(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.
European officials have traveled to Washington seeking more information about American spying programs.
On Tuesday, the director of the National Security Agency, Army General Keith Alexander, defended the NSA at a hearing in Congress. He denied accusations that the NSA collected the records of millions of French and Spanish telephone calls.
"Those screenshots that show, or at least lead people to believe that we, NSA, or the United States, collected that information is false. And it's false that it was collected on European citizens. It was neither."
The accusations follow information leaked by Edward Snowden, the former NSA contract worker who has been given asylum in Russia.
General Alexander said the agency has received targeted information from phone calls by some Europeans, through NATO allies.
"The sources of the metadata include data legally collected by NSA under its various authorities, as well as data provided to NSA by foreign partners. To be perfectly clear, this is not information that we collected on European citizens."
Metadata would include details about a call, but not the contents of the call. But earlier reports said intelligence officials listened to the calls of as many as 35 world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The European Parliament sent a delegation to Washington to express anger. The delegation met with members of Congress and government officials. Parliament member Jan Philipp Albrecht told VOA that the spying on Chancellor Merkel was simply too much.
"Now people are really concerned. They see that it's not any longer connected to a terrorist threat, because Angela Merkel is not a terrorist, or not part of a terrorist ring. And they think that there was a red line crossed, which is now spying on everybody about everything."
Mr. Albrecht called for American legislation to balance national security needs with the responsibility to protect basic civil rights.
On Tuesday, American lawmakers held a hearing on possible changes to NSA spying programs. Mike Rogers is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He says it is overly simplistic to think that other countries do not operate their own spying programs. But another Republican Party lawmaker, Senator Susan Collins, took a different position. In her words, "Friends do not spy on friends."
Later in the week, the Washington Post reported that the NSA secretly broke into the communication networks of Google and Yahoo. Both Internet companies said they have not approved the reported actions involving their communication links.
General Alexander has said his agency does not enter Google and Yahoo servers. He said the NSA gains access to data by "court order."
Paul Tiao formerly served as an adviser to the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He says all the publicity has made the NSA's job harder.
"NSA is facing significant challenges, both in terms of its public reputation, the level of trust that the public has in NSA,and then also policy issues, legislation that's pending that the new NSA director is going to have to deal with. That could change the nature of NSA's authority with respect to its intelligence collection mission."
Obama administration officials have promised to examine the NSA's programs. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says the review will be completed by the end of the year.
And that's In the News from VOA Learning English. I'm Jean Kelly.
VOA英文文本来自51VOA，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
参考译文
美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是时事新闻。
欧洲官员已经前往华盛顿，了解关于美国监控项目的更多信息。
周二，美国国家安全局(NSA)局长，陆军将军亚历山大(Keith Alexander)在国会听证会上为NSA的行为辩护。他否认NSA收集了数百万法国和西班牙电话记录的指控。
“那些表明或者至少误导人们相信NSA或美国收集信息的截屏是不实的。我们监控欧洲公民通话记录来收集信息的指控也是不实的。两者都如此。”
该指控紧随已经获得俄罗斯收容的前NSA雇员泄露信息之后。
亚历山大将军表示，国家安全局已经通过北约盟国从一些欧洲人的电话中获得了有针对性的信息。
“元数据来源包括NSA从各部门合法收集的数据和外国合作伙伴向NSA提供的数据。更明确一点，这并不是我们从欧洲公民那里收集来的信息。”
元数据包括电话详细信息，而不包括电话内容。但是此前的报道称情报官员监听了多达35位世界领导人的电话，包括德国总理默克尔。欧洲议会向华盛顿派出代表团表达愤怒之情。该代表团与国会成员和政府官员举行了会谈。议会成员菲利普·阿尔布雷希特(Jan Philipp Albrecht)告诉VOA，对总理默克尔的监控太过分了。
“现在，人们非常担忧。他们认为这已经不再与恐怖主义威胁相关，因为默克尔不是恐怖分子，也不是恐怖主义团伙的一部分。他们认为，美国的行为跨越了红线，开始监控每个人的每件事。”
阿尔布雷希特要求美国立法机构在国家安全需求与保护基本民权的责任之间保持平衡。
周二，美国立法者召开听证会，讨论是否可能对NSA监控项目做出改革。迈克·罗杰斯(Mike Rogers)是众议院情报委员会主席。他表示，如果认为其他国家没有进行自己的间谍活动，这也太单纯了。但是另外一名共和党立法者，参议员苏珊·科林斯(Susan Collins)则持不同看法。用她的话说，“朋友不会监控朋友。”
本周晚期，《华盛顿邮报》报道称，NSA秘密入侵谷歌和雅虎的通讯网络。这两家网络公司均表示他们没有授权NSA入侵他们通讯连接的行为。
亚历山大将军表示，NSA没有入侵谷歌和雅虎服务器。他表示，NSA根据“法院命令”获得数据。
刁明伦(Paul Tiao)曾担任联邦调查局局长顾问。他表示，民众的关注导致NSA的工作更加困难。
“NSA正面临非常严峻的挑战，无论是公众信誉度，公众对NSA的信任方面，还是悬而未决的政策方面，这是新任NSA局长必须面临的问题。这可能会改变国安局各部门关于其情报收集天职方面的性质。”
奥巴马政府官员已经承诺检查NSA的项目。白宫新闻秘书卡尼表示，审查工作将于今年年底结束。
以上就是今天的美国之音慢速学英语时事新闻。我是Jean Kelly。
词汇学习
1.accusation n. 指责，谴责；指控
I don't want to make an accusation until I have some proof.
我要有一些证据以后才提出控告。
2.simplistic adj. 过分单纯化的
They had an equally simplistic view of me which pivoted on money.
他们对我的看法一样简单，而且看法的轴心就是金钱。
3.approve v. 赞成，同意；赞许
Nobody would approve your ideal plans for reforming the system of government.
没有人会赞成你的关于改革政体的不切实际的计划。
4.publicity n. 宣传；广告；关注
Much advance publicity was given to the talks.
对于这次会谈有很多前期报道。
5.review n. 复查，重新考虑；回顾；检讨
The president ordered a review of US economic aid to Jordan...
总统下令对美国向约旦提供的经济援助进行审查。
6.significant adj. 重要的；值得注意的
A small but significant number of 11-year-olds are illiterate.
数量不多但仍有相当一部分 11 岁孩子是文盲。
7.pend vi. 悬而未决
Today, I finally left College Station, where I had pended four and half years.
终于今天我离开了读了四年半的书的大学站。
内容解析
1.The sources of the metadata include data legally collected by NSA under its various authorities, as well as data provided to NSA by foreign partners.
as well as既…又…，不仅…而且…
He was out of sorts physically, as well as disordered mentally.
他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
2.Parliament member Jan Philipp Albrecht told VOA that the spying on Chancellor Merkel was simply too much.
too much<非正>过分<非正>
Don't worry too much about what she said—she tends to dramatize things.
别太在意她说的话—她往往言过其实。
3.They see that it's not any longer connected to a terrorist threat, because Angela Merkel is not a terrorist, or not part of a terrorist ring.
not any longer不再
He doesn't stir me, not any longer. But I depend on him.
尽管他再也激动不了我，可我还是要依靠他。
4.NSA is facing significant challenges, both in terms of its public reputation, the level of trust that the public has in NSA.
in terms of就…而言
He referred to your work in terms of high praise.
他对你的工作大加赞扬。
