VOA新闻杂志2023--US Nuclear Research Center Aims to Modernize America’s Atomic Weapons

US Nuclear Research Center Aims to Modernize¹ America’s Atomic Weapons

Los Alamos in the Southwestern American state of New Mexico is where the U.S. government set up its secret mission to develop nuclear weapons during World War II.

Eighty years later, it is the home to huge government research and development laboratories.

Now, Los Alamos National Laboratory is taking part in the nation's largest nuclear weapons effort since World War II. The aim is to modernize America's nuclear weapons. New workers there are producing an important part of nuclear weapons – plutonium cores.

The government has given jobs to about 3,300 workers in the last two years. The workforce² is now over 17,270. Close to half of the workers live in some other part of New Mexico. The population of Los Alamos nearly doubles during the workweek.

While new technology has changed the way work is done at Los Alamos, some things remain the same. Secrecy³ and a sense of duty that came in the 1940s are still part of the community.

James Owen is an engineer. He has spent more than 25 years working in the nuclear weapons program.

"What we do is meaningful. This isn't a job, it's a vocation⁴ and there's a sense of contribution that comes with that," Owens told The Associated Press. He added, "The downside is, we can't tell people about all the cool things we do here."

While the main goal of Los Alamos is maintaining America's nuclear weapons, the research center also works in other areas. These include energy, national security, space exploration, supercomputing, efforts to limit disease, and threats from computer attacks.

Employees say their work is necessary because of worldwide political insecurity. Most people in Los Alamos are connected to the laboratories, so opposition⁵ is rare.

But groups that follow nuclear development, such as activists⁷ and nonprofit organizations, question the need for nuclear weapons and the increasing costs.

Greg Mello is director of the Los Alamos Study Group. It is an organization that has disagreed with the laboratory over safety, security and cost concerns. He said, "For some time, Los Alamosans have seemed numbed⁹ out..."

Chistopher Nolan's recently released film Oppenheimer brought new attention to the town. The attention increased support for an effort to expand the federal government's radiation compensation program for a group of people in several western states. The group includes people in southern New Mexico where the Trinity Test of the first atomic bomb took place in 1945. In July, the U.S. Senate voted to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which would pay money to people who might have been affected¹⁰ by nuclear-related activity in the U.S.

The activist⁶ groups argue that the federal government's modernization¹¹ effort has already gone above spending predictions. Additionally, they say the effort has taken years longer than planned. Independent government researchers released a report earlier this month that showed the growing costs and delays.

Owen said officials feel a sense of urgency because of increasing threats around the world. "What's being asked is that we all need to do better in a faster amount of time," he said.

Words in This Story

core – n. a part that has been removed from a material for scientific study

vocation – n. a strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work (such as religious work)

contribute – v. to give (something, such as money, goods, or time) to help a person, group, cause, or organization

maintain – v. to keep (something) in good condition by making repairs or correcting problems

numb⁸ – adj. unable to think, feel, or react normally because of something that shocks or upsets you

compensation – n. something that is done or given to make up for damage or trouble

1 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

4 vocation   

n.职业，行业

参考例句：

• She struggled for years to find her true vocation.她多年来苦苦寻找真正适合自己的职业。
• She felt it was her vocation to minister to the sick.她觉得照料病人是她的天职。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

9 numbed   

v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His mind has been numbed. 他已麻木不仁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was numbed with grief. 他因悲伤而昏迷了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。