2006年VOA标准英语-Terrorism in the Nuclear Age

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
26 October 2006
 
watch Nuclear Terrorism
 
  
  
Nuclear materials have a wide range of characteristics.  Enriched uranium or plutonium have awesome¹ explosive potential.  Cesium emits deadly radiation, while isotopes² of some radioactive substances, such as thalium, can be safely injected into patients undergoing medical procedures.  But as VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports, any kind of nuclear material in the hands of terrorists could have serious security implications.

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Last year, 91 nations signed the U.N. International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.  The convention prohibits individuals from possessing radioactive material with the intention of causing death or serious bodily injury.  But some countries have weak nuclear safeguards.

Paul Leventhal  
  
Paul Leventhal, founder³ of the non-governmental Nuclear Control Institute in Washington, DC says terrorists could exploit such weakness. "The states today that we're most worried about in terms of assisting terrorist organizations are Iran and North Korea.  If they were able to acquire fissile material, not necessarily from the state apparatus⁴ itself, but one or two entrepreneurial physicists⁶ like A. Q. Khan of Pakistan, and I think you also have to include Pakistan also as a potential supplier of terrorist organizations."

A.Q. Khan, or Abdul Qadeer Khan, is the developer of Pakistan's nuclear bomb.  He is under house arrest in that nation for selling nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran.  Pakistan denies any prior knowledge of the transfer, but Khan remains⁷ a national hero.  

Sheikh Rashid   
  
A member of Pakistan's Cabinet, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, said last year that the scientist would not be sent to a third country for prosecution⁸. "Yes, we supplied Iran with the centrifuge system. Yes, Dr. Qadeer gave Iran this technology. But we are not going to hand over Dr. Qadeer to any one. We will not."

A centrifuge is used in a costly⁹ and complicated industrial process to concentrate uranium as fuel for nuclear power plants.  Further processing creates fissile material for bombs. 

Paul Leventhal of the Nuclear Control Institute says that kind of material is very difficult, but not impossible to obtain.  "One can assume that a group would either have a very sophisticated operation to steal or otherwise acquire the material without the knowledge of a nation or a corporation, or they would have people on the inside." 

Leventhal says about five kilograms of enriched uranium or plutonium are needed for an atomic bomb.   

Ivan Oelrich  
  
Ivan Oelrich, a physicist⁵ with the Federation¹⁰ of American Scientists, says that assembling a bomb is easier than obtaining the fissile material. "You need to have machinists, people who can do computer models and mechanics; people who can actually make the components¹¹ of the bomb and operate machinery¹². 

Terrorists could also spread fear with a so-called "dirty bomb," in which radioactive material would be dispersed¹³ by conventional explosives. 

Physicist Ivan Oelrich says highly radioactive material would create a genuine physical threat, but it could also kill the terrorists before they had a chance to explode the device.  He says low-grade radioactive contamination could spread psychological terror.

"To be honest, the health dangers would be virtually zero.  But, people would know, 'Oh, they've put radioactivity into the building, I'm not going to work there.'  It might be that because of the reaction, you know, we're human beings and not always rational, and from [the] reaction of people you might have to abandon a building, not because it's actually dangerous, but because people think it is."

Another example of nuclear terror would be an attack on a nuclear power plant, turning it, in effect, into a huge dirty bomb.  But Ivan Oelrich says such facilities have numerous safeguards against that. "Nuclear containment¹⁴ vessels¹⁵ are supposed to be able to withstand a crash from an aircraft, for example.  It's not going to be easy for a terrorist to disrupt the operation of a nuclear power plant.  There is, or course, the question of somebody on the inside who wants to betray the plant.  That's another question, but there are ways to deal with that -- two man rules, you have background security checks, etc."

Given that benefits of nuclear technology are tied to the potential for nuclear terrorism, experts underscore the constant need for security.  Some, such as Paul Leventhal of the Nuclear Control Institute, even call for development of alternative energy sources to avoid disaster at the hands of nuclear terrorists.

1 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

2 isotopes   

n.同位素；同位素( isotope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the many isotopes of carbon 碳的诸多同位素
• Tritium is one of the mildest radioactive isotopes. 氚是最和缓的放射性同位素之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

5 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

6 physicists   

物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

7 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。

8 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

11 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

12 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

13 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

14 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

15 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》