Obama: bin Laden Death is 'Good Day for America'

     The day after U.S. forces killed terror network leader Osama bin¹ Laden², President Barack Obama said it is a good day for America.  And, the president’s top counterterrorism adviser³ briefed reporters on Monday about the details of the operation that killed bin Laden.

    President Obama said the killing⁴ of the al-Qaida founder⁵ shows what Americans can do when they work together.

    "I think we can all agree this is a good day for America," he said. "Our country has kept its commitment(承诺) to see that justice is done.  The world is safer.  It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden."At a ceremony recognizing the heroism⁶ of two U.S. soldiers during the Korean War, Mr. Obama said he could not be more proud of the troops who carried out Sunday’s raid on bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

    Later in the day, John Brennan, the president’s assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, told reporters that U.S. forces were prepared to take bin Laden alive, if possible.  But he said that possibility was remote, and that bin Laden was killed in a firefight at his compound.

    Brennan said the al-Qaida leader was "hiding in plain sight," and must have had help.

    "I think it is inconceivable that bin Laden did not have a support system in the country that allowed him to remain there for an extended period of time," he said.  "I am not going to speculate about what type of support he might have had on an official basis."Brennan said U.S. intelligence officials are talking with their Pakistani counterparts, whose cooperation, he said, is crucial to rounding up more terrorists.

    The president’s counterterrorism adviser said Pakistan has captured and killed more terrorists within its borders than any other country.

    Brennan said Sunday’s gathering⁷ of the president and his top advisers⁸ in the White House Situation Room to monitor the progress of the operation was tense.  He said there was some disagreement among the advisers on how to proceed.

    "It was probably one of the most anxiety-filled periods of time, I think, in the lives of the people who were assembled here yesterday,"  he said.  "The minutes passed like days."According to Brennan, the tension increased when a helicopter（直升飞机） malfunctioned⁹, but he said there was a sigh of relief when word came that Osama bin Laden had been killed.  He said President Obama’s response was, "We got him."Brennan said the circumstances surrounding bin Laden’s death reveal his hypocrisy¹⁰.

    "Here is bin Laden, who has been calling for these attacks, living in this million-dollar-plus compound, living in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield," he said.  "I think it really just speaks just how false his narrative¹¹ has been over the years."Brennan told reporters that al-Qaida has been damaged but remains¹² dangerous, like a fatally wounded tiger.

    "There is always the potential for terrorist groups to try to strike out and avenge¹³ an operation like this," he said.  "But also, I think, some of them are asking themselves, 'Bin Laden is dead, the al-Qaida narrative is becoming increasingly bankrupt.'  There is a new wave sweeping¹⁴ through the Middle East right now that puts a premium¹⁵ on individual rights and freedom and dignity."Brennan said Pakistani authorities were not notified before the operation.  And as a result, some Pakistani fighter jets were scrambled¹⁶.  But he said there was no engagement with U.S. forces.

    The adviser said U.S. officials are 99.9 percent sure that the man they killed was Osama bin Laden, and that that confidence increased over time.

    Brennan said bin Laden’s body was buried at sea on Monday.  He said a place for a land burial could not be found in time to comply with Islamic custom.

    John Brennan called the killing of Osama bin Laden a strategic blow to al-Qaida, but not a fatal blow.  He said President Obama’s decision to proceed with the mission was "one of the gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory."(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

9 malfunctioned   

发生故障(malfunction的过去式与过去分词)

参考例句：

• Is there any way the dye pack malfunctioned back at the bank? 什么能使爆色板在银行内就失效？ 来自电影对白
• The malfunctioned roller of his mouse is under repair. 他鼠标的滚轴失灵了，正在修呢。 来自互联网

10 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

11 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 avenge   

v.为...复仇，为...报仇

参考例句：

• He swore to avenge himself on the mafia.他发誓说要向黑手党报仇。
• He will avenge the people on their oppressor.他将为人民向压迫者报仇。

14 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

15 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

16 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》