VOA标准英语2012--Olympic Officials Balance Security, Convenience

 

Olympic Officials Balance Security, Convenience

British officials are using all their resources to prepare for any contingency¹, including putting fighter jets on alert. They are also deploying² 17,000 troops and installing anti-aircraft missiles in residential³ neighborhoods around the Olympic Park. Even the navy is getting involved, with a warship⁴ and small boats on duty on the River Thames.

The military role had to be increased by several thousand troops at the last minute, when a private contractor⁵ failed to recruit as many security guards as it had promised. Officials say the glitch⁶ won't affect the safety of the Games, but it does present challenges according to security consultant⁷ David Rubens.

"I think the honest answer is no, they're not ready," said Rubens. "And they're certainly going to have to make do and mend, rather than manage the situation as they had hoped to do from the beginning of the operation."

Most of the millions of Olympics fans and tens of thousands of participants won't see the military aspects of the security. For them, going to the Games will be like going through an airport. The security staff had a chance to practice during Olympic trial events earlier in the year, including of the smallest team members.

The Olympic Park security control room also got a work out, as officials practiced using the latest technology to monitor all corners of the 200-hectare area. The center brings together civilian⁸ and police officials, among them London's top police officer for Olympics security, Assistant Commissioner⁹ Chris Allison.

"You will see a high-profile policing presence outside," said Allison. "But the key for us is to do it in a way that's not oppressive, where the focus can be on the sport, the focus can be on the spectators."

It will be a challenge to secure dozens of Olympics venues¹⁰ all over London, and indeed throughout the country.

The Chairman of the London Olympics Organizing Committee, former British gold medalist Sebastian Coe, says there is "no appetite for risk," but security won't dominate the Games.

"We're inviting¹¹ people to come to London to celebrate the greatest sporting event that this country has ever seen," Coe noted¹². "We're not inviting people to 'Siege City.' So there is a proportionality here. And in this country, we always pretty much get that right."

As the Games proceed, people all over the world will be watching to see whether the organizers succeed through the challenging 17 days of the Olympics. 

1 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

2 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

5 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

6 glitch   

n.干扰；误操作，小故障

参考例句：

• There is a glitch in the computer program somewhere.这个计算机程序中的某个部分有点小问题。
• It could just be a random glitch that can be solved by restarting the machine.可能只是一个小故障，重新启动主机就能解决了。

7 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

8 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

9 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

10 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

11 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

12 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。