VOA标准英语2009年-Obama: 'Systemic Failure' Permitted Fo

Photo: AP
President Barack Obama speaks at the Marine¹ Corps² Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, 29 Dec 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that a "systemic failure" in security allowed the attempted Christmas Day attack on a Northwest Airlines flight. Mr. Obama said information that could have prevented the would-be bomber³ from boarding the plane did not get the attention it deserved.

President Obama said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab should have been on a list of individuals banned from U.S. flights.

The president said information about Abdulmutallab - including a warning from the suspect's father - was not handled properly.

"When our government has information on a known extremist and that information is not shared and acted upon as it should have been and this extremist boards a plane with dangerous explosives that could cost nearly 300 lives, a systemic failure has occurred.  And I consider that totally unacceptable," he said.

The president acknowledged that it might take weeks for investigators⁴ to uncover all of the facts related to the attempted attack.  But he said the failures that led to a potentially catastrophic breach⁵ in security must be addressed immediately.

"We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix the flaws in our system because our security is at stake and lives are at stake," he said.
Mr. Obama said he is willing to give all those involved in intelligence, counterterrorism and homeland security the resources they need.

But he noted⁶ it is also his job to ensure that these agencies work efficiently⁷.

"I intend to fulfill⁸ that responsibility and insist on accountability at every level," he said.

Mr. Obama's comments marked the second time in two days that he interrupted his vacation in Hawaii to talk about the attempted attack.

His initial remarks on Monday were leveled largely at those involved in the plot.  His latest statement focused on the need to correct flaws in the aviation security system that allowed the would-be bomber to board the Detroit-bound flight in the first place.

Mr. Obama again stressed that a review of security procedures is underway.  He said he expects preliminary results by Thursday.  And he made clear that action will be taken.

"We have achieved much since 9/11 [i.e., September 11, 2001] in terms of collecting information that relates to terrorists and terrorist attacks.  But it is becoming clear that the system that has been in place for years now, is not sufficiently⁹ up-to-date to take full advantage of the information we collect and the knowledge we have," he said.

The two security reviews ordered by the president in the wake of the foiled attack are looking at airport security procedures and the computerized lists used to detect high-risk individuals.
 

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

8 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

9 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。