Olympic Safety High on Agenda of Bush, Greek PM Meeting

 

Paula Wolfson
 
The outlook for the summer Olympic games in Athens was high on the agenda when President Bush met at the White House with the new Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis. Both men vowed² to do everything possible to make sure the games are safe and successful.

President Bush said that the United States is cooperating with the Greek government to make sure all those who want to attend the games can do so safely.

He heaped praise on the country's new prime minister, saying progress is being made.

"I know your intentions are to have this the best possible games and for that I am grateful," he said.

Preparations for the summer games have been plagued by construction delays and security concerns. The Greek prime minister said he is sure the problems will be overcome.

"We are doing everything humanly possible in terms of energy, resources, professionals to secure a really successful games and I'm confident that we will succeed at that," Mr. Karamanlis said.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Federal Bureau of Investigation³ (FBI) Director Robert Mueller said it would be fair to say security at the Athens Olympics will be higher than ever seen before. Mr. Mueller said the United States continues to monitor Greece's progress with regard to security, to ensure that the Olympics are free from attack, adding that Greek authorities have been responsive when informed of possible security gaps. He said other nations are working with the Greek government as well, to help assure safety at the games:

"I know the Greek authorities want to make these the safest possible Olympics," he said. "They are looking forward to having the Olympics go off without a hitch⁴. And not only ourselves, but a number of other countries are working with, not only our ambassador, but ambassadors of other countries in Greece, to assure that these could be the safest possible Olympics."

The United States is sending 550 athletes and a support staff of 300, along with more than 100 federal agents to keep an eye on them. The Athens Olympics begin on August 13.

注释：
Athens [5AWinz] n. 雅典（希腊首都）
agenda [E5dVendE] n. 议程
vow¹ [vau] v. 宣誓，立誓
cooperate with　与……合作
heap [hi:p] v. （与on，upon连用）大量地给予
plague [plei^] vt. 使苦恼
in term of 在……方面
testify [5testifai] v. 表白公开宣称，宣布
Judiciary [dVu(:)5diFiEri] n. 司法部
Federal Bureau of Investigation 联邦调查局
responsive [ris5pCnsiv] adj. 响应的，作出响应的
authority [C:5WCriti] n. 权威人士
hitch [hitF] n. 故障
delegation⁵ [7deli5^eiFEn] n. 代表团
keep an eye on 密切注视

 

1 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

2 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

5 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。