VOA慢速英语2014 Gunman Identified in Canadian Capital

 

Gunman Identified in Canadian Capital

Police in Canada have identified the suspected gunman in yesterday’s deadly attack in Ottawa as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

The 32-year-old man had a criminal record. He had recently converted to Islam. Canadian officials considered him a “high-risk” traveler. They had recently taken his passport from him to prevent him from leaving the country.

Police shot and killed the suspect during the attack Wednesday at Ottawa’s Parliament Hill and National War Memorial. The gunman had killed a soldier moments earlier.

Early reports suggested there might have been more than one attacker. But Ottawa police say that the gunman acted alone.

The Canadian parliament re-opened Thursday morning.

Violent Attack Kills 11 in Southwest Pakistan 

More than ten people have been killed in a series of attacks in southwestern Pakistan's Baluchistan province.

Gunmen opened fire on a bus Thursday in the provincial¹ capital Quetta. The attackers killed eight Shi'ite Muslims from the ethnic² Hazara minority community.

Later on Thursday, a suicide attacker exploded a bomb near a car carrying the chief of the Taliban-linked Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam religious party. Maulana Fazlur Rehman survived the attack, but police say at least one person was killed and several others were injured.

WHO Advises Against Ebola Travel Bans

A World Health Organization group has protested bans on travel and trade for West African nations where Ebola has spread. The WHO emergency Ebola committee said it does not consider the bans effective or productive.

A WHO report released Thursday said that international travel and trade bans on Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea could weaken their economies. It said that could increase the migration³ of people from those countries and raise the risk of the international spread of Ebola.

Also on Thursday, North Korea reportedly ordered a ban on foreign visitors to the country because of fears of Ebola.

Words in the News

convert - v. to change in form;

convert - n. a person who has been persuaded to change their religious faith or other beliefs.

migration - n. movement of people or animals from one region to another

ban - v. to not permit; to stop, n. an official restriction⁴ ?

1 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。