2006年VOA标准英语-US Rejects Truce Offer in Bin Laden Tape

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
19 January 2006

U.S. intelligence officials say the voice heard on an audiotape aired Thursday on Arab television is indeed that of al-Qaida leader Osama bin¹ Laden². In the taped message, he threatens more attacks on the United States, but says there can be a truce³ in the war on terror if U.S. forces pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Scott McClellan   
  

Spokesman Scott McClellan's response to the truce offer was blunt. "We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business," he said.

He spoke⁴ during a White House briefing that focused largely on the audiotape, which was first aired by the Arab television station al-Jazeera.

McClellan said he could not discuss the tape in detail since it was still being analyzed⁵ by the intelligence community. But he said it is no secret that al-Qaida would like to attack the United States again.

"We know the enemy wants to attack us again and they want to inflict⁶ even greater harm than they have previously⁷ and that is why we must continue to take the fight to them. That is why we must not stop until they are defeated," he said.

 
Osama bin Laden 
  
McClellan went on to stress that the al-Qaida of today is far weaker than the terrorist network that carried out the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. He said many al-Qaida leaders have been arrested or killed, and others, including Osama bin Laden, remain in hiding.

"I think clearly he is on the run. Clearly, he is under a lot of pressure just as other al-Qaida leaders who are on the run are, and that is why we are going to continue pursuing them and continue to go after them to bring them to justice," he said.

The White House spokesman was asked if there might be a link between the release of the tape and the recent attack on suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan. He said that is a matter for the intelligence community to decide as they continue to mine the audiotape for clues that might be useful in the war on terrorism.

This is the first message from bin Laden since December of 2004. Al-Jazeera reported it was recorded last month, and includes references to last June's transit⁸ bombings in London, and the dip in President Bush's public opinion ratings that occurred in the final months of 2005.

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 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。

5 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。