VOA标准英语2008年-Australia Boosts Bio-Security Defenses

Australia has opened a new National Center for Bio-Security to build its defenses against infectious diseases and biological weapons. Medical experts say it will help protect the country from threats such as SARS and bird flu as well as attacks by terrorists or rogue¹ scientists. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
　
Two emergency workers carry suspected material thought to contain toxic² material in Melbourne (file photo)

The new bio-security center adds another layer to Australia's counterterrorism defenses. Its researchers will look at ways to combat biological warfare³, naturally occurring diseases and the theft or misuse⁴ of sensitive research on micro-organisms. In addition, they will study the dangers posed by synthetic⁵ biology, where a virus or bacteria can be created from scratch.

The center's work will concentrate on 22 bacteria, viruses and poisons that the Australian government considers "agents of concern". They include anthrax, plague, smallpox⁶ and the toxin⁷ that causes botulism.

Experts fear diseases could be used in conflict

The facility's co-director, Dr. Christian⁸ Enemark, says researchers will be on the frontline of efforts to prevent the use of such potentially devastating⁹ diseases in conflict.

"It is still very difficult to assess the likelihood of a biological attack," he said, "but it's important to bear in mind that such an attack would be invisible and insidious¹⁰ and there are some who would argue that a terrorist attack has much more impact if it is physical and extremely visible. So, that leads me to suggest that conventional bombings and aircraft hijackings are likely to remain the terrorist tactics of choice but we should not blind ourselves to the possibility that biological agents might be used as a tool for terror."

The Australian government says the risk of a biological attack in the country is low and lists the current threat level as "medium".

Terrorists could deliberately¹¹ spread diseases

But Peter Curson, a professor of population and security at the University of Sydney, says that diseases such as dengue fever, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, could be deliberately spread.

"It would be quite easy, for example, to get an infected person to visit a place like Australia, wander around, be perhaps bitten by a local mosquito and from that you might get a huge epidemic," he noted¹². "It's not a great extension of reality to suggest that could actually be used in a concentrated, deliberate way."

Australia has suffered serious outbreaks of infectious diseases in the past. In 1925, there were 600,000 reported cases of dengue fever.

Bio-Security center is a joint¹³ venture

The new bio-security unit is a joint venture between the Australian National University in Canberra and the University of Sydney. It will tap into the expertise¹⁴ of 50 researchers from a range of disciplines, whose job is to provide "independent and fearless" advice to politicians about biological security.

Scientists at the new center also will seek to bolster¹⁵ Australia's defenses against infectious diseases such as SARS - severe acute respiratory syndrome¹⁶.

Dr. Enemark says the first SARS outbreak in Asia in 2003 caused massive problems, in large part because so little was known about the virus. To stop its spread, governments closed schools, many advised their citizens to avoid traveling and many social activities were canceled.

"Fewer than 800 people died of SARS out of just over 8,000 cases and yet there was a massive cost the Southeast Asian economy," he noted. "In the second quarter of 2003 alone there was a cost to East Asia of $60 billion. This demonstrates that disease can generate damage not just because it's killing¹⁷ people and making them ill, but because of the anxiety that can surround certain kinds of disease."

Embittered¹⁸ scientists could also pose threat

Australia has never suffered a direct terrorist attack. However, the bombings on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali in 2002, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, brought the continent to the frontline of international terrorism and its people were gripped by a sense of fear and vulnerability.

Security experts think the threat of terrorism is more likely to come from disaffected¹⁹ home-grown groups, such as the six Muslim men convicted this week for their part in a plot to bomb parts of Melbourne.

Bio-security specialists say that embittered scientists could pose also a threat, along with other radical²⁰ groups, and that Australia must remain vigilant²¹.

Australia's federal government is conducting a review of its bio-security defenses and its findings are to be released next month.

 

1 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

2 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

3 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

4 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

5 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

6 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

7 toxin   

n.毒素，毒质

参考例句：

• Experts have linked this condition to a build-up of toxins in the body.专家已把这一病症与体内毒素的积累联系起来。
• Tests showed increased levels of toxin in shellfish.检验表明水生有壳动物的毒素水平提高了。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

10 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

11 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

12 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。

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

15 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

16 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

17 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

18 embittered   

v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• These injustices embittered her even more. 不公平使她更加受苦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The artist was embittered by public neglect. 大众的忽视于那位艺术家更加难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 disaffected   

adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的

参考例句：

• He attracts disaffected voters.他吸引了心怀不满的选民们。
• Environmental issues provided a rallying point for people disaffected with the government.环境问题把对政府不满的人们凝聚了起来。

20 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

21 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。