2006年VOA标准英语-What Threatens American Security?

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
01 March 2006
 
watch Assessment¹ report

How secure is the United States?  Who and what threaten Americans, their allies and interests?  These and other security-related questions were the subject of the Senate Armed Services committee hearing in Congress, which included testimony² by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports that weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles were a major topic at the hearing.

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John Negroponte testifies before Senate Armed Services Committee, Feb. 28, 2006
  

John Negroponte told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that threats to America include hostile nation states, proliferation networks, alienated³ communities, charismatic individuals and microscopic⁴ influenza⁵. 

He said that the preeminent⁶ threat to homeland security remains⁷ terrorism and warned that Al-Qaida could launch another large-scale attack on the United States.

"Although an attack using conventional explosives continues to be the most probable scenario⁸, al-Qaida remains interested in acquiring chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials or weapons."

Intelligence Director Negroponte said that the ongoing⁹ development of dangerous weapons and delivery systems constitutes the second major threat to the safety of Americans and their allies.  He said Iran has the largest missile arsenal¹⁰ in the Middle East and is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.  He said North Korea's claim to already possess such weapons is probably true.

Hillary Clinton (file photo)   
  
During the Committee's question and answer session, opposition¹¹ Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized the current U.S. multilateral approach to convince Pyongyang to relinquish¹² its weapons. "It's been disappointing, certainly, to me -- I assume to others, as well -- that we have outsourced our policy with respect to North Korea, to the six-party talks, which really means outsourcing it to China. I don't think that's a wise decision."

Also testifying was the head of the U.S. Defense¹³ Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant¹⁴ General Michael Maples¹⁵, who warned that numerous countries, including China, are seeking to improve their ballistic missile forces.

"China continues to expand and modernize¹⁶ all categories of its ballistic missile forces, to increase survivability and war-fighting capabilities¹⁷, to enhance their deterrence¹⁸ value and to overcome ballistic missile defenses."

In the Western Hemisphere, John Negroponte said, a gradual consolidation¹⁹ of democratic institutions is the dominant²⁰ positive trend in most of Latin America.  Nonetheless, he singled out Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez as one of several radical²¹ populist figures in some Latin American countries who, as he put it, have little respect for democratic institutions and appeal to their constituencies with anti-U.S. rhetoric²². 

The Armed Services Committee continued hearing testimony about national security in another hearing on Tuesday that was closed to the public.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

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 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

5 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

6 preeminent   

adj.卓越的，杰出的

参考例句：

• Washington was recognized as the preeminent spokesman of American Negroes by 1895. 到1895年,华盛顿被公认为美国黑人的卓越代言人。
• He is preeminent because his articles are well written. 他的文章写得很漂亮,卓尔不群。

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 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

9 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

10 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

11 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。

12 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

15 maples   

槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木

参考例句：

• There are many maples in the park. 公园里有好多枫树。
• The wind of the autumn colour the maples carmine . 秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。

16 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

17 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

18 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

19 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

20 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

21 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。

22 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。