2006年VOA标准英语-Is US Safer Now Than It Was on 9/11?

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington
08 September 2006

President Bush says the United States is safer now, five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but some experts disagree.

On September 11, 2001, the United States was struck by the most devastating¹ terrorist attack in its history. Two hijacked² planes slammed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, destroying the two buildings. A third plane struck the Pentagon near Washington, while a fourth - due to the bravery of the passengers, who tried to retake control of the plane - crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.  Almost 3,000 people died in those attacks.

Subsequent investigations³ indicated that al-Qaida, a radical⁴ Islamic group led by Osama bin⁵ Laden⁶, was responsible for the assaults.

The United States has not had a terrorist attack on its soil since that September day five years ago. But since that time, terrorists struck other parts of the world, including Bali, Turkey, Madrid and London. And just last month, British police foiled an alleged⁷ plot to blow up commercial airliners⁸ bound for the United States.

In a speech this week  in Atlanta, President Bush talked about the notion of safety. 

suburban9 Atlanta, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006" src="/upimg/allimg/070418/1339280.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> President Bush delivers a speech on the global war on terror at a Georgia Public Policy Foundation event at the Cobb Galleria Center in suburban Atlanta, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006

"Many Americans look at these events and ask the same question: Five years after 9/11, are we safer? The answer is, yes, America is safer.  We are safer because we've taken action to protect the homeland. We are safer because we are on offense¹⁰ against our enemies overseas. We are safer because of the skill and sacrifice of the brave Americans who defend our people," he said.

At the same time, Mr. Bush said, the United States will not be totally safe, until its enemies are defeated.

Experts disagree on whether the U. S. is safer now than five years ago. Danielle Pletka, from the American Enterprise Institute, sides with the president.

"But here is the question that I always like to challenge people back with, when they ask that question. And that is: were we more safe on September 10, 2001? We certainly felt safe, and we felt safe until eight o'clock that morning [September 11]. So, were we more safe? And do we have the information necessary to make those judgments¹¹? Or, do we trust our democratically elected government and representatives to actually make those judgments for us. I think that is what we have to do. The fact that there hasn't been another attack does have meaning, and it cannot be dismissed," she noted¹².

However, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense¹³ Larry Korb takes the opposite view.

"What has happened is, particularly with the invasion of Iraq, we have created a lot of al-Qaida wannabees, and there are more people now that are trying to do us harm than there were before we went into Iraq," he explained.  "Certainly, some of the things we have done have made us safer, but on balance, we have created so many more potential attacks that I don't believe that we are safer."

Bush administration officials have rejected any suggestion that the U.S. invasion of Iraq has made the United States and its interests and allies more likely targets for terrorist attacks.

Brian Jenkins is a leading authority on terrorism, working for the RAND Corporation. He says a much more difficult question to answer is, are we safe enough?

"If we look at the terrorist attacks that have occurred around the world since 9/11 and the targets that they have attacked - restaurants, nightclubs, hotel lobbies, train stations, subways - we would have to admit that those same categories of targets are vulnerable in our society," he said. "And so while we have increased security, we have to be realistic about that security and understand that we are never going to be entirely¹⁴ safe."

Jenkins says given the international dimension of the so-called war on terror, that struggle will go on for a very long time.

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

5 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。

6 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。

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 airliners   

n.客机，班机( airliner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fog grounded the airliners. 大雾迫使班机停飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They placed very stable and accurate atomic clocks on regularly scheduled jet airliners. 他们将非常稳定、准确的原子钟装在定期飞行的喷气式班机上。 来自辞典例句

9 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

10 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

11 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。