VOA慢速英语2019 乌干达被绑架美国人和司机已获救

Kidnapped American and Driver Freed in Uganda

The president of Uganda says people should not be afraid to visit the country after an American woman and her driver were kidnapped.

乌干达的总统在一名美国妇女和她的司机被绑架后表示，人们不用害怕拜访这个国家。 

Ugandan officials announced Sunday the two had been rescued and were unharmed.

乌干达官员星期天宣布，这两人已经获救，没有受伤。 

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped American Kimberly Sue Endicott and her driver, Jean-Paul, last week near a wilderness¹ camp inside Queen Elizabeth National Park. The kidnappers² later demanded a $500,000 ransom³ in exchange for the safe release of the two.

一名身份不明的持枪男子上星期在伊丽莎白女王国家公园的一个荒野营地附近绑架了美国人金伯利·苏·恩迪科特和她的司机让·保罗。绑架者随后要求用50万美元赎金换取两人的安全。

Ugandan police said on Twitter the two had been freed "in good health" and were "in the safe hands" of security officials.

乌干达警方在推特上说，这两名人质“健康状况良好”，已被安全官员“安全解救”。 

The Reuters news agency reported a deal had been reached with the kidnappers to free the pair.

路透社报道说，已经与绑匪达成释放这两名人质的协议。 

"A negotiated settlement was arranged with the assistance of the American government," a spokesman for the company that organized Endicott’s trip told Reuters. The spokesperson did not provide additional details.

为恩迪科特办理这次旅行的公司发言人对路透表示："在美国政府的协助下，已通过谈判达成了和解"。发言人没有提供更多细节。

A Uganda police spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether a ransom had been paid.

乌干达警方发言人表示，她无法确认是否支付了赎金。 

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni wrote on Twitter Monday that his country is committed to finding and punishing those responsible. "However, I want to reassure⁴ the country and our tourists that Uganda is safe and we shall continue to improve the security in our parks. Come and enjoy the Pearl of Africa," he tweeted.

乌干达总统穆塞韦尼星期一在推特上说，乌干达决心找到并惩罚相关责任人。“然而，我想向乌干达和我们的游客保证，乌干达是安全的，我们将继续改善公园的安全。来享受这颗非洲明珠吧。”

U.S. President Donald Trump⁵ also tweeted about the kidnapping. "Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American Tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly!" he wrote.

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普也在推特上谈论了这起绑架事件。“乌干达必须找到绑架美国游客和导游的绑匪，才能让人们感到安全。要公开、迅速地将他们绳之以法!”

Two other people were robbed but not seized and reported the kidnapping to police. The American and her driver were taken in the Ishasha part of the park, which sits near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

另外还有两人被抢劫，但没有被抓住，他们向警方报了案。这名美国人和她的司机是在靠近刚果民主共和国边境的公园的伊夏沙一带被绑架的。

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s most popular stops for foreigners. It contains many kinds of wildlife, including lions, hippopotamus⁶ and crocodiles.

伊丽莎白女王国家公园是乌干达最受外国人欢迎的景点之一。这里有许多种类的野生动物，包括狮子、河马和鳄鱼。

Words in This Story

ransom – n. money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured or kidnapped

arrange – v. makes plans or prepare for something

committed – adj. loyal and willing to give time and energy to something

tourist – n. someone who travels for recreation or pleasure

1 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

2 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

4 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 hippopotamus   

n.河马

参考例句：

• The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.孩子们真喜观看河马在泥中打滚。
• A hippopotamus surfs the waves off the coast of Gabon.一头河马在加蓬的海岸附近冲浪。