新西兰英语 312 New Zealand’s interest in Cambodian cou

　　Today, a United Nations court sitting in Cambodia, found one of Pol Pot’s leaders guilty of war crimes. The man called Duch was the chief of Khmer Rouge¹’s main prison, S-21, where around 16,000 people were tortured and then murdered. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He has already been in prison for 11 years. Four other Khmer Rouge leaders will go on trial next.
New Zealand is interested in this court for three reasons. First, we have many refugees² who escaped from Cambodia during the time of Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979. They had friends and family who were among the 1.7 Cambodian people murdered.
Secondly³, a New Zealander, Kerry Hamill, was one of those people tortured and murdered by Duch. In 1978, he was sailing in a yacht⁴ off the coast of Thailand when strong winds blew his yacht south into Cambodian waters. He was taken to S-21 prison and later murdered. His brother, Rob Hamill, is a well known Olympic rower. Last year, Rob visited the prison and saw where his brother had died. He told the court about how his family had suffered. He returned to Cambodia this month to hear the guilty verdict⁵.
The last reason that New Zealand is interested is because one of the five judges appointed by the United Nations is a New Zealand judge. She is Dame⁶ Silvia Cartwright. She was a judge and later became Governor General of New Zealand.
Questions
1. Duch said he was just doing what he was told to do. Was he responsible for the murders at the prison?
2. How can a human being do such things to other human beings?
3. These events happened more than 30 years ago. Is it too late to hold a trial?

1 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

2 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

3 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

4 yacht   

n.游艇，快艇

参考例句：

• He was responsible for the location of the missing yacht.他负责查明失踪游艇的下落。
• He planned to cross the Pacific by yacht.他曾打算乘快艇横渡太平洋。

5 verdict   

n.裁决，结论，定论，判断

参考例句：

• The verdict of the jury was given in his favour.陪审团作出了对他有利的结论。
• Not satisfied with the verdict,they decided to make an appeal.他们不服判决，决定申诉。

6 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。