VOA慢速英语2015 河内数百人抗议砍伐树木

AS IT IS 2015-03-24 Hundreds in Hanoi Protest¹ Tree Cutting 河内数百人抗议砍伐树木

Many people in Hanoi have expressed anger about the government’s plan to cut down thousands of the city’s trees. They have protested² around the city and on social media. A Facebook page titled “6,700 people for 6,700 trees” set up last Tuesday has already received nearly 50,000 "likes."

The plan, at the cost of $3.4 million, involved cutting down 6,700 of Hanoi’s trees. According to the newspaper Thanh Nien, the trees, more than a quarter of all the trees in the city, are considered dangerous and unattractive. The newspaper questioned what would be done with the timber³ – or wood from the trees. Timber is considered highly⁴ valuable in Vietnam.

Last Friday, after 500 trees had already been cut, the chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee announced that the tree-cutting plan would be suspended⁵.

On Sunday, about 500 people held hands outside a park in Hanoi to protest the plan. They wore special t-shirts and carried signs with the words “Tree Hugs Hanoi.”

Protester⁶ Duc Anh said many people were worried about the plan. He said Hanoians and tourists love the city’s trees for many reasons. They are good for the environment. He also said many people feel an emotional⁷ connection to the trees. Many of the trees are as old as his grandparents.

On Facebook, many Hanoians wrote about the trees’ special place in the city, as well. Student Vu Thanh Phong said the trees were one of Hanoi’s great assets⁸. He said the trees are part of what makes Hanoi unique. Without them, the city would not be as special.

About a quarter of Vietnam’s population uses Facebook. The site has become a powerful tool for social change. Several protesters at the Tree Hug event wore t-shirts connected to a different campaign, which also began on social media. The campaign called on officials in central Vietnam to stop a plan to build a cable⁹ car in Son Doong, one of the world’s largest caves.

Thanh Thu was part of that campaign. He said the attention on Facebook helped make the government rethink the project.

“When they considered the factor of environment and economy and they saw that Son Doong should be protected ... they will not build anything until 2030,” he said.

Thanh Thu says he hopes social media campaigns like this will encourage people to think more about other people. He hopes people will become more active in protecting the environment.

Words in This Story

unattractive – adj. not beautiful, interesting, or pleasing

unique – adj. very special or unusual

cable car – n. a vehicle that hangs in the air from a cable that pulls it up and down mountains

campaign – n. a series of activities designed to produce a particular result

1 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

2 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 timber   

n.木材，原木，大木料，栋木

参考例句：

• These trees need more time to grow into useful timber.这些树不够年头，还没成材呢。
• The timber is graded according to its thickness.木材按厚度分级。

4 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

5 suspended   

a.被暂时搁置的

参考例句：

• A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. 一盏吊灯悬在天花板上。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area. 英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 protester   

n.抗议者；反对者；提出异议者；断言者

参考例句：

• The protester was jabbing a finger aggressively at a policeman. 那个示威者挑衅地用手指戳向一名警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Greek police arrested a protester during clashes in central Athens. 希腊警方在一场骚乱中逮捕了一名示威者。 来自互联网

7 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

8 assets   

n.财产；资产

参考例句：

• We capitalized our assets to avoid bankruptcy.我们把资产转作资金以避免破产。

9 cable   

n.缆绳，索；电缆；电报；vt.电汇，打电报

参考例句：

• Don't forget to cable us as soon as you arrive.别忘了一到就给我发个电报。
• The worker attached a cable.工人连接电缆。