VOA慢速英语2018--前哥伦比亚叛军转行当导游

Colombia’s Ex-Rebels Turn Tour Guides

Nine former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, have traded their guns for small visitor boats in Colombia’s dense¹ Amazon forest.

The former rebel fighters will now work as tour guides on the Pato River.

Former FARC member Duberney Moreno fought for 13 years. “During the conflict, this region was rough,” he said, “there were bullets and bombs all the time.”

“Today, so much has changed. Many people come to see the waterfalls, the mountain, the river,” he said.

Almost 13,000 former fighters and their supporters are participating in a program to reenter civilian² life. This reintegration program is part of a 2016 peace deal to end more than 52 years of war with the government.

The program aims to keep former FARC fighters from returning to the battlefield with smaller rebel groups like the National Liberation Army (ELN).

Many past FARC members have returned home to reunite with their families. But about 5,000 have remained in demobilization areas, like the one on the Pato, and built towns.

Fighting in Colombia has killed more than 260,000 people. Millions more have been wounded, raped³ and displaced.

The peace deal has progressed slowly, but the FARC is now a political party with 10 guaranteed seats in Colombia’s Congress through 2026.

Certified⁴ rafters

The Colombian government has budgeted $1.6 million to help those in the demobilization areas. Government forces protect the areas where their former enemies farm, raise animals, make shoes and now work with visitors.

Moreno and eight other former fighters were trained to become tour guides. The International Rafting Federation⁵ provided official approval of their training.

In Caqueta province, the former fighters cook meals and drive visitors to walking paths and places to stay.

The United Nations helps run the reintegration program. Jessica Faieta is the deputy chief of the U.N.’s office in Colombia. She said, “We have to keep supporting these initiatives - they create confidence in the peace process.”

President Ivan Duque, who took office in August, has said tourism could be the country’s new economic driver. He said at a recent event, “I want tourism to be Colombia’s new oil and for it to be the great invigorator of economic activity.”

Colombia might appeal to visitors with all kinds of interests. The country borders both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, has Andean glaciers⁶, wildlife, extreme sports and big cities.

More than 3.3 million people visited Colombia last year. That was more than two times the number who visited in 2010. The government estimates tourism could create 300,000 jobs and earn about $6 billion yearly.

Moreno and the other former fighters are hopeful about their future on the river.

Standing⁷ alone on the Pato, Moreno said, “We want peace. We believe a different Colombia is possible.”

I’m Caty Weaver⁸.

Words in This Story

demobilization - n. the release of someone from military service

initiative - n. a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem

confidence - n. the feeling of being certain that something will happen

invigorator - n. something that gives life and energy

1 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

4 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。