2015考研英语阅读奥萨马本拉登

　　Osama bin Laden

　　奥萨马本拉登

　　Osama bin Laden, the worlds most wanted terrorist,died on May 2nd, aged 54

　　奥萨马本拉登，世界头号通缉恐怖分子，于5月2日被击毙，终年54岁

　　May 5th 2011 | from the print edition

　　WHEN he gave interviews to foreign journalists,which he did rarely, Osama bin Laden had a way oflooking down at his hands. This, and his soft,slightly raspy voice, and his gentle eyesas well as the fact that he allowed no instantaneoustranslationhelped conceal what he was saying: that it was the duty of all Muslims to killunbelievers, especially Americans, and that when he had seen the bodies of the infidels flyinglike dust motes on September 11th 2001, his heart had filled with joy.

　　他很少接受采访，但是每次接受外国记者采访时，他总以特有的方式俯视着自己的双手，此外，他声音柔和，略微有些刺耳，眼神安详，而且他从不允许马上翻译他的话。所有这一切掩盖了他所传递的信息：消灭异教徒，尤其是美国人，是所有穆斯林共同的责任;2001年9月11日，当他目睹这些异教徒的尸骨如灰尘草芥般四处横飞时，他的内心洋溢着喜悦。

　　His mien was that of the sage, not the killer. He seldom shed blood himself, though histreasured Kalashnikov, which he carried everywhere, was said to have been wrested in singlecombat from a Russian soldier in Afghanistan. As a rule he observed from afar as his boysblew up the American base at Khobar in Saudi Arabia, or the USS Cole in Yemen or the American embassies in Kenyaand Tanzania, where in 1998 more than 200 died. Terrorism could be commendable orreprehensible, he smoothly agreed, but this was blessed terror, in defence of Islam. At firsthe denied any part in the 9/11 attacks, but at last pride got the better of him: yes, it was hewho had guided his 19 brothers towards their easy targets.

　　他有着圣人般的风范，毫无杀手的暴戾之气。虽然不管到哪，他都随身带着自己所珍爱的卡拉希尼科夫式冲锋枪，但是他自己很少动手杀人。通常，当他的孩子们炸飞美国在沙特亚科巴的军事基地，或者炸沉美国科尔号军舰，或者袭击美国在肯尼亚和坦桑尼亚的大使馆，他只是远远地观战。1998年这两起爆炸事件导致200多人死亡。若说恐怖主义可褒可贬，他是欣然同意的。但是他认为他所从事的是神圣的恐怖主义，旨在捍卫伊斯兰。起初，他否认自己参与911袭击事件，但是最后，他抑制不住内心的自豪感：是的，正是他，指使他19个弟兄毫不费力地袭击了他们的目标。

　　How he really saw himself was as a constructionengineer. Construction had made the bin Ladenfamily fortune, $5 billion at least, from which he hadinherited $25m-30m. In the 1980s he boughtexcavators, dump trucks and bulldozers, sometimesdriving them himself, digging trenches for themujahideen to fight along in Afghanistan against the Soviet invaders, blasting tunnels in themountains for their arms dumps and field hospitals, until in 1989 the unbeliever-enemywithdrew in shame and disgrace.

　　但是内心深处，他认为自己是一个建筑工程师。建筑业务为本拉登世家带来至少有50亿美元之巨的财富，而他继承了其中2500万到3000万美元的家产。80年代时，他买来挖土机，货车，和推土机，有时候自己亲自上阵，为圣战分子挖掘壕沟，帮助他们抗击入侵阿富汗的苏联人，同时他炸山头，挖隧道，连通武器库和战地医院。抗战一直持续到1989年，最后异教徒敌人无可奈何，悻悻地撤军走人。

　　He made roads in Sudan, too, when he was exiled there in the 1990s, including a new highwayfrom Khartoum to Port Sudan. But he was mostly building his terror network, starting withthe guesthouses and weapons he provided in Afghanistan through his maktab al-khidamat, then creating al-Qaeda, the base. Much of this was done with AbdullahAzzam, his religious mentor; later, the terror-work was directed by Ayman al-Zawahiri andothers; but it was he who first recorded, in hundreds of individual files, the details of each eagerrecruit, the date of arrival, what he had done for the cause. Keenly, he followed the mediacoverage of the atrocities he inspired, playing the worlds press like a violin when he chose. Hebuilt the brand and turned it into a global franchise; his face advertised it, even as hedisappeared. If just two fighters held up a piece of cloth with al-Qaeda on it, he said proudly,American generals would run to the place in swarms.

　　90年代流亡于苏丹时，他也在那里修路，包括喀土穆和苏丹港之间的崭新高速公路。但是他更多地是建造自己的恐怖网络。首先，他从自己的旅馆和通过服务办公室向阿富汗输送的武器着手，然后组建了基地组织。这期间很大一部分工作是由他的宗教导师阿卜杜拉阿赞完成的，之后，这一恐怖网络由阿扎维和其他人来指挥，但是第一个以数百份文件的形式记录每位狂热的新基地分子的详细信息，包括加入的日期，为圣战事业做出何等功绩的人就是他。他密切地关注媒体对于他所引导的残暴恐怖事件的报道，同时像拨弄小提琴般随心所欲地玩弄世界的媒体。他一手打造了基地这个品牌，并做大做强，分支涵盖全球。即便他杳无踪影，他的脸庞依旧是最好的代言。他自豪的宣称，只需两个武装分子举起一块基地组织字样的破布，美国的将军们便会争先恐后地冲向那里。

　　His mind and approach were those of a businessman. The same caution that characterised hisfugitive existence in Afghanistan and Pakistanavoiding phones, the internet, even watches,anything that might be used to track him, slipping from cave to safe house to compoundfeatured in his investments, which were profitable and practical. No political ideology guidedhim, though he might lie for hours at night thinking, or read for most of the day. The polite,pious rich boy, who had left university without a degree, became neither an intellectual nor avisionary.

　　他思维行事有如商人一般。这种谨慎贯穿于他在阿富汗和巴基斯坦的流亡生涯：他不用电话，不上网，甚至连手表都不用，只要是有可能追踪到他的东西，他一概不用。同时，他流窜于山洞，隐匿住房，大院中。这种谨慎也体现在他的投资当中，他的投资，既可盈利，又能解难。虽然晚上他会好几个小时躺着思考问题，或者白天大部分时间也都在阅读，但是他没有任何政治形态意识。这个礼貌而虔诚的富家公子，文凭都没拿一个就离开了大学，最后既没成为知识分子，也没成为一个卓识之士。