(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
US Report on Mass Attacks: Mental Health a Major Factor
Two-thirds of all mass public attacks in the United States last year were carried out by someone with mental health problems. In more than one-third of the attacks, the attacker killed himself at the site of the attack or shortly after leaving.
Those findings come a new report from the country's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC). The NTAC is part of the United States Secret Service.
The researchers looked at 27 attacks in public spaces in which three or more people were injured or killed. The attacks took place in 18 states. Ninety-one people were killed in all. Another 107 people were wounded.
Such attacks included the February 2018 high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. The researchers also looked at the October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Jewish religious center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eleven people died in that attack.
U.S. officials are searching for ways to decrease such violence.
"We don't have a magic wand," said NTAC Chief Lina Alathari. "There's not a single solution to everything."
What is behind an attack?
The report was able to identify some broad themes in the attacks. For example, 89 percent of the attacks involved firearms and 70 percent happened at a place of business, such as a bank or office building.
Twenty-five of the 27 attacks were carried out by males.
The youngest attacker was a 15-year-old high school student in Benton, Kentucky. He killed two classmates and injured 10 more. The oldest attacker was a 64-year-old man who walked into a restaurant in Hurtsboro, Alabama, where he reportedly shot and killed the owner and another person.
More than half of the incidents were connected to personal disputes at work or at home.
NTAC researchers blamed just two of the 27 attacks on ideology. The report says hatred of Jews was behind the deadly shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue. And, it said a February 18 truck attack at a medical center in New Jersey was carried out because the attacker opposes the right of women to medically end their pregnancies.
Looking for warning signs
The NTAC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are urging communities to look for any signs that someone is at risk of becoming violent. The agencies are trying to educate the public about possible warning signs and what actions observers can take.
NTAC's Alathari said, "We want to identify individuals early to deter them off that path."
The NTAC and DHS have been contacting state and local officials, as well as schools, businesses and mental health agencies to provide free training and advice. A large part of the goal is to make sure people feel at ease coming forward with information.
DHS acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said people should trust their feelings. "Prevention of mass attacks is truly a community effort," he said.
Officials believe at least that part of the message is getting through. In more than 75 percent of the mass attacks in 2018, someone shared concerns about the attacker before the attack took place.
But, officials admit, this is not enough.
Alathari said, "If the community is sharing their concerns, then it's really incumbent on the person in authority to act on those concerns, whether it's law enforcement, a workplace manager, (or) a school administrator."
But many believe that U.S. policies still fall short of a solution. Critics argue that officials are too centered on mental health.
"With all these incidents, there's a common denominator of firearms and easy access to guns and ammunition," said Colin Clarke, an expert at The Soufan Center.
"We still can't predict human behavior," Clarke noted. "We can come up with all the great technologies in the world but if guns are still readily available this (more mass shootings) is going to be the result."
I'm Ashley Thompson.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. at risk of 处境危险；有风险的；在危险中；
A suppressed immune system puts a transplant recipient at risk of other infections.
接受器官移植的病人免疫系统受到抑制后很可能会感染其他疾病。
2. at ease （使）自在；（使）安逸；（使）不拘束；
It is essential to feel at ease with your therapist.
在治疗师面前放松下来是很重要的。
3. come forward 自告奋勇；主动提供(信息)；
Investigations have ground to a standstill because no witnesses have come forward.
调查陷入停滞，因为没有证人站出来。
4. fall short of 未达到；不符合；
The hotel fell far short of their expectations.
旅馆远没有他们预期的那么好。
参考译文
美国发布大规模袭击报告 心理健康是主要因素
在美国去年发生的所有大规模公共场所袭击中，有三分之二的袭击者患有心理健康问题。在超过三分之一的袭击中，袭击者在袭击现场或离开现场不久后自杀。
这些发现来自美国国家威胁评估中心（简称NTAC）发布的最新报告。美国国家威胁评估中心隶属于美国特勤局。
研究人员查看了公共场所发生的27起袭击，这些袭击均造成三人及以上受伤或死亡。袭击发生地遍布美国18个州。这些袭击共造成91人死亡。另有107人受伤。
这类袭击包括2018年2月佛罗里达州帕克兰市发生的高中枪击案，这起枪击案造成17人死亡。研究人员还查看了2018年10月发生在宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡生命之树犹太教堂的枪击案。11人在该枪击案中丧生。
美国官员正在寻找减少这类暴力事件的方法。
美国国家威胁评估中心主管莉娜·阿拉泰里说，“我们没有魔杖。也没有万能解决方案。”
袭击背后
报告发现了这些袭击的主要共同点。举例来说，89%的袭击涉及枪支，70%发生在银行或办公楼等营业场所。
27起袭击中有25起由男性发动。
年龄最小的袭击者是肯塔基州本顿市的一名15岁高中生。他杀害了两名同学，致10余人受伤。年龄最大的袭击者是一名64岁的男性，据报道，他闯进阿拉巴马州赫茨伯勒市一家餐厅，杀害了餐厅老板和另一个人。
半数以上的袭击案与工作或家庭中的私人纠纷有关。
美国国家威胁评估中心的研究员将27起袭击中的2起归咎于意识形态分歧。报告表示，仇视犹太人是导致匹兹堡犹太教堂致命枪击案的原因。报告指出，2月18日新泽西州一家医疗中心发生了一起卡车袭击，原因是袭击者反对女性拥有人工流产的权利。
寻找警告信号
美国国家威胁评估中心和美国国土安全部（简称DHS）敦促社区寻找能证明某人可能会产生暴力的信号。这两个机构正在试图教导公众了解可能的警告信号，以及观察员可以采取的行动。
美国国家威胁评估中心的阿拉泰里说，“我们希望能提前发现有问题的个体，阻止他们走上袭击之路。”
美国国家威胁评估中心和美国国土安全部一直与各州和地方官员、学校、企业以及心理健康机构保持联系，同时提供免费培训和建议。主要目标是确保人们在主动提供线索时能感觉轻松自在。
美国国土安全部代理部长凯文·麦卡利南表示，人们应该信任自已的感觉。他说，“预防大规模袭击真的需要社区努力。”
官员认为，至少这部分信息能传递下去。在2018年发生的大规模袭击中，有超过75%的袭击在发生前曾有人提出过对袭击者的担心。
但是，官员承认，这并不够。
阿拉泰里说，“如果社区共同探讨他们担心的问题，那无论是执法人员、公司管理层还是学校行政官员，凡是权威人士都有责任采取行动解决这些担心。”
但许多人认为美国政策无法解决问题。批评者称，官员过于关注心理健康问题了。
The Soufan Center的专家科林·克拉克说，“这些案件的共同问题是枪支，以及袭击者能轻易获得枪支和弹药。”
克拉克指出，“我们还不能预测人类行为。我们可以想出世界上所有伟大的技术，但如果枪支仍然如此轻易就能得到，那很可能会发生规模更大的枪击案。”
阿什利·汤普森报道。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
