俄关系的所作所为，但都以失望告终。在他与俄罗斯总统普京的首次会晤中，拜登不打算重蹈覆辙。
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In setting up the meeting in the Swiss lakeside city, Biden's aides left nothing to chance.
拜登的助手们在瑞士的这座湖滨城市安排会面时，尽力确保万无一失。
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To avoid falling short of expectations, they played down the likelihood of even modest accomplishments. To avoid any surprises, they decided against holding a joint news conference, which might prompt moments of spontaneity and improvisation.
为了避免（会谈）不尽如人意，他们甚至淡化了取得微弱成果的可能性。为了避免出现意外，他们决定不联合举办新闻发布会——联合举办的发布会可能会促使现场出现自由发挥和即兴的讲话。
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With expectations set low, Putin and Biden emerged from the meetings with a pleasant surprise: incremental progress on a handful of issues.
由于期待值不高，会谈结束后，普京和拜登带着惊喜出现了：他们在少数议题上取得了些许进展。
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Both presidents agreed on returning their ambassadors to their posts. Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov and U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan have been away from their missions for months, imperiling diplomacy at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
两位总统都同意让各自的驻外大使分别回到岗位上。俄罗斯驻美大使阿纳托利·安东诺夫和美国驻俄大使约翰·沙利文已离开驻点长达数月之久，这在地缘政治紧张局势加剧的时候危及到了外交活动。
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The two sides also agreed to resume long-stalled strategic stability talks aimed at reducing the risks of unintentional conflict between the two nuclear powers.
双方还同意恢复停滞许久的战略稳定对话，旨在降低两个核大国之间产生偶然冲突的风险。
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They also decided to organize meetings of experts to hold consultations on cybersecurity, in particular on which types of infrastructure should be considered "out of bounds" or "off-limits" to destructive cyber attacks, said a senior U.S. official.
美方一名高级官员表示，双方还决定组织专家会议，就网络安全展开磋商，特别是哪些类型的基础设施应被视为破坏性网络攻击的“界外”或“禁区”。
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Given the vast number of disputes between Moscow and Washington, the two powers are likely to return to rhetorical blasts in the months ahead despite the gains made in Geneva.
尽管双方在日内瓦取得了一些成果，但鉴于俄罗斯和美国之间存在的大量争端，两个大国仍然可能在未来几个月爆发激烈的“口水战”。
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But with a stronger diplomatic presence in each capital and plans for future discussions, the two longtime adversaries may be slightly better situated for handling future disputes.
不过，随着美俄双方设立在对方首都的外交机构壮大，同时计划在未来展开对话，这两个长期的对手未来在处理争端的时候，或许会处在一个更有益的处境当中。
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主编：木子
品控：木子
审核：Amy
重点词汇
eke out
勉强……；竭力维持生计
例句：Many petty traders barely eked out a living.（竭力维持生计）
英文释义：to obtain, maintain, or achieve with effort usually in small quantity（勉强……）
例句：In America it has taken decades for e-commerce to eke out a double-digit share of retail spending.（勉强……）
span
/spæn/
v.（时间）持续，跨越
词性拓展：span（n. 一段时间）
派生词：lifespan（n. 寿命）
搭配短语：a span of four decades
only to do sth.
不料却，结果只是
例句：I arrived only to find that the others had already left.
chance
/tʃæns/
n.（不好的事情发生的）危险，风险；机会
英文释义：an unpleasant or dangerous possibility
例句：Don't take any chances!
fall short of
未达到数量（或要求）
例句：Supplies still fall short of the need.
play down
对……作低调处理；淡化……的重要性（或糟糕程度）
英文释义：to try to make a problem or difficult situation seem less important than it is
例句：America played down the significance of the news report.
modest
/ˈmɑː.dɪst/
adj.（数量、等级、水平）有限的；谦虚的
英文释义：relatively moderate, limited, or small
prompt
/prɑːmpt/
v. 引起，导致，激起；（计算机上的）提示；（为演员）提示台词
例句：A message will appear which will prompt you for certain information.（（计算机上的）提示）
同义词：provoke（v. 引起，导致，激起）
英文释义：to cause sth. to happen（引起，导致，激起）
spontaneity
/ˌspɑːn.t ̬əˈneɪ.ə.t ̬i/
自发行为；自发性
相关词汇：spontaneous（adj. 自发的）
英文释义：not planned but done because you suddenly want to do it
搭配短语：a spontaneous offer of help
improvisation
/ɪmˌprɑː.vəˈzeɪ.ʃən/
n. 即兴创作，即兴表演；临时凑合的事物
相关词汇：improvised（adj. 即兴的）
搭配短语：an improvised trip
英文释义：created and performed spontaneously or without preparation
词汇辨析：improvised, spontaneous
spontaneous 描述的是自然流露的、事前没有任何准备的行为。虽然 improvised 形容的事物也并非事先安排好的，只是现场临时想做的，但却是站在一定的基础之上，而非凭空产生。
搭配短语：spontaneous applause
例句：The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.
例句：They slept on improvised beds.（临时凑合的）
incremental
/ˌɪŋ.krəˈmen.t̬əl/
adj. 小的；增加的，递增的
相关词汇：increment（n. 定期的加薪）
搭配短语：a salary of £25,000 with annual increments
例句：They are seeking continuous, incremental improvements, not great breakthroughs.（增加的，递增的）
同义词：small（小的）
mission
/ˈmɪʃ.ən/
n. 外交使团（或代表团）驻所；任务，使命；外交使团，代表团
同义词：delegation（n. 代表团）
搭配短语：a trade mission to China（代表团）
imperil
/ɪmˈper.əl/
v. 危及，使陷入危险
同义词：endanger
例句：India's Covid-19 catastrophe could imperil several important global industries.
out of bounds
（某地）禁止入内；不合理的，无法接受的
相关词汇：bounds（n.（法律或社会的）界限；限制；限定区域）
例句：His demands were out of bounds.（不合理的，无法接受的）
同义词：off-limits
off-limits
/ˌɑːfˈlɪm.ɪts/
adj. 禁止入内的
例句：The site is off-limits to the general public. = The site is out of bounds to the general public.
dispute
/dɪˈspjuːt/
n. 争执，争端，纠纷
搭配短语：a territorial dispute between the two countries（两国之间的领土之争）
搭配短语：a pay dispute（工资纠纷）
英文释义：a disagreement, argument, or debate
rhetorical
/rɪˈtɔːr.ɪ.kəl/
adj. 与言辞、修辞有关的；词藻华丽的
搭配短语：rhetorical devices（修辞手法）
搭配短语：a cover letter full of rhetorical phrases（词藻华丽的）
blast
/blæst/
n. 激烈的抨击；爆炸；强劲的气流；（突然发出的）响声
英文释义：strong criticism
adversary
/ˈæd.vɚ.ser.i/
n. 对手，敌手
同义词：opponent
词义辨析：adversary, enemy
adversary 只是“对手”，不是“仇敌”。例如比赛中的对方，或是诉讼中的对方。enemy 则是对立的“敌人”或是军事上的“敌军”。
