VOA常速英语2014--奥巴马警惕ISIL对美国国内的威胁

 

Obama Connects ISIL, Terror Threats at Home 奥巴马警惕ISIL对美国国内的威胁

WASHINGTON —

U.S. President Barack Obama says terrorist-fueled militancy¹ in Iraq and Syria is boosting an already-omnipresent threat to America’s security at home.

Iraq’s beleaguered² military launched an offensive against Sunni extremists in the northern city of Tikrit, as a shipment of Russian military jets arrived in the country that could give the armed forces a tactical edge going forward.

伊拉克被包围的军队在北部城市提克里特向逊尼派极端分子发起进攻，当时一架俄罗斯军队喷气式飞机到该国，给武装部队挺进的战略优势。

While the bloody³ sectarian conflict rages on, President Obama said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is attracting radicalized militants⁴ in both Iraq and Syria who could pose a threat to the United States.

就在血腥宗派冲突继续之时，奥巴马总统称ISIL正吸引伊拉克和叙利亚的极端武装分子，这就对美国构成了威胁。

“They are gaining strength in some places.  We have seen Europeans who are sympathetic to their cause traveling into Syria, and now may travel into Iraq, getting battle-hardened.  Then, they come back.  They have got European passports.  They do not need a visa to get into the United States,” said Obama, speaking on ABC This Week program.

奥巴马在ABC电视台的本周节目中说，“他们在一些地方增加了力量，我们看到同情武装分子的欧洲人来到叙利亚，现在很多来到伊拉克，变得越发老练。现在他们回来了，有了欧洲护照，他们不需要进入签证进入美国。”

The situation calls for preemptive measures, according to Republican Congressman⁵ Peter King.

共和党议员皮特·金说需要就这一局势采取先发制人的措施。

“[Obama] should be very aggressive on this.  Syria is our biggest threat right now, because not only are there thousands of Europeans who have visas to enter the United States, going to Syria, there are also at least 100 or so Americans who are over there in Syria right now.  So, any of these people can go back to the United States and carry out the type of attack that they are being trained in, in Syria,” said King.

“奥巴马应该在这件事上非常积极进取才是，叙利亚现在是最大的威胁，因为现在不仅有数千有进美国签证的欧洲人进入叙利亚，而且有至少100美国人目前在叙利亚。所以，哪个人都可以回到美国，进行像在叙利亚得到的培训那样的袭击。”

The United States stands ready to act, according to President Obama.

奥巴马总统说美国随时准备采取行动。

“We are spending a lot of time, and we have been for years, making sure that we are improving intelligence so we can respond to that [threat]. We have to improve our surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence there. Special forces are going to have a role [to play], and there are going to be times where we take strikes against organizations that could do us harm,” said Obama.

“我们已经花费大量时间，我们多年来都在确保能改善监控工作，这样就可以对威胁做出应对。我们必须提高监控、侦察和情报工作。特种部队将发挥作用，我们准备对任何伤害我们的组织进行打击。”

Heightened security measures are expected to be on display later this week during the July 4 Independence Day holiday.

本周7月4日美国独立日期间安全措施有望加强。

1 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

2 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。