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Airport Theft: Don’t Become a Victim 勿成为机场窃案的受害者

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Remember the good old days of air travel when passengers had the right to lock their own luggage? As a consequence of the September 11 terrorist attacks, those days are a fading memory.

还记得美好昔日坐飞机的旅客有权把自己的行李锁起来吗？自从911恐怖攻击事件之后，那些日子已成为昨日黄花。

As part of its efforts to beef up national security, the U.S. Congress recently passed legislation on requiring the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to inspect all luggage for explosives. TSA, in turn, has requested passengers to leave their luggage unlocked. Although this policy has the laudable objective of preventing bombs from getting onto airplanes, it has resulted in an increase of airport theft. There were 6,700 complaints filed with TSA in the first six months of this new policy. Part of the problem has been TSA’s failure to complete background checks for all of its 22,000 new airport workers. Disturbingly, eighty-five felons were fired, only to be dismissed later on when their criminal records came to light.

为了促进国家安全，美国国会最近通过立法要求运输安全管理局针对爆裂物检查所有的行李。所以运输安全管理局就要求所有的旅客不准把行李上锁。虽然这项为了防止炸弹上飞机的政策值得赞赏，但也因此导致机场窃案增加。新政策实行六个月以来，运输安全管理局已经接到了六千七百件申诉案。这问题有部分原因在于运输安全管理局没有对总共二万二千名新增加的机场员工做好背景调查，结果很麻烦地顾来了85位有案底的人，直到后来前科纪录曝光才解职。

On top of all that, procedures at airports have been thrown into chaos because of the screening mandate. At some airports, inspection is done within view of passengers, while at others it is not. In either case, it is passengers who must endure the headache of more time spent in airports. Ah, the good old days.

尤其，为了执行这项检查，机场作业程序大乱。有些机场检查是在旅客注视下完成的，有些则否。无论如何，结果旅客都得忍受必须在机场花更多的时间。啊，美好的昔日真令人怀念。

Vocabulary

单词发音

beef up 增强，加强

inspect [ɪnˋspɛkt] v. 检查；审查

explosive [ɪkˋsplosɪv] n. 爆炸物；炸药

laudable [ˋlɔdəb!] adj.【正式】值得称赞[赞美]的

file [faɪl] v. 提出（申请等）；提起（诉讼等）

background check  背景调查

disturbingly [dɪ`stɝbɪŋlɪ] adv. 令人不安地

felon [ˋfɛlən] n.【法律】重罪犯

dismiss [dɪsˋmɪs] v. 免……的职；解雇；开除

come to light 暴露, 真相大白 be revealed or disclosed

screening [ˋskrinɪŋ] n.（用筛子）筛过；审查

mandate [ˋmændet] n. 命令，指令

Sentence of the Day

Some of the new employees are in cahoots with each other.

有些新进员工相互合谋共事。

cahoots [kəˋhuts] n. 与…合伙; 与…共谋[勾结]

课文讲解

You are on your dream vacation and things are going great – until you discover valuables are missing from your luggage. What can you do? The answer to that question is a little murky.

你终于踏上了你的梦想之旅，一切都很顺利──直到你发现行李里面值钱的东西不翼而飞了。你怎么办？对于能采取什么行动并不清楚。

Airlines say they are only liable for lost or damaged luggage, not for stolen property. Meanwhile, TSA has been accepting claims for stolen items, but has so far settled very few claims. Both parties admit that they are presently negotiating how to allocate liability for stolen goods. Accordingly, passengers who have been ripped off are being advised to file a claim with both their airline and TSA.

航空公司说他们只对行李遗失或受损负责，并不包含财物被窃。同时，运输安全管理局已经开始接受财物被窃的申诉，但是到目前为止没有发挥太大的效果。双方承认现正在协商如何厘清财物被窃的责任归属。因此，掉了财物的旅客都被劝导同时向航空公司和运输安全管理局两个单位提出申诉。

What can travelers do to prevent theft in the first place? The most sensible thing is to place all valuables in carry-on luggage. American rap star Lil’Kim learned his hard lesson when US$250,000 in jewelry stolen from her baggage was found in the locker of a J.F.K. Airport security employee.

不过首先旅客自己要怎么做以防遭窃？最合理的做法就是把所有值钱的东西放在手提行李内。美国的饶舌歌手李尔金就学到了痛苦教训，他价值25万美元的珠宝从行李中被偷走，然后在纽约肯尼迪国际机场安全雇员的置物箱中被找到了。

Another preventive measure is to purchase supplemental insurance from a private insurance carrier. To ensure that you have the necessary information to file a claim, make an itemized list of everything in your luggage, including complete descriptions and replacement costs. By taking precautionary measures, your dream vacation may not become the opportunity for a five-finger discount.

另一项防范措施是向私人的保险公司购买补偿保险。为了确保你有必要的信息申请理赔，把你行李里所有的东西列一张清单，包括完整的说明和重置成本。要采取预防措施，你所梦想的渡假之旅才不会成为别人顺手牵羊的发财机会。

－by William F. Levings

Vocabulary

单词发音

murky [ˋmɝkɪ] adj. 含糊的，暧昧的

liable [ˋlaɪəb!] adj. 负有法律责任的，有义务的

allocate [ˋælə͵ket] v. 分派；分配

liability [͵laɪəˋbɪlətɪ] n. 责任，义务

accordingly [əˋkɔrdɪŋlɪ] adv. 因此；于是

rip off【俚】偷窃; 抢劫; 夜盗(商店等)

sensible [ˋsɛnsəb!] adj.【尤英】明智的﹐合理的﹐实际的

learn one’s lesson 汲取教训

supplemental [ˌsʌplə'mentəl] adj. 附加的; 补充的

itemize [ˋaɪtəm͵aɪz] v. 分条列述；详细列举

precautionary [prɪˋkɔʃən͵ɛrɪ] adj. 预先警戒的；小心的

five-finger discount【俚】【婉】商店行窃；商店顺手牵羊 stealing, theft or pilferage

Sentence of the Day

There are a few rotten apples out there.

一些老鼠屎坏了一锅粥。

rotten apples 坏蛋, 害群之马