VOA常速英语2007-Pentagon Hopes Successful Missile Test Boosts Su

By Meredith Buel
Washington
02 October 2007

The Pentagon says a recent successful test of the nation's missile defense¹ system could boost support for the controversial project, which is designed to protect America from missiles fired by countries such as North Korea and Iran. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.

The Pentagon says last Friday a missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California flew over the Pacific Ocean and destroyed a target missile launched 24 minutes earlier from Kodiak Island, Alaska.

The test was designed to emulate² an attack from a country like North Korea on the United States. The system is designed to defend the country against a long-range ballistic missile that could be used to attack an American city with a weapon of mass destruction.

The director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, Lieutenant³ General Henry Obering, says being able to track and target individual missiles is critical to the defense of the country.

"We have seen this progression of missile technology in North Korea from the shorter range to the longer range and they have gotten better and better," he said. "We don't know what their intent is. They describe a very hostile intent, so we have to pay attention to that. The same thing is true now in Iran. We see this progression from shorter range missiles to longer range missiles."

To protect against missiles from Iran, the United States has proposed building a battery of 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar⁴ system in the Czech Republic.

Russia strongly opposes the plan, and has suggested that a Soviet-era radar system in Azerbaijan could be used as an alternative.

General Obering says the successful test over the Pacific could boost the support of European governments that have been reluctant to embrace the missile defense proposal.

"I think it helps us in a very real way, because as I have had conversations with our European partners and allies and NATO partners in the past, one of the questions I do get asked is - well this system is not proven, it doesn't work, so why are you even worrying about this now," she said. "I think this goes a long way to answering that question."

Obering says the Pentagon will add counter-measures to the next test to see if the so-called kill vehicle can distinguish a missile from decoy objects in space.

Some outside experts doubt that the testing has been been realistic enough to validate⁵ the system, especially against warheads protected by even primitive⁶ counter-measures such as decoy balloons.

So far the missile defense system has cost about $100 billion, a price tag General Obering defends.

"If we have the ability to stop an attack on even one American city, we would have more than paid for this program many, many times over," he said. "We think it is well worth that expenditure⁷, especially as we move into an uncertain future in which, if these missiles continue to proliferate⁸ the way they have in the past, we don't know who is going to be able to get their hands on these weapons."

Obering says since 2001 there have been six successful intercepts⁹ in nine tests of the long-range missile defense system.

The Bush administration has asked Congress for nearly $9 billion for the Missile Defense Agency in 2008, although Congress is expected to trim that request.

1 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。

2 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。

3 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

4 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

5 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

6 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

7 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

8 proliferate   

vi.激增，(迅速)繁殖，增生

参考例句：

• We must not proliferate nuclear arms.我们决不能扩散核武器。
• Rabbits proliferate when they have plenty of food.兔子有充足的食物就会繁衍得很快。

9 intercepts   

（数学）截距( intercept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It intercepts a portion of the light impinging on the photocell. 它遮住一部分照射在光电管上的光。
• The pelletfilter intercepts the particulate matter. 颗粒过滤器将颗粒物进行拦截。