JAPAN has ducked tough measures to clamp down on domestic ivory sales. The move could undermine the effort to halt the ivory trade.

duck verb. 躲避

clamp 夹钳，夹紧  clamp down 取缔，严加惩处
eg：Our institute is clamping down on those who often truant .我们学院正在严加惩处那些经常逃学的学生.

ivory 象牙

undermine 逐渐削弱（mnemonics：under在……下+mine挖→挖墙角）

halt 停止（stop 指动作、运行、进展等被停下来，含突然、断然的意味。halt 侧重突然地、决定性地终止、停止某一活动。）

Elephants are poached for ivory, which is sold in Asian countries. The trade threatens their survival.

The standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species met last week in Geneva, Switzerland. Countries lobbied for Japan to launch a national ivory action plan. This would have forced it to take firm steps, like banning the domestic trade in antique ivory.

poach偷猎

lobby for 游说

However, Japan sidestepped the proposal. “It’s let Japan off the hook,” says Matthew Collis at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. In contrast, China aims to close all loopholes by year’s end.

Animal welfare groups fear the failure to limit ivory sales in Japan could offset the benefits of bans elsewhere. They say criminals could sell illegal ivory objects by passing them off as antiques.

Antique ivory is sold in Japan in the form of chopsticks, figurines and letter stamps called hanko.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Ivory non-ban”

sidestep 向侧方跨步; 回避; (sidestep a question/ one’s responsibility)

loophole  漏洞

offset 抵消

pass….off 冒充

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