CNN 2012-05-12

 Nice job on that iReport, Madison (ph).We're glad to see all of you tuning¹ in to this midweek edition of CNN Student News.My name is Carl Azuz.Let's get started.

 

First up,investigators are studying an explosive device that they say could have ended up on a plane heading to the United States.This is part of an alleged² terror plot that officials say was broken up recently. They seized the explosive device and authorities say the person who intended to use it is no longer a threat.

 

Intelligence agencies say this plot started in the nation of Yemen. That`s the home base for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula which has been described as the most dangerous Al Qaeda affiliate³. 

 

This group was behind several attempted plots, like the so-called Underwear Bomber⁴ in 2009. The officials who broke up this plot say the device was similar to ones that the terrorist group has used before, like the ones you`re seeing in this video. They say it never posed an immediate⁵ danger, but they also described it as much more sophisticated than previous explosives. 

 

That's causing concerns that the Al Qaeda group could be advancing its bombmaking techniques. 

 

There are a lot of unanswered questions about this plot right now. How is it broken up? Where is the person who was planning to use the explosive? What officials have said is that this bomb was designed to slip past airport metal detectors⁶. On Monday, Brian Todd was reporting on the possibility of that happening.

 

That is the huge question today. That is really being debated. Now Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rodgers, have just said, essentially⁷, last night and this morning,that they believe that these scanners would have detected this potential explosive.

 

But if you talk to terrorism experts and security experts, that is not at all clear,that even these so-called back-scatter, these body scanners would have detected it.You know, they're-- and also these body scanners are not used in every airport overseas, not even used in every airport in the United States. 

 

So it's a question of implementing⁸ those where they need to be and, again, whether they are sophisticated right now, sophisticated enough to actually detect these types of bombs, and that is really not at all clear at this point.

1 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 affiliate   

vt.使隶(附)属于；n.附属机构，分公司

参考例句：

• Our New York company has an affiliate in Los Angeles.我们的纽约公司在洛杉矶有一个下属企业。
• What is the difference between affiliate and regular membership?固定会员和附属会员之间的区别是什么？

4 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句