VOA标准英语2010年-Israel Successfully Tests Rocket Defen

Iron Dome¹ defense² system uses cameras and radar³ to track incoming rockets and can shoot them down within seconds of their launch. The system was developed by Rafael, the Israel Military Industries, at a cost of $200 million.

Robert Berger | Jerusalem 07 January 2010

This picture provided by the Israeli Defense Ministry⁴, 06 Jan 2010 and made within 48 hours of release, shows a rocket fired from the 'Iron Dome' system during a test in southern Israel

Rocket alarms have terrified Israeli border communities near the Gaza Strip for years. But now Israel has a high-tech⁵ answer to the thousands of low-tech rockets that Palestinian militants⁶ have fired across the border since Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005.

Israel has successfully tested its Iron Dome defense system, which uses cameras and radar to track incoming rockets and can shoot them down within seconds of their launch. The system was developed by Rafael, the Israel Military Industries, at a cost of $200 million.

Yiftach Shapir is an Israeli expert on military technology. "This is really great news," he said. "This is a very advanced system. I think we should all take our hats off for the engineers of Rafael for doing it. It's very unique."

The first Iron Dome battery will be deployed⁷ on the Gaza border in the south in May. Later on, it will be deployed on the northern border where Israel faces a rocket threat from the Islamic guerrilla group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

But there is a catch. "This system is not 100 percent foolproof, like any other defense system," said Shapir.

Shapir says that means that millions of Israelis within rocket range are not out of danger.

"Under rocket attack, many rockets would be shot down, some of them would still explode in the towns, and residents would have to go back into the shelters," he said.

The Iron Dome, which deals with short-range rockets, will be integrated into Israel's overall missile defense shield. Israel has already deployed the Arrow anti-missile system, to defend against long-range threats, like an attack from arch-enemy Iran

1 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 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。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。