经济学人48:机场安全 安检点的挑战

 　　Business

　　商业

　　Airport security

　　机场安全

　　Checkpoint challenge

　　安检点的挑战

　　A former TSA boss wants to bring down the curtain on "security theatre"

　　前交通安全部长希望终止无用的安检措施

　　"FLYING isn't fun any more," is a popular refrain among travellers. They recall wistfully a golden age when flying was glamorous¹, not an ordeal² of long lines and intrusive³ pat-downs.

　　旅客常常抱怨飞行不再有趣。他们怅然回忆起飞行的黄金时期，那时坐飞机光彩照人，而不是长长的队伍和烦扰的搜身带来的痛苦。

　　In America these are inflicted⁴ by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which was set up after the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. It is now one of the country's most hated institutions. Many passengers scorn its pettifogging rules. Many complain of ineffectual "security theatre ". In an Economist⁵ online debate last month, a crushing 87% of respondents agreed that the changes to airport security since 2001 had "done more harm than good".

　　在美国，这些痛苦都是由美国运输安全管理局造成的，交通安全局是2001年9月11日的恐怖袭击后设立的，该机构现在是美国最讨人厌的机构之一。许多旅客嘲笑那些挑剔的规章制度，许多旅客抱怨安全措施毫无效果。上月在经济学人的网上辩论中，压倒性的87%的应答者同意2001年以来机场安检措施的改变"适得其反"。

　　The man given the impossible task of opposing the motion was Kip Hawley, a former TSA boss. Even he readily admitted that airport security needed reforming. And on April 14th, writing in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Hawley offered some sensible proposals on how to do it.

　　提出反对动议这一不可能任务的人是前美国运输安全管理局局长基普?霍利。他也乐意承认机场安检需要改革。4月14日，霍利先生在华尔街日报的一篇文章中就此问题提出了一些有益的提议。

　　One idea the airlines will not like is to stop them charging for checked bags. Mr Hawley says this would speed things up by discouraging flyers from dragging all their stuff through security. But carriers have come to rely on such fees, which rake in billions. IATA , their lobby group, argues that, in any case, checkpoint delays were already lengthy⁶ in the mid-2000s, before most airlines charged bag fees.

　　这些提议中，航空公司可能不会喜欢的是停止对受检行李收费。霍利先生表示这会阻止旅客拖着所有行李通过安检，从而提高效率。但是航空公司依靠这笔数以十亿计的费用。游说集团国际航空运输协会争辩说，2000年中期在大多数航空公司对行李收费之前，安检点已经拖延很厉害了。

　　Mr Hawley would also allow all liquids on flights, though those choosing to carry them might have to join a queue to have them scanned (something the European Union intends to start doing next year). He would also lift the bans on such things as knives and lighters⁷. Stronger cockpit doors have made it much harder to use weapons to bring down a flight. And tests run by the TSA found that officers were so busy hunting for lighters and other fairly trivial banned items that they overlooked dummy⁸ bomb parts placed nearby.

　　霍利先生同样会允许飞行时携带所有液体，但是这些旅客可能需要排队检测。（欧盟打算明年开始这一举措。）他同样会取消对刀具和打火机等物品的禁令。更厚实的机舱门使得利用武器挟持飞机更为艰难。运输安全管理局的测试发现安检人员忙于寻找打火机以及其他琐碎的违禁品而忽略放置在附近的仿真炸弹部件。

　　In general, says Mr Hawley, predictable and rigid⁹ checks help terrorists: they design plots around them. So instead of subjecting everyone to the same checks, security should be randomised. However, he does not back one reform that the airlines are keen on: a "trusted traveller" scheme in which flyers who have been vetted¹¹ are spared most checks. Mr Hawley, who once liked the idea, now worries that terror groups are recruiting "clean" agents who would pass such vetting¹².

　　霍利先生表，总的来说，例行的严格安检有利于恐怖分子，他们围绕这些措施做文章。所以安检措施应该随机化，而不是让每个人接受同样的安检措施。但是他并不支持航空公司很热心的一项改革措施："旅客白名单"计划，受过审查的旅客会免除大多数安检。霍利曾经喜欢这一想法，现在却担心恐怖组织会招募那些通过审查的"清白"恐怖分子。

　　IATA thinks that if vetting were thorough, and a few trusted travellers were checked at random¹⁰, this problem could be overcome. The airlines also propose merging¹³ check-in, security, passport control and customs inspection¹⁴ into a seamless "checkpoint of the future". But getting government agencies to agree to such a move will be like asking hyenas¹⁵ to share a steak .

　　国际航空运输协会则认为如果审查够彻底，而且一些受信任的旅客随机安检，这个问题可以克服。航空公司同样提议整合登记签到，安检，护照管理和海关检查成为无缝衔接的未来安检点。但是说服政府部门统同意这一举措将会像要求鬣狗分享牛排一样不可能。

　　Even if all these reforms were introduced, far more would have to be done to make flying fun once more. Airlines would need to bring back wide seats and generous meals and drinks. Tedious safety drills and strict seat-belt rules would have to go, as would rowdy stag parties and wailing¹⁶ children. One can but dream.

　　即使实行所有的这些改革措施，使飞行重新变得有趣还需要做很多工作。航空公司需要恢复宽大的座位，提供免费的食物饮料。令人生厌的安全演习和严格的安全带规则统统废除，闹哄哄的男性聚会和嚎啕大哭的孩子都不复存在。我们只能在梦中见到了。

1 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

2 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

3 intrusive   

adj.打搅的；侵扰的

参考例句：

• The cameras were not an intrusive presence.那些摄像机的存在并不令人反感。
• Staffs are courteous but never intrusive.员工谦恭有礼却从不让人感到唐突。

4 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 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。

7 lighters   

n.打火机，点火器( lighter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The cargo is being discharged into lighters. 正在往驳船里卸货。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Babies'bootees and cheap cigarette lighters were displayed in unlikely juxtaposition. 儿童的短靴和廉价的打火机很不相称地陈列在一起。 来自辞典例句

8 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

9 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

10 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

11 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

12 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

13 merging   

合并（分类）

参考例句：

• Many companies continued to grow by merging with or buying competing firms. 许多公司通过合并或收买竞争对手的公司而不断扩大。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• To sequence by repeated splitting and merging. 用反复分开和合并的方法进行的排序。

14 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

15 hyenas   

n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句
• We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏，干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句

16 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。