-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
每年尼日利亚都会损失相当数量的石油,这些石油都去向何处了呢?
Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English, I’m
Neil and with me today is Jennifer.
Jennifer: Hi there. In 6 Minute English, we take a story from the BBC news, have a
chat about it and teach you some words on the way!
Neil: Now Jennifer, I have a bit of a sensitive question to ask you…
Jennifer: Oh, I’m not sure if I want to answer this… What is it?
Neil: I want to know if you have ever stolen anything.
Jennifer: How dare you! Of course I haven’t!
Neil: Really? Nothing? Not even a pen from work?
Jennifer: Well, OK, maybe a pen from work…
Neil: How about five billion dollars-worth of oil?
Jennifer: What!?
Neil: Yes, apparently1 about five billion dollars-worth of crude oil is stolen from
Nigeria every year and it’s causing massive economic problems for the
African country.
Jennifer: This sounds like the beginning of a quiz question…
Neil: Yes it is. What is the capital city of Nigeria? Is it:
a) Lagos
b) Abuja
c) Freetown
Jennifer: I don’t know but I will take a guess. I think it is Lagos.
Neil: We will find out at the end of the programme. Now a few facts about the
oil industry in Nigeria.
Jennifer: Oil is the country’s largest industry and nearly all of it is found around the
delta2 of the Niger River in the south of the country.
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
Page 2 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com
Neil: The problem is that large quantities of oil are stolen and shipped – or
taken by boat – to international markets. Now there’s a strange
expression used to describe this type of theft.
Jennifer: Listen to the first part of this report from the BBC’s Martin Plaut. See if
you can hear what the word is.
Insert
Nigeria has for years suffered from the illegal syphoning off of large quantities of its oil
production. The practice, known locally as bunkering, involves tapping into pipelines3.
The oil is then taken by barge4 to tankers5 waiting offshore6. These then ship the oil to
international markets, where it is sold.
Neil: What was that word, Jennifer?
Jennifer: It was ‘bunkering’. It involves tapping into pipelines – the tubes used to
transport things like oil and gas and stealing the oil.
Neil: The oil is then taken in a barge, which is a long boat with a heavy bottom
used for transportation.
Jennifer: These barges7 then carry the oil to offshore tankers – huge ships used for
transporting liquid or gas. From there it goes to refineries8 to be sold in
international markets.
Neil: A refinery9 is a factory where crude oil is made suitable for use as fuel. But
the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan wants to put a stop to this
practice. What would you do, Jennifer, if you were the president, to try to
stop this?
Jennifer: Well, I’d probably think of a solution using technology. I’d try to track – or
follow the movements – of those involved in the illegal trade.
Neil: Listen to the next part of this BBC report to find out what he’s ordered the
navy to do.
Insert
Now Nigeria's Trade and Industry minister, Olusegun Aganga, says President Goodluck
Jonathan has ordered the navy and other arms of government to use satellite
technology to track the tankers and seize them wherever these illegal shipments are
taken.
Neil: Well Jennifer, perhaps you should be in charge of this operation because
that’s exactly what the president has ordered! He has told the navy and
other arms of the government to use satellite technology to track the
tankers and seize them – meaning take them by force.
Jennifer: I wonder if it’ll work. The problem has been going on for a while now.
Even before the 2009 amnesty, militants10 were tapping into the pipelines
and selling oil to pay for weapons. An amnesty is a fixed11 period of time
during which people are not punished for a crime.
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
Page 3 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com
Neil: And oil theft is costing the country dearly. I did mention at the beginning
of the programme the amount of money the stolen oil is worth annually12.
Can you remember what it was?
Jennifer: Listen to the last part of this BBC report and see if you can hear the total.
Insert
The Nigerian government says the illegal exploitation of the oil is currently costing the
country five billion dollars a year and it is determined13 to end it. But the practice has
gone on for years, with commentators14 suggesting that the Nigerian navy has been
involved and that smugglers are protected by senior politicians. Mr Aganga insisted that
these links can be broken and those responsible brought to justice.
Jennifer: The Nigerian government says the illegal exploitation of oil is costing the
country five billion dollars a year.
Neil: Five billion dollars! That’s an immense amount of money to go out of the
economy. I wonder if they can stop it.
Jennifer: Well, one of the problems is that there seems to be widespread
corruption15 – the dishonest behaviour of people in power for their own
personal or financial gain.
Neil: According to the report, the Nigerian navy has been involved and
smugglers are actually protected by senior politicians. But is there hope?
Jennifer: Well, the country’s trade minister insists that the corruption can be
eliminated and those responsible can be brought to justice.
Neil: It’s a very complex story; billions of dollars are lost every year and yet the
practice of ‘bunkering’ still goes on. Time now, Jennifer, to find out the
answer to the quiz question I asked at the beginning of the programme. I
asked what the capital of Nigeria is.
The options were:
a) Lagos
b) Abuja
c) Freetown
Jennifer And I guessed Lagos.
Neil: And you were wrong. The answer is Abuja. That's all we have time for
today, but do join us again for more 6 Minute English from
bbclearningenglish.com. Bye!
Jennifer: Bye!
1 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 delta | |
n.(流的)角洲 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 pipelines | |
管道( pipeline的名词复数 ); 输油管道; 在考虑(或规划、准备) 中; 在酿中 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 barge | |
n.平底载货船,驳船 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 tankers | |
运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 ); 油轮; 罐车; 油槽车 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 offshore | |
adj.海面的,吹向海面的;adv.向海面 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 barges | |
驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 refineries | |
精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 refinery | |
n.精炼厂,提炼厂 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 militants | |
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 annually | |
adv.一年一次,每年 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 commentators | |
n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 );时事评论员;注释者;实况广播员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 corruption | |
n.腐败,堕落,贪污 | |
参考例句: |
|
|