VOA常速英语2007-French Minister Calls for Increased European Coo

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
09 October 2007

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot Marie has called for closer European cooperation to fight security threats.  Lisa Bryant reports from Paris that the minister says France will make this a priority when it takes over the presidency¹ of the European Union next year.

Interior Minister Alliot-Marie called for the European Union to build a security policy in the same way it is constructing a common European defense² program.

Faced with new threats, Alliot-Marie says Europe needs to build alliances that cross borders to attack evil at its source and root out problems at their source.  She said her vision of Europe was not as a fortress³, but as a coherent whole that engages constructively⁴ with other regions and respects individual liberties.

Alliot Marie was speaking at the launch of an international security trade fair in Paris, known as Milipol. 

The fair's general manager, Michael Wetherseed, said concern about security threats - from petty crimes to terrorism - is soaring.  That concern is reflected at the fair, where about 25,000 security experts are expected to attend.

"We have seen it growing and growing, particularly since September 11, 2001," he noted⁵.  "We see it both in terms of the growth of our exhibitors and in terms of our visitors."

Most of the buyers  are governments.  Besides Alliot-Marie, the interior ministers of Israel, Burkina Faso, Switzerland and Qatar also visited the fair Tuesday.

Visiting the fair's booths seems almost like being on a movie set for a police thriller⁶.  There are vehicles for rescuing hostages, bulletproof underwear, flashlights that can be attached to guns, and a dizzying array of rifles.

The American company, Taser International, sells something called the Taser X26.  Taser's founder⁷, Tom Smith, explains the device is meant to temporarily immobilize wrongdoers by shooting electricity at them.

"We can reach 25 feet and use electricity to cause muscles to contract and release 19 times per second to stop somebody," he said.  "So if somebody is drunk or on drugs or alcohol and they want to fight with police, this will end that fight.  So they will not get hurt and the officers do not get hurt."

The security trade fair lasts through Friday, and organizers say 42 countries will be represented.

1 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

2 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。

3 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

4 constructively   

ad.有益的，积极的

参考例句：

• Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom. 如此富有意义地利用业余时间来进行收藏，会使人怡然自得，无暇烦恼。
• The HKSAR will continue to participate constructively in these activities. 香港会继续积极参与这些活动。

5 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。

6 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。