美司法部长希望重新修订反恐法

 

Attorney General Urges Renewal¹ of

US Anti-Terror Law

美司法部长希望重新修订反恐法

 

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is pressing the Congress to renew the Patriot² Act, the set of laws that expanded the government's power to go after terrorists in the wake of the 2001 attacks. But civil liberties advocates are urging lawmakers to oppose the renewal.

 

Attorney General Gonzales told a group of county officials meeting in Washington that renewal of the Patriot Act is a crucial step in keeping the United States safe from further terrorist attacks.

 

The Patriot Act was passed by Congress shortly after the September, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

 

Attorney General Gonzales says the law has made it easier for law enforcement and intelligence officials to share information about terrorist threats and to track terrorist communications through computers, e-mail and cellular³ telephones.

 

Gonzales: They are trained to switch phones and e-mail accounts in order to make it harder for us to track them, but under the Patriot Act, officials may now obtain court approval to use a multi-point wiretap (expanded wiretap authority) to track a terror suspect's phone communications even when the suspected terrorist switches, changes or abandons phones to avoid detection.

 

But the congressional debate over whether to reauthorize the Patriot Act promises to be intense and lengthy⁴. Civil liberties advocates are urging lawmakers to oppose renewal of the act without substantial changes to safeguard privacy rights. That demand has won support among many liberal lawmakers and even a few conservatives who are concerned that the new government powers are too intrusive⁵. Ron Daniels is executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a civil liberties advocacy group based in Washington.

 

Ron Daniels: It is being used in a very sinister⁶ way as a pretext⁷ to, in fact, shred⁸ the Bill of Rights, to denigrate⁹ civil liberties and civil rights that we have fought for so many years.

 

Attorney General Gonzales says he is willing to consider some changes to the Patriot Act, but only to a point.

 

Gonzales: If some have suggestions for improvements that will make America safer, I would be interested in hearing those, but mindful of the tragedy of September 11th, I will not support changes that would make America more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

 

The Congress is expected to debate and vote on the Patriot Act renewal before the act expires in October.

 

Jim Malone, VOA news, Washington.

 

注释：

Attorney General 司法部长

Patriot Act 爱国者法案

cellular telephone 移动电话

multipoint [5mQltipCint] adj. 多点（式）的，多位置的

wiretap [5waiE7tAp] n. 窃听装置

reauthorize [7ri5C:WEraiz] v. 重新批准

intrusive [in5tru:siv] adj. 闯入的；插入的

vulnerable [5vQlnErEb(E)l] adj. 易受攻击的

1 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

2 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

3 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

4 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

5 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。

6 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

7 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

8 shred   

v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少

参考例句：

• There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
• The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。

9 denigrate   

v.诬蔑，诽谤

参考例句：

• It was unkind to denigrate her achievement.贬低她的成就是刻薄的。
• To assert this is to denigrate the effectiveness of the police.坚持这一点就是贬低警方的办事能力。