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225 美国能应付生化武器的恐怖袭击吗？
Is the US Prepared for Bioterrorism?
Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
24 Jul 2001 09:46 UTC
A panel of experts has warned U.S. lawmakers that the United States must do more to prepare for a possible 1)biological weapons attack. The experts are warning that such an attack could bring the country to the 2)brink of 3)collapse.
The experts, working with the Center for Strategic and International Studies here in Washington, presented a shocking 4)scenario of how a bioterrorist attack could affect the nation.
The experts included former deputy defense secretary John Hamre, Oklahoma City Governor Frank Keating, and former Senator Sam Nunn.
The 5)panel Monday presented their conclusions to a House 6)subcommittee on Government Reform, after taking part in a two-day exercise, dubbed 'Dark Winter', which 7)simulated a biological weapons attack on three U.S. states.
Under the scenario, some two dozen people check in to an Oklahoma City hospital with an unidentified illness. It is discovered to be 8)smallpox, the 9)contagious and deadly disease not seen in the country in more than 50 years.
Within days, similar cases are reported in two other states and in Mexico, Canada and Britain. In this simulation, a thousand Americans are dead within 12 days, and the country has run out of 10)vaccines.
The scenario continues with one million people dying two months after the 11)outbreak, and the National Security Council considering imposing 12)martial law to contain the disease.
Again, it was all a simulation, but the experts warned it could happen, and that the United States needs to do more to prepare for that possibility.
The panelists urged that doctors and nurses receive training to respond to a bioterrorist attack, that there be better coordination among federal and state agencies and between law 13)enforcement and public health officials. They also 14)underscored the importance of developing more vaccines and establishing a procedure for distributing them in case of such an attack.
Former deputy defense secretary Hamre. "It is very hard to cope with something you have never experienced before, ever. We are going to have to start doing exercises," he said." Hopefully that is as close as we will ever get to it. Finally, it is going to take an investment in public health, it is going to take an investment in research and development. We have to find a 15)solution to this problem."
Former Senator Nunn called for better 16)detection of 17)infectious diseases world-wide. "I think we need a global health system, that can detect at an early stage any infectious disease, because in the period of globalization, when people are moving all over the world, if we do not have the early warning, whether it is from Africa or Asia, or Oklahoma City to the world, then we are not going to get in front of this 18)episode," Senator Nunn said.
Former Senator Nunn said he believes the threat from biological weapons is greater than the threat from a missile attack from a so-called '19)rogue nation' like North Korea or Iran.
The Bush administration wants to speed up plans for a national missile defense. But Subcommittee Chairman Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican, says he believes more resources should be going to prevent a possible biological weapons attack. "Which is more likely, an 20)errant missile from North Korea? Or this kind of experience, a terrorist attack. Not that they are mutually 21)exclusive," he said. " But if you told me we only have the dollars for one, there is no question I would put my dollars here."
Congressman John Tierney, a Massachusetts Democrat, criticized the Bush administration's decision to oppose an international draft agreement on enforcing a decades-old biological weapons treaty. Mr. Tierney said the decision will hinder U.S. efforts to combat biological weapons. "It is important that we get some sort of a protocol on this if we are going to get any type of advance notice," the congressman said. " Instead of just keep making these things forever, the idea is to try to get some negotiated concept of how we are going to 22)forestall their development, or to the extent that we cannot do that, at least try to put something in place that gives us some ability to have some notice."
U.S. officials fear the proposed enforcement rules would be 23)burdensome to U.S. industry.
(1) biological[baIE5lRdVIk(E)l]adj.生物学的
(2) brink[brINk]n.(峭岸、崖的)边缘
(3) collapse[kE5lAps]n.倒塌, 崩溃vi.倒塌, 崩溃, 瓦解
(4) scenario[sI5nB:rIEJ]n.想定,游戏的关,或是某一特定情节
(5) panel[5pAn(E)l]n.仪表板, 座谈小组, 全体陪审员vt.嵌镶板
(6) subcommittee[5sQbkEmItI]n.委员会的附属委员会, 小组委员会
(7) simulate[5sImjJleIt]vt.模拟, 模仿, 假装, 冒充
(8) smallpox[5smC:lpRks]n.[医]天花
(9) contagious[kEn5teIdVEs]adj.传染性的, 会感染的
(10) vaccine[`vAksi:n,-sIn]adj.疫苗的, 牛痘的n.疫苗
(11) outbreak[5aJtbreIk]n.(战争的)爆发, (疾病的)发作
(12) martial[`mB:FLl]adj.战争的, 军事的, 尚武的, 威武的
(13) enforcement[In`fR:smEnt]n.执行, 强制
(14) underscore[ 9QndE`skR:(r) ]vt.划线于...下, 强调n.底线
(15) solution[sE5lu:F(E)n]n.解答, 解决办法, 溶解, 溶液
(16) detection[dI5tekF(E)n]n.察觉, 发觉, 侦查, 探测, 发现
(17) infectious[In5fekFEs]adj.有传染性的, 易传染的, 有感染力的
(18) episode[5epIsEJd]n.一段情节, [音]插曲, 插话, 有趣的事件
(19) rogue[rEJ^]n.流氓, 无赖vt.欺诈vi.流浪, 耍无赖
(20) errant[5erEnt]adj.周游的, 不定的, 错误的
(21) exclusive[Ik5sklu:sIv]adj.排外的, 孤高的,唯一的, 高级的
(22) forestall[fC:5stC:l]vt.之前, 阻止,用先发制人的方法预防
(23) burdensome[5b:d(E]nsEm]adj.繁重的, 烦累的, 难以承担的
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