2007年VOA标准英语-Possibly Hazardous Materials Found in UN Buildi

By Suzanne Presto¹
New York
30 August 2007

FBI agents were called to a United Nation's building near the headquarters Thursday to remove vials of a possibly hazardous² material found in weapons inspectors³' offices.  From VOA's United Nation's bureau, Suzanne Presto reports U.N. officials say the substance poses no threat to the public.

Plaza4 where potentially hazardous chemical agents were discovered, 30 Aug. 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070901/1506500.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Police officers stand by the UN Plaza where potentially hazardous chemical agents were discovered, 30 Aug 2007

Members of the U.N. weapons inspection⁵ commission say, while archiving files in a U.N. office building last week, they came across a sealed metal box they thought contained only documents.  In it, they found a plastic bag with sealed tubes containing small amounts of an unknown liquid substance.

Officials say it was not until Wednesday that they realized they had a potentially deadly substance in their possession - phosgene, a chemical warfare⁶ agent, suspended in oil.

U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe says the liquid poses no immediate⁷ danger.  She says the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) has secured the substances.

"The office area was screened using UNMOVIC's chemical weapons detection equipment, and no toxic⁸ vapors⁹ were found," she said.

She says staff members are still working in the building where the substances were uncovered.

UNMOVIC spokesman Ewen Buchanan says the vials may have been sitting in a box for more than a decade.

"They have come from an inspection in Iraq, certainly," he said.  "There was an inspection way back in 1996 when we basically dug to the bottom of the Al Muthanna chemical weapons production facility and these materials probably came from the analytical¹⁰ laboratory of the Muthanna chemical weapons plant."

U.N. officials say security personnel have cordoned¹¹ off the room where the substances were found.  A security officer is stationed there, and the FBI is disposing of the potentially hazardous agents.

Buchanan says staffers had no idea such materials were in their office cabinets.

"It was assumed to be all documents," he added.  "And in amongst the documents was this particular package."

Buchanan says such items are usually transported directly to appropriately equipped laboratories.

"This kind of material should certainly not have come here, that is true," he explained.  "It should have gone to a laboratory for analysis or destruction or whatever."

An UNMOVIC official said staffers immediately searched the rest of the archives and did not uncover any other potentially hazardous materials.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has notified the Security Council.  The U.N. says the matter will be investigated.

1 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

2 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

3 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

5 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

9 vapors   

n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• His emotions became vague and shifted about like vapors. 他的心情则如同一团雾气，变幻无常，捉摸不定。 来自辞典例句
• They have hysterics, they weep, they have the vapors. 他们歇斯底里，他们哭泣，他们精神忧郁。 来自辞典例句

10 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。

11 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》