美国：比以前安全，但是仍然易受攻击

 

America: Safer Than Ever, But Still Vulnerable

美国：比以前安全，但是仍然易受攻击

 

“Terrorism has become the challenge and the calling of our generation” said Michael Chertoff, the new secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security during his recent swearing-in ceremony. Created just over two years ago, the department is charged with protecting the United States from conventional and unconventional attacks as well as natural disasters. It coordinates² the work of 22 different government agencies and about 180-thousand employees and has a budget of more than 30-billion dollars a year.

 

Michael Heyman, director of the homeland-security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says the Homeland Security Department is charged with protecting the main infrastructure³ such as energy, water, industry, communications and transportation. It has additional tasks.

 

Michael Heyman: The Department has a particular function for providing funding to states and cities to prepare against terrorist attacks. It provides some funding for specific cities – cities that might be at particular risk of terrorist attack.

 

Those cities and states considered to be at more risk are entitled to more funds. Thus, there is special funding for the region of the national capital, a likely terrorist target. Some grants go to so-called “first responders,” such as police and firefighters to develop means of dealing⁴ with chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological attacks. Other funds are used to anticipate and treat illness resulting from such attacks. David Heyman says the department is also attempting to educate the general public on how to recognize and deflect⁵ acts of terrorism. As a result, he says, America is now better prepared for a possible attack than it was in 2001.

 

David Heyman: There’s no question that the department has raised the awareness⁶ to the citizens of the threat. They’ve developed systems for which the state and local governments can coordinate¹ if there is an attack. There are initiatives to protect containers, for example, from coming into this country containing material or people that could be harmful to us, new systems for the flow of citizens back and forth⁷ -- or visitors from other countries into this country: border security. There are a number of initiatives that are on the way.

 

But critics say America remains⁸ vulnerable. In a recent issue of “The Atlantic Monthly” magazine, former presidential anti-terrorism advisor⁹ Richard Clarke describes a variety of attacks that could occur in this decade. They might be suicide bombers¹⁰ blowing themselves up in Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos; simultaneous bombings of large shopping malls across America; or assaults on crowded underground trains and chemical, biological and nuclear facilities; or cyber attacks on crucial American financial institutions. Large installations are reasonably protected, says Daniel Hamilton, professor of international studies at Johns Hopkins University. The greater danger stems from smaller, potentially lethal¹¹ attacks for which Americans are not prepared.

 

Daniel Hamilton: The anthrax envelopes that were discovered in the US Senate some years ago – each had spores¹² to kill hundreds of thousands of people. They are very tiny and can be transported anywhere. It’s different than a ballistic missile or a nuclear bomb. These are things that could be in a briefcase¹³.

 

Professor Hamilton says with the availability of hazardous¹⁴ material, one determined¹⁵ individual could wreak¹⁶ havoc¹⁷ almost any place, any time, at the cost of countless¹⁸ lives. There is also the matter of long stretches of unguarded US borders.

 

Daniel Hamilton: We have thousands of miles of coastland that are really not well protected. And one cannot protect every single square mile. A key to look is where choke points might be. Where are areas of transportation, for instance, where key nodes of the economy funnel¹⁹? Where do the containers come from abroad, what ports? How secure are those?

 

Millions of containers still reach US shores without a thorough examination of their contents. Yes, much remains to be done, says David Heyman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, but then much has been accomplished²⁰. At least America has learned the lesson of the Nine-eleven disaster: don’t ignore warnings or take any safety for granted.

 

For focus, I’m Zlatica Hoke.

 

注释：

swearing-in 宣誓就职

natural disaster 自然灾害

budget [5bQdVit] n. 预算

transportation [7trAnspC:5teiFEn] n. 运输

radiological [7reidiEu5lCdVikEl] adj. 放射线学的

casino [kE5si:nEu] n. 娱乐场，赌场

simultaneous [7simEl5teinjEs] adj. 同时的，同时发生的

anthrax [5AnWrAks] n. [兽]炭疽热

coastland [5kEustlAnd] n. 沿海岸地区

1 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

2 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 deflect   

v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向

参考例句：

• Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
• They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

8 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。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

10 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

12 spores   

n.（细菌、苔藓、蕨类植物）孢子( spore的名词复数 )v.（细菌、苔藓、蕨类植物）孢子( spore的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Ferns, mosses and fungi spread by means of spores. 蕨类植物、苔藓和真菌通过孢子传播蔓生。
• Spores form a lipid membrane during the process of reproducing. 孢于在生殖过程中形成类脂膜。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 预防生物武器

13 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

14 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

15 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

16 wreak   

v.发泄；报复

参考例句：

• She had a burning desire to wreak revenge.她复仇心切。
• Timid people always wreak their peevishness on the gentle.怯懦的人总是把满腹牢骚向温和的人发泄。

17 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

18 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

19 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

20 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。