2006年VOA标准英语-US Homeland Security Official Concerned About W

By Deborah Tate
Washington
12 September 2006
 

Secretary Michael Chertoff

The top official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is concerned about the possibility of an attack in the United States involving weapons of mass destruction. A day after the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Secretary Michael Chertoff testified about future threats to the homeland before a Senate committee.

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He told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the gravest threat facing the United States is one involving weapons of mass destruction.

"A nuclear bomb is at the end of the scale, a biological attack, even a serious radiological attack, would have very, very powerful effects on the entire country. The good news is that a nuclear bomb, the likelihood of that happening, the threat in terms of capability¹ is low at this point. On the other hand, I have no reason to believe that that threat is going to diminish over time, and I do have reason to believe it is going to increase over time," he said.

Chertoff says the federal government is taking steps to prevent such a scenario² by improving intelligence and establishing radiation detection systems.

He says by the end of next year, all cargo³ containers coming from foreign ports will be screened by radiation monitors once they arrive at U.S. ports.

Chertoff says the United States is also working with foreign governments to have cargo scanned before it is loaded onto U.S.- bound ships - an effort that he acknowledges may not be immediately embraced by many countries.

"When containers go through the system that we are proposing to start to deploy⁴, when they "hit" a red light, the container has to be pulled out and you have to inspect it. The authority to do that lies with foreign governments. We work with them, but it is their authority that we use to open the containers. They rightly worry about the burden on their own customs officials in terms of whether they have the manpower and the capacity to do that," he said.

As Chertoff testified, U.S. Treasury⁵ officials were briefing another Senate committee about progress made in cracking down on the flow of money to terrorist groups.

Daniel Glaser is the Treasury Department's deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes. "We have elevated the costs, risks and difficulties for terrorists to raise and move funds in support of their operations," he said.

But Glaser acknowledged more needs to be done.

The committee's chairman, Senator Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, agreed, saying terrorists have shown the ability to adapt. "Charities closed by governments have resurfaced under new names. Exploitation of formula banking⁶ systems have been replaced by the increasing use of bulk cash couriers. And of particular concern to this committee, the use of shell and front companies continue to constitute a serious weakness in even our own anti-money laundering⁷ and terror finance regulatory regimes," he said.

In its latest action Friday, the Treasury Department barred Iran's state-run Bank Saderat from having any links with U.S.-owned banks, citing what it called the bank's support for terrorism.

1 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

2 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

3 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

4 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

7 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》