VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS - A special place that honors thousands of soldiers from World War 2

 

AS IT IS - A special place that honors thousands of soldiers from World War 2

Hello from Washington. I’m Jim Tedder¹. Today we are off to the Philippines to hear about a special place that honors thousands of soldiers from World War 2.  Then we travel to Madagascar.  There is an invasion taking place there, but it is not what you think.  But first, we head to the Middle East.

As the security situation in Egypt continues to worsen, a growing number of Egyptians and Islamists have decided² to act.  In some neighborhoods in Cairo and in other areas of Egypt, neighbors are filling in for the lack of police protection.  Egyptians are forming what is called a ‘watch group.’  In some cities, Islamist leaders have called on unofficial militias³ to provide security when necessary.

Egypt’s disliked police force mostly disappeared after the 2011 revolution.  Many who returned say they are not well treated.  They say they are poorly paid and lack weapons.  Some officers have once again left their jobs.

Recently, Egypt’s top lawyer, Talat Abdullah, urged Egyptians to fill in for the lack of police.  However, some believe it is dangerous to give civilians⁴ the right to arrest each other.  Human Rights Watch researcher, Heba Morayef, worries about how civilians will react to being given this right.

"This new license⁵ that's been given to private citizens to become involved in violence is an even more dangerous one. Because you see a weakening of the role of the state, and honestly this opens the door to vigilantism moving forward, and that's not a healthy environment in which to protect rights ultimately."

While some Egyptians have called for the military to intervene, Miz Morayef says it is better to reform the police into a responsible force.   But with Egypt’s political situation not moving forward, a decision to even start the reform process will probably not take place anytime soon.

An old American military cemetery⁶ in the Philippines once again belongs to the United States government. Last month, President Obama signed a law placing the Clark Veterans Cemetery under an agency of the federal government. Bob Doughty⁷ has our story.

Retired⁸ Army First Sergeant⁹ John Gilbert heads a group of volunteers at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2485. Since 1994, the VFW Post has cared for the cemetery while still holding burials. The grounds are near what once was Clark Air Force Base, about 100 kilometers north of Manila.

“About the only thing we’ve been able to do very successfully is keep it presentable… So we’re excited about the changeover.”

The property covers eight hectares. More than eight thousand 600 people are buried there. Visitors can find historical objects, including a small marker that once stood at Fort McKinley in Manila. The marker was built to honor the more than 1,000 unidentified soldiers buried there. It suffered damage from artillery¹⁰ shells during World War Two.

The United States military left Clark Air Force Base and the cemetery after Mount Pinatubo exploded in 1991. A short time later, the Philippine government ordered all American bases to close. The American withdrawal¹¹ left the burial grounds without a caretaker.

Two and a half years ago, retired Navy Captain Dennis Wright formed a group to persuade American officials to re-take control of the cemetery. Supporters wanted a recognized burial place for former military veterans who stayed in the area after World War Two.

“They died well after the war and were buried here. Now think of the dichotomy. If you died during the war, you’d get to be revered¹² in Manila. But if you survived the war, you got forgotten here. It makes no sense.”

Under the federal action, the Philippines will host the American cemetery free of charge or taxes. Dennis Wright says the two countries have yet to negotiate an agreement on how the United States can operate the cemetery on Philippine territory. He says it could take months or longer before Clark Veterans Cemetery starts to receive any of the five million dollars in promised federal assistance.

Madagascar is being invaded by destructive insects called locusts¹⁴. The invasion threatens the food security of half the population.  The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the FAO, says it will take three years to control the locust¹³ plague. But money is needed to do that.  Christopher Cruise has more.

The word “plague sounds bad enough. But FAO says it will take three years to control the hungry insects called locusts. Annie Monard is an FAO official who is organizing action against the plague.

“The situation is a very serious one because it is what we call a plague now. That means most of the locust population are present as groups and bands of hoppers or as swarms¹⁵ of flying adults.”

The locust invasion extends over half the country and probably will soon be in more than two-thirds of Madagascar.   The insects are extremely hungry. They eat natural vegetation, including land for pasture.  That could seriously harm cattle farmers.  And the locusts eat all kinds of crops.

Under normal conditions, locusts are present only in the southwestern part of the country.  But Ms. Monard said that although FAO warned against a plague, not enough was done to prevent it.  She said the first warning came in April three years ago, and two locust control campaigns were carried out.  But more funding was needed to have stopped the insect invasion early.

A February storm created ideal conditions for the locusts to reproduce. The FAO says the storm called Cyclone¹⁶ Haruna also damaged crops.  In the southern areas where the plague started, about 70 percent of homes are reported to be insecure about their food supply. The FAO says it needs 22 million dollars no later than June to begin a three year effort to control the hungry locusts.

Ms. Monard says time is needed to prepare the first part of the locust control campaign that would begin in September.  That campaign would begin at the same time as the rainy season in Madagascar.  I’m Christopher Cruise.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington.  Thank you for being with us today. Just for fun, we mention that today is Mule¹⁷ Day in Columbia, Tennessee in the southern United States.  40,000 people are expected to enjoy parades, arts and hand-made products, some good southern cooking, and also to honor that hard working animal that is part horse and part donkey!  World news is yours from VOA at the beginning of the hour.

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

7 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

8 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

9 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

10 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

11 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

12 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

13 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

14 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

16 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

17 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。