VOA慢速英语2016--穆斯林和基督徒团结起来反对博科圣地

AS IT IS 2016-01-20 Muslims, Christians² Unite Against Boko Haram 穆斯林和基督徒团结起来反对博科圣地

Christians and Muslims in Cameroon offered protection to each other following five attacks on mosques⁴ by suspected Boko Haram fighters.

Christians guarded mosques and Muslims protected churches after a fifth mosque³ was attacked by a male suicide bomber⁵ on Monday. The attack took place near Cameroon’s border with Nigeria.

The development marked a change in Boko Haram operations. In the past, the terror group attacked churches, schools and markets. Now, Boko Haram is attacking mosques.

Christians now stand guard during Muslim call to prayer.

Most groups assist government troops against the increasing attacks by Boko Haram. The Nigerian terrorist group has been active in Cameroon for three years.

Christians told VOA News they help Muslims for the well-being⁶ of the country and as a duty of faith.

Cameroon officials said militants⁷ have attacked mosques after being attacked by Cameroon and Nigerians soldiers.

Nearly 24 million people live in Cameroon: 40 percent are Christian¹, and 20 percent are Muslims.

In Mozambique in Africa’s southeast, citizens are fleeing clashes between rebels and government forces. They seek asylum⁸ in neighboring Malawi, a U.N. refugee agency reported.

The agency says its staff registered about 1,300 new arrivals near the Malawi-Mozambique border. More than 900 refugees are waiting to be processed.

A United Nations spokesman said most of the refugees are women and children.

The fighting in Mozambique started last year. A previous civil war between 1977 and 1992 forced 1 million people from Mozambique to flee to Malawi.

Words in This Story

mosque – n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services

church – n. a Christian religious center

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

4 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

5 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

6 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。