VOA标准英语2009年-European Airport Security Boosted Whil

As the criminal investigation¹ gets underway, there are many more questions than answers regarding the attempt to bring down an Amsterdam to Detroit airliner² on Christmas Day.

Tom Rivers | London 27 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
Luggage transport passes parked police vans at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 26 Dec 2009

 

As airport security is strengthened in Europe, a search of the last known London residence of the man who has been charged with trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner has been launched. 

As the criminal investigation got underway, there were many more questions than answers regarding the attempt to bring down an Amsterdam to Detroit airliner on Christmas Day.

One key facet³ will be to determine if the man charged with the attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, acted alone or in concert with others.

Terrorism expert Dr. Sajjan Gohel is from the London-based think tank, the Asia-Pacific Foundation.  He says finding that out will be crucial.

"Whether this was an act of terrorism conducted by al-Qaida central or that of a lone⁴ wolf acting⁵ independently, we will have to wait and see for the investigation and what comes out of that, but we do know that al-Qaida and their affiliates⁶ have a crazed obsession⁷ in targeting the aviation industry," said Dr. Gohel.

On Sunday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at this stage there is nothing to indicate the 23-year-old Nigerian was part of a larger plot, but much more questioning will follow.

One effect of the attempt to blow up flight 253 is increased security at international airports in Europe.

Something Sajjan Gohel says passengers will just have to get used to.

"There is going to be disruption," he said.  There is going to be delays.  There is going to be greater scrutiny⁸ and in security and unfortunately we are just going to have to accept this, that this has become an inevitable⁹ part of our lives now whenever we travel abroad, especially for trans-Atlantic flights."

Graham Simpson is the operations director at Britain's busiest hub, Heathrow Airport.

"We are incurring¹⁰ some delays like all other airports are around Europe," he said.  "But we are working very hard with the airlines to minimize those delays.  Currently delays are averaging around one-hour and that is for flights that are going out to the U.S."

Passengers are being encouraged to check ahead with their airlines, to arrive an hour earlier than normal and to bring only a single carry-on bag with them.

Meanwhile in London, the multi-million-dollar apartment where Abdulmutallab lived during his days as mechanical engineering student at University College between 2005 and 2008 continues to be searched by police forensic¹¹ teams.  Computers and hard drives in particular are being scrutinized¹² in fine detail.

It is part of a larger investigation aimed at trying to identify those individuals he was in contact with.
 

1 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。

2 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

3 facet   

n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面

参考例句：

• He has perfected himself in every facet of his job.他已使自己对工作的各个方面都得心应手。
• Every facet of college life is fascinating.大学生活的每个方面都令人兴奋。

4 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 affiliates   

附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
• For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如，这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中，就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。

7 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

8 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

9 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

10 incurring   

遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。
• He spoke to the Don directly, taking a chance on incurring Michael's ill will. 他直接向老头子谈自己的意见，这显然要冒引起迈克尔反感的风险。 来自教父部分

11 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。

12 scrutinized   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The jeweler scrutinized the diamond for flaws. 宝石商人仔细察看钻石有无瑕庇 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop. 我们一起把甜食店里买来的十二块柠檬蛋糕细细打量了一番。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比