美国学生失踪12年 最后竟成金正恩的老师?

 　　If true, it could be one of the most astonishing stories to ever emerge from North Korea.

　　如果这是真的，那么这将会是朝鲜最匪夷所思的故事。

　　A media report last Friday repeated claims that a 24-year-old American man was kidnapped in China in 2004 and taken to Pyongyang to work as an English tutor for current leader Kim Jong Un.

　　上周五，再次有媒体报道称，一位24岁的美国学生于2004年在中国被绑架后，被带到朝鲜给现任领导人金正恩当英语老师。

　　However, the US State Department says there is no evidence to confirm reports that missionary¹ David Sneddon was seized while hiking in China's Yunnan province.

　　然而，美国国务院表示，并无证据证明失踪的大卫·斯奈登是在中国云南登山时被抓到了朝鲜。

　　"The embassy in Beijing has been in regular, ongoing² contact with the local authorities since David Sneddon was reported missing." US State Department Spokesman John Kirby said.

　　美国国务院发言人约翰·科比表示：“自斯奈登被报道失踪后，北京的大使馆一直有定期与当地政府保持联系。”

　　美国学生失踪12年 最后竟成金正恩的老师?

　　Sneddon went missing near the Tiger Leaping Gorge⁴, just over 12 years ago, and when investigators⁵ failed to find any trace of him, Chinese authorities suggested he may have fallen to his death.

　　12年前，斯奈登在云南虎跳峡附近失踪，调查人员找不到任何线索，中国政府表示，他可能已经遇难。

　　Roy and Kathleen Sneddon have been searching for their son for more than a decade, including trips to China and petitions to the United States congress, according to their websitewww.helpfinddavid.com.

　　在过去十多年来，斯奈登的父亲罗伊和母亲凯思琳从未放弃过寻找儿子，他们还建了一个“帮忙寻找大卫”的网站，上面记录着他们到中国去找寻以及到美国国会请愿的过程。

　　"Our goal is to ensure that the US government does everything possible to investigate his likely abduction and secure his safe return to the US."

　　“我们的目的就是请求美国政府用尽所有可能的办法，调查我们儿子是否被绑架，并保证他安全的回到美国。”

　　According to his parents' website, Sneddon spoke³ fluent Korean as well as some Mandarin⁶. He had been working in Seoul, South Korea as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

　　据他父母网站上的介绍，斯奈登会讲流利的韩语和一些中文。此外，斯奈登还曾在韩国首尔的一家教堂担任过传教士。

1 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 gorge   

n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃

参考例句：

• East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
• It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。