新奇事件簿 布兰妮歌曲成反恐神器

Ship captains in the Indian Ocean are using a new tactic¹ to keep pirates² away – songs sung by U.S. pop star Britney Spears. An officer with Britain's merchant navy, Rachel Owens, said Britney Spears' songs did a good job against Somali pirates. Ms Owens, 34, said: "[Britney's] songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most. These guys can't stand Western culture or music, making Britney's hits perfect." A spokesman³ for a security company said playing loud pop music was an effective way of stopping attacks on ships. He said not all shipping⁴ companies choose Britney Spears' music. He added: "Each security company will have its own music choice."

印度洋海域船长正在使用新方法来抵制海盗，那就是美国流行歌手布兰妮·斯皮尔斯的歌曲。英国商船队军官雷切尔·欧文斯称斯皮尔斯的歌曲在对抗索马里海盗上非常奏效。34岁的欧文斯称布兰妮·斯皮尔斯的歌曲是安全部门选择的，他们认为海盗最讨厌这些歌曲。这些人讨厌西方文化或是西方音乐，这让布兰妮的歌曲正中下怀。一家安全企业的发言人称广播流行音乐是停止海上攻击的最有效的办法。他说不是所有的船舶公司都选择布兰妮·斯皮尔斯的音乐。他还说：“每家安全公司都选择自己的音乐。”

This is not the first time loud music has been used to scare people. It has even been used as a form of torture. Prison guards at Guantanamo Bay started using music in 2003 to keep prisoners awake. In 2008, prisoners had to listen to very loud music for weeks and months. A former Guantanamo prisoner, Ruhal Ahmed, explained that the loud music played in his cell for weeks at a time was worse than being beaten up. He said: "It makes you feel like you are going mad." Many people think prisons must stop playing loud music to someone for days or weeks at a time. A human rights charity called Reprieve⁵ has started a campaign to end it. It wants rock stars to ban prisons from using their music for torture.

放大音量音乐已经不是第一次使用在吓人上。它甚至还是一种折磨人的方式。关塔那摩湾的监狱看守从2003年开始用音乐来叫醒犯人。2008年，犯人不得不连续数周或是数月来听刺耳的音乐。一名曾经关押在关塔那摩湾的犯人艾哈迈德解释道连续数周在监狱中听音乐甚至比被打还要难受。他说：“这会让你发疯。”许多人认为监狱必须停止对犯人连续几天或是数周的折磨。一个名叫“缓刑”的人权基金会发起了停止这项行为的活动。他们希望摇滚歌手能够禁止监狱利用他们的音乐来对犯人进行折磨。

1 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

2 pirates   

n.海盗( pirate的名词复数 )；剽窃者；侵犯版权者；非法播音的人（或组织）

参考例句：

• Children dressed (themselves) up as pirates. 孩子们假扮成海盗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The pirates treated their captives with barbarity. 海盗们残暴地对待他们的俘虏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

4 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

5 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。