VOA标准英语2012--Pentagon's Electromagnetic Gun Awaits Use

Pentagon's Electromagnetic Gun Awaits Use

Marines stage a scene that has become more frequent for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The mock protesters are harmlessly dispersed¹ with a high-tech² device. 

It is called the Active Denial System. Using an electromagnetic beam that travels hundreds of meters, it heats people’s skin enough to trigger their instincts to flee. 

In development for over a decade, the device is not new. But it remains³ shrouded⁴ in mystery. 

Colonel Tracy Tafolla heads the U.S. Marines’ Joint⁵ Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.

“Unlike conventional munitions⁷ or conventional weapons where you can hold the munition⁶, there’s a bang, there’s something to see," said Colonel Tafolla. "That’s not true here. You can’t see it, you can’t hear it. You can’t smell it.”

Developers say 11,000 tests show it is safe, with no known lasting⁸ effects. It causes a quick sensation of a hot blast - like opening the door of a hot oven. 

Officials in Los Angeles considered a smaller device two years ago, as a way to break up jail fights. Bob Osborne, a commander at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, says it was never used.

“I don’t know if it was because of public pressure, or something with the Department of Justice, we were never privy⁹ as to why the program was stopped," said Osborne.

Four years after it was introduced, the military has not used it either. 

Researchers say fear of the unknown is a big factor. Stephanie Miller¹⁰ is one of its developers and has tested it on herself many times.

"Understanding it very well, I say it’s not exotic, but people who don’t understand about it feel that it’s kind of mysterious. I think we’ve not embraced it because it’s new," said Miller.

Recent riots in Afghanistan have brought the device to the forefront again. 

Joseph Trevithick is a defense¹¹ analyst¹². 

Especially with the recent Quran burning incident we see the need for dispersing¹³ crowds outside of U.S. facilities or facilities where U.S. personnel are operating," he said. "These kinds of non-lethal systems provide that capability¹⁴."

By inviting¹⁵ journalists to watch, the military hopes to remove any mystery surrounding the Active Denial System. 

“Is there an apprehension¹⁶ of employing this kind of technology? I would say probably. It’s something that’s not well understood," said Colonel Tafolla.

With millions of dollars spent on developing the technology and budget cuts expected soon, the pressure is on for U.S. forces to use the gun or perhaps end the program. 

1 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

2 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。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 munition   

n.军火；军需品；v.给某部门提供军火

参考例句：

• The rebels bombed the munition factory.叛军轰炸了兵工厂。
• The soldiers had plenty of arms and munition!士兵们有充足的武器和弹药！

7 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 privy   

adj.私用的；隐密的

参考例句：

• Only three people,including a policeman,will be privy to the facts.只会允许3个人，其中包括一名警察，了解这些内情。
• Very few of them were privy to the details of the conspiracy.他们中很少有人知道这一阴谋的详情。

10 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

11 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。

12 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。

13 dispersing   

adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. 而汽油烟气却靠近地面迟迟不散。
• Earthworms may be instrumental in dispersing fungi or bacteria. 蚯蚓可能是散布真菌及细菌的工具。

14 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

15 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

16 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。