VOA标准英语2015--美国参议院面临国内监管最后期限

US Senate Faces Deadline on Domestic Surveillance 美国参议院面临国内监管最后期限

WASHINGTON—

The future scope of the U.S. government’s domestic surveillance activities could be decided¹ this week as Congress works to reauthorize soon-to-expire anti-terrorism efforts while reforming a controversial data collection program.

At issue are activities of the secretive National Security Agency exposed by fugitive² former contractor³ Edward Snowden that created a political firestorm at home and abroad, and were recently ruled illegal by a federal appeals court.

Last week, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to end the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records.  The USA Freedom Act now awaits action in the Senate, where the NSA program has powerful defenders⁴.

“I think it is an important tool if we are going to have the maximum opportunity to defend our people here at home,” said Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on ABC’s “This Week” television program.

McConnell is one of several lawmakers arguing that heightened federal scrutiny⁵ of telephone communications might have prevented the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The NSA’s bulk data collection was launched in secret after 9-11, and goes too far, according to critics.

“If we accept that the government can collect all of our phone records, because it may – may – want to sift⁶ through them one day to look for some possible connections to terrorists, where is it going to end?” asked Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy.

Under the USA Freedom Act, telecommunications companies and not the government would store phone data.

McConnell says privacy concerns that prompted the bill are overblown and unwarranted, and that current law already safeguards Americans’ telephone activities.

“Nobody at NSA is routinely listening to your telephone conversations.  In order to intercept⁷ any actual discussion on a telephone, they [the NSA] have to go to a court, get a court order,” said McConnell. “I do not want us to go ‘dark’ [blind to threats] in effect, and I am afraid the House-passed bill will basically be the end of the program.”

But whether the program has actually defeated any terrorist plots is a matter of contention⁸, and will be the subject of intense Senate debate in the days to come.  The issue divides both Democrats⁹ and Republicans, and has exposed a rift¹⁰ on where to strike a balance between national security and civil liberty.  

“Terrorists are intent on destroying our very way of life, our nation’s foundation of freedom and justice for all,” said Republican Senator Steve Daines. “But as we strengthen our nation’s intelligence capabilities¹¹, we must with equal vigor¹² and determination protect our constitution, our civil liberties, the very foundation of this country.  If the forces of evil successfully propel our leaders in Washington to erode¹³ our core constitutional values, we will grant these terrorists a satisfying victory.  We must never allow this.”

The Senate has only days to act.  While the Patriot¹⁴ Act that covers bulk data collection expires June 1, the Senate will be in recess¹⁵ for the final week of this month.  An ongoing¹⁶ legal challenge to the NSA program is on track to be decided by the Supreme¹⁷ Court, but would be rendered moot¹⁸ if Congress terminates the program on its own.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

3 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

4 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 sift   

v.筛撒，纷落，详察

参考例句：

• Sift out the wheat from the chaff.把小麦的壳筛出来。
• Sift sugar on top of the cake.在蛋糕上面撒上糖。

7 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。

8 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

11 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

13 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

14 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

15 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

16 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

17 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

18 moot   

v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会

参考例句：

• The question mooted in the board meeting is still a moot point.那个在董事会上提出讨论的问题仍未决的。
• The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.石油和核能之间的关系还很有争议。