Powell: Progress Being Made in Speeding Security Checks on V

 

David Gollust
 
Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday the Bush administration is making headway in speeding the processing of foreign visitors, despite increased security needs following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Powell told a business group in Washington the United States cannot afford to lose its more than $80-billion-a-year tourist trade.

Security-related delays in the issuance of visas have been a major irritant in U.S. relations with Muslim and other countries since the terrorist attacks of 2001.

But Mr. Powell says innovations including the high-tech¹ US-VISIT system that went into effect in January have dramatically reduced the waiting times for U.S. visas and entry formalities at American airports, at a time when international tourism has begun to return to levels that prevailed before 9/11.

Addressing the annual tourism meeting of the U.S. Chamber² of Commerce in Washington, Mr. Powell said tourists and other visitors including students and business people are vital to both the United States' economy and its standing³ in the world.

He said the United States needs to protect its security, yet cannot afford to have would-be visitors go elsewhere because of visa hassles or other impediments. "If we lose legitimate⁴ foreign scholars, if we lose them to procedural frustrations⁶, because it's too hard to get a visa, because they don't want to be bothered, because they're going to get hassled at the airport coming into the United States, we risk losing their goodwill⁷ and that is a priceless thing to lose," he said. "The essential embracing spirit of America's attitude toward people is our greatest asset, and we must work together to insure that our country remains⁸ a beacon⁹ for students, international tourists, immigrants and business people."

Mr. Powell said that despite initial complaints from some countries, new U.S. airport formalities requiring the digital fingerprints¹¹ and photos from entering tourists are now well-received and have added only a few seconds to processing times.

He said that 97 per cent of visa applications from would-be visitors from countries where U.S. visas are required in advance are now processed within one or two days, and he said waiting times for approval for visiting scholars are less than half what they were a year ago.

Mr. Powell urged the Chamber of Commerce to support the Bush administration's request to Congress to push back for two years a requirement that the 27 countries with no-visa entry privileges start using high-tech "bio-metric" passports.

The 27 so-called "visa-waiver" countries face an October 26 deadline for adopting the passports that would contain digital identification data, but many have encountered technical problems.

The Secretary said in the absence of an extension, U.S. embassies in the affected¹² countries, including key allies Japan, Britain, Germany and Italy, would be swamped by millions of visa applications.

He said tourism levels this year appear to be running well ahead of 2003, when some 42 million foreign visitors spent over $83 billion in the United States. American travelers abroad spent $78 billion.

注释:
headway [5hedwei] n. 进展
visa [5vi:zE] n. 签证
innovation [7inEu5veiFEn] n. 创新
US-VISIT system 来访者出入境身份识别技术系统
formality [fC:5mAliti] n. 正式的手续
prevail [pri5veil] vi. 占优势
Chamber of Commerce 商会
vital [5vaitl] adj. 至关重要的
standing [5stAndiN] n. 地位
would-be [5wudbi:] adj. 将要成为的
hassle [5hAsl] n. 争论
impediment [im5pedimEnt] n. 阻碍
legitimate [li5dVitimit] adj. 合法的
procedural [prE5si:dVErEl] adj. 程序上的
frustration⁵ [frQs5treiFEn] n. 失望
goodwill [^ud5wil] n. 友好
asset [5Aset] n. 优点，品德
beacon [5bi:kEn] n. 灯塔
digital fingerprint¹⁰ 数字指纹
privilege [5privilidV] n. 特权
bio-metric 生物测定的
visa-waiver 免签证的
digital [5didVitl] adj. 数字的

 

1 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

5 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

6 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

7 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

10 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

11 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。