VOA慢速英语--上周700名难民死于地中海

AS IT IS 2016-06-01 700 Migrants Feared Dead in Mediterranean¹ 上周700名难民死于地中海

Up to 700 migrants are believed to have died in the past week crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the United Nations said Tuesday.

At least three boats sank in the biggest death toll² for migrants in more than a year, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said.

The boats left Libya and were trying to reach Italy. Most of the migrants came from Africa.

About 14,000 people were rescued in calmer seas since Monday, Reuters news agency reported. Survivors³ who arrived in Italy said one of the boats was carrying many women and children.

The migrants pay smugglers to take them on small rubber boats or old fishing vessels⁶. Many do not know how to swim and do not have life jackets.

Giovanna Benedetto is with the humanitarian⁷ group, Save the Children. She said the survivors spoke⁸ about horrible conditions on the boats.

“They lived [in] terrible situations. They told us terrible stories. They saw killing⁹ people – only because those people want to have some food. Their stories are really, really terrifying.”

The U.N. announced Tuesday that more than 2,500 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe so far this year.

That is a big increase from 1,855 people who died in the first five months of 2015.

The trip from North Africa to Italy is the deadliest way to cross, according to UNHCR spokesman William Spindler.

“2,119 of the deaths reported so far this year have been among people making this journey, making the odds¹⁰ of dying as high as one in 23,” he said.

Most migrants traveling this way are from Nigeria and Gambia. Spindler said the migrants are risking everything to make the trips because they face very desperate conditions at home.

“The reason why so many people are taking to sea at the moment, and risking their lives, is because they have no option. We have to give them the possibility to travel legally and safely.”

Words in This Story

calm – n. a quiet and peaceful state

smuggler⁴ – n. a person who illegally moves people or things from one country to another

vessel⁵ – n. – a large boat of ship

journey – n. the act of traveling from one place to another

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 smuggler   

n.走私者

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight, awaiting extradition to Britain. 这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• The smuggler was finally obliged to inform against his boss. 那个走私犯最后不得不告发他的首领。

5 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• 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。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？