2006年VOA标准英语-US Intelligence Official: Al-Qaida Remains

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
02 February 2006

The U.S. National Director of Intelligence says the al-Qaida terrorist network remains¹ the top concern of the intelligence community, followed closely by the nuclear activities of Iran and North Korea.

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John Negroponte   
  

In a rare public session of the Senate Intelligence Committee, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said there has been much progress in fighting global terrorism.

He said U.S.-led counterterrorism efforts last year continued to disrupt al-Qaida's operations and take out its leaders. But he says the terrorist network remains the top threat of the United States.

"The organization's core elements still plot and make preparations for terrorist strikes against the homeland and other targets from bases in Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas," he said.

Negroponte said al-Qaida would continue to seek to acquire chemical, biological and nuclear weapons to use against the United States.

In his first public testimony² before Congress since his confirmation³ hearings last April, Negroponte said the intelligence community is also concerned about Iran.

"We judge that Tehran probably does not have a nuclear weapon and probably has not yet produced or acquired the necessary fissile material," he added.  "Nevertheless, the danger that it will acquire a nuclear weapon and the ability to integrate it with ballistic missiles that Iran already possesses is reason for immediate⁴ concern."

Negroponte's comments come as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is considering whether to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.  Tehran says its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, but has threatened to begin full-scale nuclear enrichment activities and halt cooperation with the IAEA if it is reported to the council.

On North Korea, Negroponte told the Senate committee that Pyongyang's claims that it has nuclear weapons is "probably true."

"Pyongyang sees nuclear weapons as the best way to deter⁵ superior United States and South Korean forces, to ensure regime security, as a lever for economic gain and as a source of prestige," he explained.

As envoys⁶ from six nations work to restart talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program, Negroponte said the country remains a major challenge to global nonproliferation efforts.

He said the United States sees no evidence of organized opposition⁷ among North Korea's political or military elite⁸ to the regime of Kim Jong Il.

The National Intelligence Director also spoke⁹ about Iraq, saying Sunni disaffection with the emerging government is what he called the "primary enabler" of the insurgency¹⁰ there.  He cautioned that even if a broad inclusive national government emerges, there likely will be a lag time before there is a dampening effect on the insurgency.  He added that insurgents¹¹' use of improvised¹² explosive devices remains a significant threat to coalition¹³ forces and a complex challenge to the intelligence community.

Responding to the recent Palestinian elections, Negroponte said Hamas' victory does not necessarily mean the search for peace between Israel and the Palestinians is halted irrevocably.

Negroponte praised Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as key allies in the war on terrorism.  

But he expressed concern that private Saudi citizens continue to contribute money to charities linked to terrorist groups.   And he said Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf, has made only limited progress moving his country to democracy.

Negroponte offered a warning about another U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, Russia.

"President Putin's drive to centralize power and assert control over civil society, growing state control over strategic sectors¹⁴ of the economy and the persistence¹⁵ of widespread corruption¹⁶ raise questions about the country's direction," he said.  "Russia could become a more inward-looking and difficult interlocutor for the United States over the next several years."

The intelligence official said Central Asia remains plagued by political stagnation¹⁷ and repression¹⁸, rampant¹⁹ corruption and widespread poverty and widening socio-economic equalities and other problems that nurture²⁰ nascent²¹ radical²² sentiment and terrorism. 

"In the worst, but not implausible case, central authority in one or more of these states could evaporate as rival clans²³ or regions vie for power, opening the door to an expansion of terrorist and criminal activity on the model of failed states like Somalia, and when it was under Taleban rule, Afghanistan," he explained.

Negroponte expressed concern about China's repression of domestic opposition.

"Beijings determination to repress real or perceived challenges from dispossessed peasants to religious organizations could lead to serious instability at home and less effective policies abroad," he said.

Negroponte also said an effort by Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo to change the constitution and seek a third term could unleash²⁴ major turmoil²⁵ and conflict, leading to a disruption of the country's oil supply, secessionist moves by regional governments, major refugee flows and instability elsewhere in Africa.

He also said he expects Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez to deepen his ties with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and seek closer economic, military and diplomatic ties with Iran and North Korea.

1 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。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

6 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

12 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

16 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

17 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

18 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

19 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

20 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。

21 nascent   

adj.初生的，发生中的

参考例句：

• That slim book showed the Chinese intelligentsia and the nascent working class.那本小册子讲述了中国的知识界和新兴的工人阶级。
• Despite a nascent democracy movement,there's little traction for direct suffrage.尽管有过一次新生的民主运动，但几乎不会带来直接选举。

22 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

23 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

24 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

25 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。