美国国家公共电台 NPR--Senate panel holds hearing on global threats with heads of U.S. security agencies

Senate panel holds hearing on global threats with heads of U.S. security agencies

Transcript¹

Top U.S. intelligence officials briefed lawmakers Wednesday about unresolved mysteries, such as the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and an ailment² known as the Havana Syndrome³.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

All right, U.S. intelligence agencies are in the business of gathering⁴ knowledge so the government can do its job. This week, their leaders are also being asked about what they do not know.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Yeah, the intelligence officials take questions from a House committee today. They sat before a Senate panel yesterday. They're coming off an impressive year, when they successfully forecast the invasion of Ukraine. But lawmakers now want answers to a different set of mysteries with fewer definite answers.

INSKEEP: NPR's Greg Myre. Covers the agencies. Greg, good morning.

GREG MYRE, BYLINE⁵: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: What do the lawmakers want to know?

MYRE: Well, lawmakers in both parties want to know the origins of COVID, and they agree China hasn't been forthcoming about the virus that began there. And this is part of broader friction⁶ in the relationship with China. Now, the intelligence community is considering two possibilities with COVID - one, a transmission from a wild animal to a human or, the second one, a leak from a scientific lab. Now, we should stress that most of the scientific community strongly believes it came from an animal. But some Republicans, like Senator Susan Collins of Maine, support the lab leak theory.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SUSAN COLLINS: I just don't understand why you continue to maintain, on behalf of the intelligence community, that these are two equally plausible⁷ explanations. They simply are not.

MYRE: Now, the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, responded by saying that there's just not enough evidence to make a clear assessment⁸ at this point. And there is some divided opinion in the intelligence community about whether it was a lab leak or came from a natural transmission.

INSKEEP: Just not willing to say it is one answer, based on what she says she's hearing from the analysts⁹. What's another mystery for which the best answer, according to the intelligence community, would seem to be, we don't know?

MYRE: Well, the intelligence community produced a lengthy¹⁰ report last week into the so-called Havana syndrome. These are the ailments¹¹ that have been suffered by U.S. intelligence officials, diplomats¹² and soldiers overseas. But the report didn't offer a clear explanation. It said there was no evidence that it was an attack by a foreign government, as some suspect. Perhaps it came from existing medical conditions. And this just didn't sit well with New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: It essentially¹³ says there's no external cause, which I think is really problematic. I find it unacceptable that we are not continuing diligent¹⁴ analysis of possible causes.

INSKEEP: Greg, bigger question here - why would it be that the U.S. was so effective at forecasting Russian troop movements last year and less effective with some of these other questions?

MYRE: I think it really goes to the origins of the intelligence agencies. They were set up to deal with questions of the Soviet¹⁵ Union or Russia and focus on military issues. That's what they're built to do. That's what they're comfortable with. That's where their expertise¹⁶ is. These issues we've just been talking about really are more very difficult scientific questions.

INSKEEP: Well, now they need to provide real-time information about the global rivalry¹⁷ with China. So what are they saying there?

MYRE: Well, they're really looking at President Xi Jinping and talking about the strident language he's been using, talking about the U.S. trying to contain or encircle China. But they also added that they think he wants to deal with domestic economic problems and therefore, beneath the rhetoric¹⁸, may want just a stable relationship.

INSKEEP: OK, so a little bit of insight there. NPR's Greg Myre, thanks so much.

MYRE: My pleasure.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

3 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

7 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

8 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？

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

11 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

12 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

14 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。

15 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

16 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

17 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

18 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。