VOA标准英语2010年-Yemen's Deputy PM Links Nigerian Terro

The recent failed bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner¹ bound for Detroit creates new concerns in Washington about the al-Qaida terrorist group in Yemen.

Yemen is a new focus of concern in the fight against al-Qaida linked terrorists following the failed attempt to blow up a U.S. bound airliner on Christmas day.

The lone² suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab of Nigeria, allegedly received training and explosives in Yemen. And Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister, Rashad al-Alimi, says Abdulmutallab met there with a radical³ U.S.-born Muslim cleric.

"There is no doubt that the Nigerian Abdulmutallab, met with elements from al-Qaida in Shabwa province and in particular he met with [Yemeni radical cleric] Anwar al- Awlaki," said Rashad al-Alimi.

The U.S. is responding by increasing counterterrorism aid to Yemen. John Brennan is Obama administration's top counterterrorism adviser⁴.

"We've provided equipment, training; we're cooperating very closely," said John Brennan. "So this is something that we've known about for a while but we're determined⁵ to destroy al-Qaida whether it's in Pakistan, Afghanistan or in Yemen and we will get there."

John Brennan

Al-Qaida's presence in Yemen is not a new development, says James Phillips at the Heritage Foundation.
 
"Actually, it is an old theater that is now growing in stature⁶ in part because al-Qaida has been driven out to a large degree from Saudi Arabia and it has regrouped in Yemen, but also because the al-Qaida core group is under tremendous pressure in Pakistan," said James Phillips.

James Phillips

And Phillips says Yemen may gain more importance if al-Qaida shifts its base of operations from Pakistan to the Middle East and Africa.

"Because it is an Arab-led organization, in many respects it may find it easier to blend in and hide in corners of the Arab world such as the Yemeni mountains which really are not controlled by any government," he said.

Peter Beinart at the New American Foundation disagrees. He says it will be difficult for al-Qaida to replicate⁷ its relationship with Pakistani tribes.

"There is a web of relationships that al-Qaida built up in the Pakistani tribal⁸ regions over a very long period of time," Peter Beinart said. "Important people of al-Qaida married into those tribes. So this is not the kind of thing you could replicate...."

Peter Beinart

Phillips says al-Qaida is already threatening countries beyond Yemen's borders.

"The U.S. needs to cooperate closely not only with the Yemeni government, but with the Saudi [Arabian] government, with the Omani government and with other interested governments that are threatened by these Islamist terrorists that have killed more Muslims than non-Muslims," he said.

Beinart says the increasing al-Qaida activity in Yemen could also be ploy⁹ by the terrorist group to force the U.S. to deflect¹⁰ its resources from the Pakisan-Afghanistan region where the terrorist group now is under pressure.

"An overreaction, which produces much more hostility¹¹ towards the United States, is precisely¹² what the Jihadist terrorists want," said Beinart.

Analysts¹³ both in Washington and Yemen say the U.S. should be cautious because widespread poverty, corruption¹⁴ and conflict in Yemen means an ideal ground for al-Qaida to recruit.

1 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。

2 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。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

7 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

8 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

9 ploy   

n.花招，手段

参考例句：

• I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
• Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻，而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。

10 deflect   

v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向

参考例句：

• Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
• They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。

11 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

12 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

13 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。

14 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。