2007年VOA标准英语-Britain Remains Prime Terrorist Target

By Gary Thomas
Washington
02 July 2007

The abortive¹ car bombings in London and Glasgow have again put the spotlight² on Britain as a terrorist target. Two car bombs failed to go off Friday in London, and on Saturday, a blazing car was driven at high speed into the entrance of Glasgow airport. VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, analysts⁴ say, if the attacks were the work of Islamic extremists, their goal is consistent with previous attacks in Britain.

Car bombings are nothing new to Britain. The Irish Republican Army and its splinter groups often used them to deadly effect.

Forensic5 officers at the scene of the attack on the terminal building at Glasgow Airport, 01 Jul 2007 " hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070705/1000340.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Forensic officers at the scene of the attack on the terminal building at Glasgow Airport, 01 Jul 2007

But recent attacks and attempted attacks in Britain have relied on other means.

The attacks on the London transport system almost exactly two years ago were carried out by Muslim suicide bombers⁶ carrying backpacks full of explosives. The plot to blow up flights from London to the United States that was thwarted⁷ last year planned to utilize⁸ liquid explosives smuggled⁹ aboard the aircraft.

Police believe they are dealing¹⁰ with a terrorist cell either linked to or inspired by al-Qaida, in the latest incidents.

Bob Ayers, an intelligence and security specialist at the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London, says he believes the attacks are linked to Britain's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The difference between what we're seeing over the last weekend and what we're seeing last summer is a difference only in tactics, not necessarily in strategic objective," said Ayers. "The purpose of the Islamist attacks on the U.K. has been to force the UK people and government to reassess its role vis-à-vis the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan. Car bombs are a tactical change, but they are not a strategic change."

Counter-terrorism specialists say the weekend car bombs in London lacked the sophistication of the IRA. bombmakers. But Ayers says, while crude, they had the potential to be deadly.

Blair Johannessen, an intelligence analyst³ at the private Terrorism Research Center, says the amateurish¹¹ nature of the bombs suggests the perpetrators lacked the zeal¹² of suicide attackers.

"These guys ran from the scene," said Johannessen. "You could chalk it up to fear: 'Aw, I drove the car, it didn't explode, oh my gosh, what am I going to do, I'm going to run away.' But, from what I see, if it was really something that was more professional, they would have stayed the route of the cause, and they would have found a way to make this thing go off the way it should have."

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown is seen after a meeting of the government's top emergency committee Cobra, 29 Jun 2007

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who had not even been in office a full week, says he believes the abortive attacks are linked to Islamic extremism.

"I think what we have got to recognize, that the nature of the threat that we are dealing with is al-Qaida and people who are related to al-Qaida," said Brown.

"And, while I don't want to comment on the police investigation¹³ that is ongoing¹⁴, it is clear that we are dealing in general terms with people who are associated with al-Qaida in a number of incidents that have happened all across the world," he added.

Security analyst Bob Ayers says the term al-Qaida is a brand name that has become generic¹⁵ in the West for any Islamist terrorist group.

"I think the prime minister, being new in [his] post, was using a term that is a shorthand and convenient way to describe this whole genre¹⁶ of Islamic radicals¹⁷," said Ayers. "Al-Qaida doesn't issue ID cards, and you don't take an oath of office when you join al-Qaida."

"What we have is a group of radicals, who are embracing the philosophy and ideology¹⁸ as espouse¹⁹ by al-Qaida. But they're not necessarily part of a closely coupled, vertically²⁰ integrated organization, like a military force," he continued.

Early reports say, at least two of the suspects in custody²¹ are physicians who were trained in Iraq and Jordan respectively. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith describes the investigation as "fast-moving."

1 abortive   

adj.不成功的，发育不全的

参考例句：

• We had to abandon our abortive attempts.我们的尝试没有成功，不得不放弃。
• Somehow the whole abortive affair got into the FBI files.这件早已夭折的案子不知怎么就进了联邦调查局的档案。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 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。

5 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

6 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 thwarted   

阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
• Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。

8 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 amateurish   

n.业余爱好的，不熟练的

参考例句：

• The concert was rather an amateurish affair.这场音乐会颇有些外行客串的味道。
• The paintings looked amateurish.这些画作看起来只具备业余水准。

12 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

13 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

16 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

17 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

18 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

19 espouse   

v.支持，赞成，嫁娶

参考例句：

• Today,astronomers espouse the theory that comets spawn the swarms.如今，天文学家们支持彗星产生了流星团的说法。
• Some teachers enthusiastically espouse the benefits to be gained from educational software.有些教师热烈赞同可以从教学软件中得到好处的观点。

20 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

21 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。