【英语语言学习】卧底

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. And this is For The Record. There was good news and bad news for the FBI this past week. A congressionally mandated¹ report says the agency has made major improvements since 9/11 but still needs to boost its ability to collect intelligence. Those operations can take many forms. One of the most critical - the undercover missions that require agents to take on new identities and, with them, a lot of risk. And it's not just the FBI. The New York Times reported last fall that at least 40 federal agencies use undercover agents in some capacity. This kind of work is glamorized all the time in TV and movies.

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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR # 1: How would you like to disappear?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR # 2: Disappear?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR # 1: Go undercover.

MARTIN: But behind many of the real-life law-enforcement success stories are agents who have risked their lives living as someone they aren't.

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UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Dozens of suspected drug dealers² taken off the street today following a five-month long undercover operation.

MARTIN: We're going to take you inside the careers of two undercover agents. You'll hear about the risks, the psychological toll³ and the adrenaline that keeps pulling them back. For The Record today - life undercover.

MICHAEL VIGIL: My name is Michael. And I selected the DEA because they did a lot of undercover work. And I found that to be fascinating because it's the ultimate chess game.

MARTIN: Vigil is retired⁴ now, but Sherrie Moore is still very much in the game. She's a senior special agent with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation⁵.

SHERRIE MOORE: For the most part I look average soccer mom, so I can skank it up a little bit. And I can go places, and people don't look at me and think, oh, she's a police officer.

MARTIN: Michael Vigil's fascination⁶ with undercover work started early.

VIGIL: As a young kid I grew up watching television programs such as "Dragnet," "The Untouchables."

MARTIN: Sherrie Moore says she was drawn⁷ to law enforcement because she wanted work that made a difference.

MOORE: In the small realm, I'm hoping that I'm making the world a better, safer place for people.

MARTIN: But it's not enough to have noble intentions. Undercover agents have to have sound judgment⁸, keen instincts. And they have to understand what it takes to become another person.

VIGIL: Number one, you have to know the jargon⁹. You have to know the price of drugs because if you make a mistake, you know, obviously it's going to heighten their suspicions. You have to dress accordingly. If you're dealing¹⁰ with a low-level trafficker, you know, you're going to probably dress down. You're not going to wear Gucci loafers or, you know, George Armani suit. But if you're dealing with really high-level traffickers like Pablo Escobar, you're probably going to dress up.

MOORE: You become somebody else - not in the whole sense of, oh, you have to, you know, totally change everything. But you draw from your real life experiences. You have a backstop and a back story of where you live, and what you do or if you've been in jail.

MARTIN: So sometimes Sherrie would create a back story about being a bartender because she actually did that job when she was younger. Or she would say her kids are in the custody¹¹ of the state because she used to be a social worker, and she knows that system. A lie that's close to the truth is always easier to work with. Moore got really good at coming up with lies about why she couldn't actually try out the drug she was buying.

MOORE: It's not for me, or I'm picking it up for my old man, so to speak. Or I don't like to drive after I've been using. And they're all very legitimate¹² in the real world and the drug world.

MARTIN: The lies are necessary to nail the targets. Michael Vigil helped to build cases against several big drug runners in Latin America in his time. But he remembers one operation in particular. He was working undercover in Brazil trying to nab a Bolivian drug trafficker. Vigil negotiated a deal with him for half a ton of cocaine¹³. They decided¹⁴ to meet up on a ranch¹⁵ outside of Sao Paulo where the police were waiting.

VIGIL: And that afternoon I heard the drum of the aircraft engine as it was approaching. And at that point in time I knew that the operation was going to be a success. And it was almost like "Mission Impossible" because, you know, the plane lands on the field. The cocaine is stuffed into the back of the aircraft. So you know, the arrest took place. And one of the individuals attempted to detonate a grenade, but guns were pointed¹⁶ at him. That was the biggest seizure¹⁷ of cocaine in the history of Brazil at that point in time.

MARTIN: And after all the months of deception¹⁸, the stress, all the risks, finally, when the payoff comes, it brings with it a flood of emotions.

VIGIL: Elation¹⁹, release of tension - it was an adrenaline rush.

MARTIN: Sherrie Moore explains it this way.

MOORE: When you go in, and you purchase drugs, and you come out - there used to be an old Toyota commercial. And they would jump up in the air, and wave their hands around. And say, you know, I got it - that feeling that you get when you pull one over on somebody. You're amazed at yourself, and that you were able to do that. And the adrenaline dump is unbelievable sometimes.

MARTIN: At this point we're going to step out of the experience of these undercover agents and get a different perspective on this work.

LAURA BRODIE: I'm Laura Brodie. I'm a clinical and forensic²⁰ psychologist.

MARTIN: Brodie says undercover work attracts people who need a certain level of autonomy.

BRODIE: As an undercover, you're basically kind of an independent operator. You do a lot of things on your own. You have kind of your own boss. And it's very compelling, and it's very addictive²¹.

MARTIN: It's addictive because it's dangerous.

VIGIL: When you're working undercover, you have to be very careful because as an undercover agent I found that I would seek that adrenaline rush. And I became addicted²² to it. And I started to take more and more chances to get a higher adrenaline rush. And I had to curb²³ that very quickly because I knew that, you know, it could have fatal consequences.

MARTIN: But even in those moments when Vigil knew he was putting himself at risk just for the high, even when his life was in danger, he says he wasn't afraid.

VIGIL: The more dangerous the role was, the more dangerous the situation was, I became really calm, very, very calm.

MARTIN: Sherrie Moore responded to high risk situations in a different way. She told us this story.

MOORE: I had gone into a residence to purchase crack. I went in. The house was full of males. They had sheets hanging over the doors so you couldn't see from one room to the next. So you didn't know what was in the other rooms or who was in the other rooms. When I stepped in the door, they shut the front door. They had bolted it. And you just - that sense of fear just overwhelmed me. Fortunately, I was able to complete the transaction in a very quick, timely manner. And I was able to get out. But after the fact, you know, you think of all these things that could've gone wrong.

MARTIN: And she had a very clear idea of what that was.

MOORE: I was most afraid of being sexually assaulted. I think men are probably afraid of being shot - if they would admit it. I would much rather, you know, have to be in a situation where guns were drawn as opposed to being assaulted in a sexual manner.

MARTIN: Not only are undercover agents risking their physical safety, this work can start to tear at their own moral fiber²⁴. Here is psychologist Laura Brodie again.

BRODIE: Basically they have to kind of pull their personality apart. And it can become very stressful and very blurred²⁵ as to starting to question your own values and morals as you get to know the people you're undercover with. You start, sometimes, even making them as friends.

VIGIL: You know, they are stone psychopathic killers²⁶, but, you know, they have great personalities²⁷. And so it's very difficult when you have to arrest them and put them in prison for a number of years. Sometimes these guys, you know, become your family.

MARTIN: Laura Brodie says all the more reason these undercover officers have to stay grounded in reality.

BRODIE: It's better all around for any kind of law enforcement or first responder to have something other than the job because their job tends to become the identity.

MARTIN: Sherrie Moore has made a conscious effort to separate herself from her job.

MOORE: It's something that I do during the day or in the evening or whenever the deal is set up. And then I turn it off. And I go home, and I do other things.

MARTIN: She does normal stuff.

MOORE: I plant flowers.

MARTIN: She has a cat.

MOORE: His name is Luigi.

MARTIN: So being able to compartmentalize your life is important when doing undercover work for long periods of time. What happens when these officers leave the job altogether and try to go back to doing regular office work? Laura Brodie says without the risk and the extreme highs, they can get depressed²⁸.

BRODIE: They are also going to be bored. And undercover officers do not like to be bored. They stir up trouble when they're bored. So they end up looking for other adrenaline fixes.

MARTIN: Michael Vigil has been out of this work for more than a decade. Now he does consulting for security and law enforcement agencies. I asked him what life is like now.

VIGIL: Very boring. (Laughter) I'll tell you, working undercover, it was living the lifestyle of a James Bond. And after you leave that it's like ratcheting it down 100 times. And do I miss it? Tremendously. I could have done that forever.

MARTIN: Sherrie Moore knows that can't happen. And she has started to think about when the adrenaline rush might finally come to an end.

MOORE: I haven't given myself a specific timeline, although, as of late, I noticed that when I first started I was able to throw a baby seat in the back of the car, the undercover vehicle I would drive and say, yeah, that's my kids baby seat. But now I'm going to have to say it' my grandkid's baby seat. So you know, it's one of those, hm, I'm getting a little long around the tooth to be able to do this.

MARTIN: That was Sherrie Moore, a senior special agent with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. We also heard from Michael Vigil, a former undercover agent for the DEA and psychologist Laura Brodie. You can see photos of Michael Vigil at npr.org, although we can't show photos of Sherrie Moore. She is still working undercover. You are listening to NPR News.

1 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

2 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 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。

6 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

9 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

12 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

13 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

16 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

17 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

18 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

19 elation   

n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意

参考例句：

• She showed her elation at having finally achieved her ambition.最终实现了抱负，她显得十分高兴。
• His supporters have reacted to the news with elation.他的支持者听到那条消息后兴高采烈。

20 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

21 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

22 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

23 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

24 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

25 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

27 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

28 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。