Of course, there is nothing written in stone to say that things have to be as bad as they were in the mid-1990s.

当然，石头里没有写事情会和90年代中期一样坏。

youdao

Being mid week it's not too busy with families, couples and kids slurping on ice-cream or drinking tea while locals gossip on stone chairs dotted around a canal.

因为是周三，不用忙于家庭琐事的夫妇和孩子们各自啜着冰淇淋或是喝着茶，当地人则坐在河道边星散的石凳上闲聊。

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Since the mid-1970s, systematic plateau archeological studies have been carried out and several dozen cultural sites of the Stone Age excavated.

从七十年代中期起，展开了系统的高原考古工作，先后发掘了石器时代的文化遗址数十处。

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Given that they are currently expected to be completed by mid 2005, and the IAEA says the inspections will take three years to complete, it is likely that further stone-walling from North Korea will result in yet more delay.

BBC: Analysis: N Korea's nuclear deal