VOA标准英语2011--US Guards Against Terrorist Attacks Befo

US Guards Against Terrorist Attacks Before 9-11 Anniversary

U.S. security officials are increasing efforts to thwart¹ possible acts of terrorism in advance of the 10th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001, terror attacks. While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not issued specific alerts, law enforcement agencies across the country have heightened security to prevent an assault by al-Qaida and its affiliates² or by people acting³ on their own.
U.S. law enforcement agencies are enhancing security in places that might be terrorist targets. In New York City, a police patrol boat, able to detect a nuclear weapon, monitors shipping⁴ and officers inspect underneath⁵ the Brooklyn Bridge. While there have been no specific threats, police take these patrols seriously.
"It is absolutely not a joke and the threat is very real," a New York police officer said.
The increased security measures come as the nation remembers the10th anniversary of the September 11tterrorist attacks. While the Department of Homeland Security says there is no specific evidence of an al-Qaida plot, the group’s late leader Osama bin⁶ Laden⁷ reportedly wanted operatives to fly a small plane into a sporting event around the anniversary.
"We have so many small airports and you can fly below radar⁸, (so) that is possibly doable," said Brad Garrett, a former FBI counter-terrorism agent.
Al-Qaida's new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, also appeared in numerous videos calling for attacks against U.S. targets and urging Muslims to support his cause.
"This is not the time to become complacent⁹. In fact, in this window that al-Qaida is trying to exploit, we (the United States) should be exploiting and trying to prevent and preempt¹⁰ the next attack," said Frank Cilluffo, the director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University. He says al-Qaida affiliates in Yemen and Somalia could play a role in an attack on U.S. soil.
"With al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula (based in Yemen) and al-Shabaab, (based in Somalia) you have a number of U.S. foreign fighters who have traveled to Yemen, who have traveled to Somalia and this is obviously a concern from a security standpoint," he said.
Counter-terrorism experts say al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula is believed to be behind failed plots to blow up U.S. planes. Since those plots unfolded, airport security has been heightened. Jonathan Broder, a defense¹¹ and foreign policy editor with Congressional Quarterly, says security also needs to be increased on trains.
"There is nowhere near the kind of security in the homeland surrounding our trains and our transportation services like there is for our airlines," he said.
These days, there are extra police patrols at the nation's transportation hubs. Transit¹² systems have started searching passengers' bags and police say more undercover officers are aboard commuter¹³ trains.
Analysts¹⁴ say another threat is from homegrown terrorists in the U.S. who have been radicalized by the Internet. In the past 10 years there have been at least 38 plots by homegrown terrorists. Two plots by U.S. residents to set off bombs in New York City failed in the past few years, and the men responsible arrested.
Broder says the country is still vulnerable to an attack. "I think our defenses 10 years after September 11th are a lot better than they were but there is no guarantee that a lone¹⁵ terrorist might (not) get through or that even a al-Qaida terrorist might (not) get through," he said.
Other counter-terrorism analysts say the best way to protect the U.S. is by adding more layers of security and expanding intelligence monitoring to stop the terrorists before they can launch an attack.

1 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

2 affiliates   

附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
• For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如，这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中，就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

5 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

6 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

7 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

8 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。

9 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

10 preempt   

v.先发制人；先取

参考例句：

• We arrived early at the theatre so as to preempt the front seats.我们早早来到剧院，以便捷足先登占到前排座位。
• He pre-empted any decision to sack him.他预先阻止了所有解雇他的决定。

11 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。

12 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

13 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

15 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。