2007年VOA标准英语-US Officials Pledge Increased Vigilance in Wake

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
06 June 2007

U.S. health and government officials are pledging to tighten¹ procedures in the wake of an incident in which a man infected with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis² was able to travel out of the United States and return, evading³ health protection measures at the border. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, where the man, Andrew Speaker, challenged testimony⁴ by officials.

Speaker is in medical quarantine in a U.S. hospital, but the controversy⁵ sparked by his travels has re-focused the attention of Congress and government on gaps in the nation's border security system. Although he had been told he had TB, he was able to leave the United States, fly to Italy for his wedding ceremony before health authorities were able to notify him about the full seriousness of his disease.

After further tests confirmed he had what is called a multi-drug-resistant form of TB, U.S. officials contacted him in Rome asking him to report to local health officials there, but did not directly contact Italian authorities. Instead, Speaker and his wife flew on commercial flights to the Czech Republic, then to Montreal, and crossed back into the U.S. after a land border patrol officer waved him through, despite having seen a computer alert to detain and isolate⁶ him, and contact health authorities.

CDC Director Julie Gerberding, (l), testifies before Senate subcommittee hearing on threat posed by a patient with drug-resistant TB on Capitol Hill,  6 Jun 2007

On Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have allocated⁷ billions since the September 2001 terrorist attacks to bolster⁸ border security and anti-terrorist defenses,officials faced tough questions.

Julie Gerberding, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, said a thorough review is under way.

However, she and others maintain that Speaker was "uncooperative" and that they were unaware⁹ he was planning to travel.

"We made decisions based on the theory that the patient would cooperate," she said. "That was in retrospect¹⁰ a wrong matrix [basis] for making decisions in this case, and if we had to do it all over again knowing what we know now, we would have acted much earlier."

But testifying by telephone from Denver, where he is in medical quarantine, an angry Andrew Speaker took issue with that assertion, saying both local and CDC officials told him he was "not contagious¹¹" or a threat, and knew he was planning to travel:

"Everyone knew what I was going, I didn't go running off or hide from people," he said. "It is a complete fallacy and it is a lie."

Speaker said U.S. officials told him they did not have the resources to fly him back to the United States. Lawmakers have criticized CDC officials for not dispatching an aircraft to transport him back to the U.S.

Steven Katkowsky, a local health officer in Atlanta, Georgia, said Speaker was told in a meeting that he was not "highly contagious" and before authorities were able to determine further steps, accelerated his travel plans.

"What we found out was Mr. Speaker moved up his travel date, was not available, could not be reached, and the whole question of whether or not we could have compliance¹² at that point, and was it safe for him to travel, could not even be addressed, because at that time he was out of the country," he said.

Senator Tom Harkin, chairing the Senate committee, expressed concern that current procedures may be insufficient¹³ to prevent a repetition of such incidents.

"We want procedures and processes in place, plans done ahead, so that instances like this can be handled expeditiously¹⁴ in the best interests of both the patient, the individual, but also the public at large and that is where this thing just fell apart," he said.

Later, Ralph Basham, commissioner¹⁵ for Customs and Border Protection, told the House Homeland Security Committee most of the fault is with the border officer who allowed Speaker to re-enter the United States from Canada.

"CBP had an opportunity to detain Mr. Speaker at the border, and we missed," he said. "That missed opportunity is inexcusable, and it appears at this stage to be largely a result of a CDP officer failing to follow his procedures and instructions."

"Last week, we dodged¹⁶ a bullet," said Congressman¹⁷ Bennie Thompson, who chairs the panel. "We should have connected more dots."

Jeffrey Runge, chief medical officer for the Department of Homeland Security says that despite best efforts, U.S. borders remain vulnerable to infectious diseases.

"Short of draconian¹⁸ and economically damaging health screening techniques being routinely implemented¹⁹ at each port of entry for the millions of people crossing the border, there will always be opportunities for people who are ill to cross our borders undetected," he said.

But Congresswoman Jane Harman says there was potential for disaster in the incident.

"Had it been smallpox²⁰, or had it been something else, we could have right this minute a major national emergency both in health terms and economic terms," she said.

A statement from the Denver medical center where Speaker has been quarantined, said laboratory tests so far have been negative, a sign that the chances he could have spread the disease are very low.

1 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

2 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

3 evading   

逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出

参考例句：

• Segmentation of a project is one means of evading NEPA. 把某一工程进行分割，是回避《国家环境政策法》的一种手段。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Too many companies, she says, are evading the issue. 她说太多公司都在回避这个问题。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

6 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

7 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

8 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。

9 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

10 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

11 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

12 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

13 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

14 expeditiously   

adv.迅速地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• They have to be evaluated expeditiously, carefully with the patient fully UNDRESSED. 我看过许多的枪伤患者，但是就只有阿扁的伤口没有上述情形，真是天佑台湾。 来自互联网
• We will expeditiously facilitate trade transactions with the utmost professionalism. 我们会尽快贸易便利化的交易与最大的专业水平。 来自互联网

15 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

16 dodged   

v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

18 draconian   

adj.严苛的；苛刻的；严酷的；龙一样的

参考例句：

• You can't expect the people to obey such draconian regulations.你不能指望人民服从如此严苛的规定。
• The city needs a draconian way of dealing with robbers.这个城市需要一个严苛的办法来对付强盗。

19 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

20 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？