彭蒙惠英语：Demining Cambodia by Hand（在线收听） |
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Demining Cambodia by Hand 2 To do his work, Aki Ra consults former Khmer Rouge soldiers, men he fought with and against at various times. For a fee, they tell him where to look for explosives. He uses basic tools, no metal detectors and no safety gear. He is not afraid. His museum contains tons of defused mines, heaped in corners, stacked on shelves. Little cards describe each mine’s use, its origin and the way it kills. He has explosives made in Bulgaria, China, Poland, Russia, Vietnam, and the United States. He has others used not only in Cambodia, but also in Africa, Central America and the Middle East. He also maintains a defused minefield where visitors can walk among the traps. Tourists are fascinated, but the government doesn’t like Aki Ra’s landmine museum. Authorities frequently confiscate his ordnance and place it in the nearby “official” War Museum. Then they demand money or force him to buy cigarettes, food and other things for them, Aki Ra says. Ra remains undeterred He subsists on visitor donations, a few dollars a day. “It’s enough for me but it’s not enough for many children,” he says, speaking of the disabled orphans under his care. “They have no leg, no arm, or no eye.” Aki Ra knows his youth was not normal, not good. He killed entire units of enemy soldiers, then switched allegiance when necessary. “I thought that the whole world existed like we did,” he writes in his history. “The brutality and hardship, the starvation and all the guns, became my normal world.” Now he talks of redeeming his country. He demonstrates demining maneuvers, shuffling his toes, zigzagging his steps. “I know how to walk in the minefield.” Aki Ra believes he is special, that he has a special talent. Some say he’s brave and fearless, some think him an enigma, some call him crazy. No matter what people say, Aki Ra will persevere, doing what few others dare to do—doing whatever he can to help his country.
Vocabulary Focus confiscate (v) [5kCnfiskeit] to officially take private property away from someone, usually by legal authority, and especially as punishment subsist (v) [sEb5sist] to obtain enough food or money to stay alive allegiance (n) [E5li:dVEns] loyalty and support, especially for a leader, country, group or belief enigma (n) [i5ni^mE] someone or something that is mysterious and difficult to understand Specialized Terms metal detector (n phr) 金属探测器 a machine that one can move over the ground or a surface to discover if metal is present defuse (v) 拆除雷管或引信 to remove the mechanical or electrical mechanism used to ignite an explosive device, such as a bomb ordnance (n) 军械 military supplies, such as weapons, ammunition, and combat vehicles
徒手为柬埔寨清除地雷 2 阿基·拉曾于过去不同时间，与柬共部队并肩作战，也曾与柬共部队对抗。他如今依赖前柬共军人所提供的信息完成工作。他支付些许费用，这些前柬共军人则说出何处可找到地雷。阿基·拉仅使用基本工具，没有金属探测器，也没有安全装备。他并不害怕。 阿基·拉的博物馆内收藏大批拆卸下来的地雷，堆积于角落或架子上。小小卡片上说明地雷用途、来源及杀人方式。他有保加利亚、中国、波兰、俄罗斯、越南及美国制造的地雷。他不仅有曾用于柬埔寨，也有曾用在非洲、中美洲及中东的地雷。博物馆内也有已拆除雷管的地雷区，让游客可以步行于地雷陷阱之间。 虽然游客们深受吸引，柬埔寨政府却不喜欢阿基·拉的地雷博物馆。政府常没收他所收藏的军械，将之转放于附近“官方”战争博物馆。阿基·拉说，政府人员之后会向他要钱或强迫他为他们购买香烟、食物及其它东西。 不为所动 阿基·拉靠游客每日捐赠的几美元维持生存。“几美元对我已经足够，”他指着所照顾的残疾孤儿说：“但对多数儿童而言并不够。他们已失去腿、手臂或眼睛。” 阿基·拉知道自己童年并不正常、也不好。他曾杀过整个部队的敌军，之后必要时还转换效忠对象。“我以为全世界都和我们一样，”他在自传中写道：“暴行与困苦、饥饿与枪支成为我的正常世界。” 现在阿基·拉谈着如何挽救国家。他踮起脚尖迂回前进，示范扫雷技巧。他说：“我知道如何在地雷区行走。”他认为自己很独特，拥有特别才能。有人说他勇敢、一无所惧，有人认为他是个谜，有人则认为他疯了。 无论人家怎么说，阿基拉将坚持不懈，持续做着很少人敢做的事，尽他所能堆助国家。 （有关阿基．拉的更多故事，请阅读卡伦·科特斯着的《今日柬埔寨：战后生活》） |
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