VOA常速英语:In US, EgyptAir Disaster Prompts Renewed Focus on Aviation Security

WASHINGTON—Washington is refocused on aviation security after last week’s EgyptAir disaster over the Mediterranean that killed all 66 on board the flight from Paris to Cairo. Although the cause of the deadly crash has yet to be determined, U.S. lawmakers are renewing demands that airport screening be both thorough and speedy.
 
The EgyptAir disaster raises questions and concerns at a time when U.S. air travelers already experience record lines and delays passing through security. Some lawmakers are pointing a finger at Islamic State for last week’s crash.
就在埃航空难再次引发人们关注航空安全问题之际，美国航空旅行的乘客们却经历着通过安全检查时创纪录的排长队及长时间的拖延。一些议员认定上周的坠机事件是极端恐怖组织“ISIS”所为。

“We know they successfully took down an airliner flying from Egypt to Russia,” said Republican Congressman Ed Royce on ABC-TV’s This Week program. “We know that they are working on a bomb that’s undetectable.”
“我们知道他们成功地击落一架从埃及飞往俄罗斯的飞机。我们知道他们正在研究制造一枚不能被安全系统检测到的炸弹。”

If lawmakers are assuming a heightened terrorist threat until evidence proves otherwise, pressure will mount on federal airport screeners, widely reported to be understaffed and overburdened even on the best of days.
议员们推断恐怖威胁程度提高了，而直到有证据证明他们这样的推断不成立,那联邦机场的安检人员将会一直面临巨大压力,据广泛报道安检存在人手不足,即使最好的情况下也面临不堪重负的问题。

“One of the difficulties we’ve had is with a great deal of turnover at TSA, and there are certainly management problems at TSA,” Royce added.
“我们的困难之一是TSA的人员流动性过大,当然还有管理方面的问题。” Royce补充道.

Complex task
 
“We have retrained our entire workforce, corrected procedures, improved our technology and analyzed systemic issues,” said TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger testifying on Capitol Hill earlier this year. “I am also confident that TSA is able to deter, detect and disrupt threats to our aviation system.”
“我们已经重新训练全部人员,修正程序,改进我们的技术及分析系统问题的能力，” 美国运输安全管理局的Peter Neffenger坚称已经堵住了去年安全检查中暴露出的无法发现及存在的安全漏洞。“我也相信TSA能够阻止,检测出及瓦解对我们航空系统的威胁。”
 
Security may be improved, but tempers have been flaring at U.S. airports with some travelers waiting hours to board their flights, or missing flights because of long security check lines.
安全检查机制可能会得到改善,但一些旅客仍在美国机场滞留等待数小时才能登机，这样的愤怒还没有得到平息。

“On the one hand, we are looking for 100 percent security,” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson at a hearing where TSA whistleblowers came forward. “On the other hand, we are looking for complete efficiency so that lines don’t back up. It’s an enormously complex and difficult task.”
“一方面,我们正在寻找100%的安全检测方法。另一方面,我们也在寻找不用长时间排队等待就能完成检查的效率。而这是一项非常复杂且十分艰巨的任务。”

As America enters the busy summer travel season, the White House has a simple message – safety comes first.
随着美国进入繁忙异常的夏季旅游旺季,白宫方面传达出一项简明扼要的信息-那就是安全第一。

“Obviously, our first priority is making sure that people are safe,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Friday. “TSA must continue its rigorous security screenings and we're not going to lower our standards for the sake of convenience.”
“很明显,我们的首要任务是确保人民的安全。TSA必须继续秉承一贯的严格安全检查,我们不会出于方便考虑就降低我们的标准。”

Once pinpointed, the cause of the EgyptAir disaster may or may not heighten concerns about the ability of terrorists to down airliners. But lawmakers aren’t waiting and will be pressing for answers at hearings this week.
一旦查明埃及航空公司空难的真正原因，恐怖分子击落飞机的能力可能引发人们的担忧，也可能不会。但议员们不会就此等待,本周的听证会上他们就会进行施压得到期望的答案。