Read the text and say why bioterrorism is considered difficult to prevent

Reading

Watch the pronunciation of the following words and phrases

Pronunciation

Talking Point

II. Explain the meaning of the following words

1. to be engaged in

2. revolutionary terrorism

3. subrevolutionary terrorism

4. establishment terrorism

5. practitioner

6. to overthrow

7. faction

8. attain objectives

9. menace

10. to terrorize citizens

11. prolific

12. to do damage

13. to disrupt

14. to hack

15. to sabotage

16. drug traffickers

17. state-sponsored terrorism

18. bioterrorism

19. ecoterrorusm

20. cyberterrorism

21. nuclear terrorism

22. narcoterrorism

Discuss the following questions in groups. Don’t forget to use active vocabulary!

1. Do you think the classifications mentioned in the text are relevant? What are their weak and strong points?

2. Could you propose any other classification?

3. What types of terrorism are the most dangerous ones? Prove your viewpoint. Give examples.

Text 2. “Bioterrorism”

1. pathogen

2. anthrax

3. to disperse

4. contagious

5. smallpox

6. vaccine

7. antibiotic

Whereas an effective terrorist attack involving chemical agents could cause tens or hundreds of thousands of casualties, an effective attack using biological pathogens could result in millions. It is well known that members of the Al Qaeda organization have sought to acquire biological agents for attack and have contacts with states that possess biological weapons programs. The anthrax attacks that followed the September 11 attacks effectively ended the debate about whether or not terrorists could acquire and use biological agents. They have done so and they will continue to do so.

The good news is that biological pathogens are generally difficult to weaponize – that is, it is difficult to take them from a laboratory, produce them in large quantities, and turn them into a form that can be effectively dispersed to cause mass casualties. The bad news is that terrorists would need only a small quantity of a highly contagious pathogen like smallpox to infect enough people to cause mass casualties. Each infected individual, in effect, would become a walking biological weapon – a danger whose dimensions are magnified in our modern, mobile society. A local bio-attack could quickly become a national crisis with the potential to destroy the country.

Today’s security measures are not adequate to prevent the theft of dangerous pathogens. Furthermore, literally tons of Cold War-era biological weapons agents are easy to obtain.

In addition, we are ill prepared to prevent the dire consequences of a large-scale bioterrorism attack. We currently lack the stockpiles of vaccines and antibiotics and the means of rapid distribution that would be required for an effective response. We also lack trained and equipped cadres of first responders to cope with such a crisis.

Our governments also lack adequate management strategies, plans and information systems to cope with a bioterrorism attack.

The less prepared we are for a bioterrorism event, the greater the panic that is likely to follow, and the more threats there will be to civil liberties and people’s lives.

Only by preparing for the worst case scenario can we hope to limit its consequencies.

(Abridged by Kurt M.Campbell, Michele A.Flournoy. “To Prevail”)

Дата добавления: 2015-07-13