2006年VOA标准英语-Indonesian Villagers, Afraid to Anger the Gods,

By Chad Bouchard
Mt. Merapi
25 May 2006

 
Interactive¹ Diagram - Anatomy² of a Volcano
  
Indonesian authorities have ordered more than 20,000 people living on the slopes of Central Java's Mount Merapi to leave, fearing an imminent³ eruption⁴, but many are refusing to go. Local villagers believe there is a spiritual kingdom at the top of the mountain, and some are waiting for a sign from its king before they abandon their homes.

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Just four kilometers from Mount Merapi's smoldering⁵ summit, a dozen Javanese elders gather to ask the mountain king for mercy. Ash and lava⁶ have been spewing out of the volcano's crater⁷ for several weeks and vulcanologists are warning that a full-scale eruption is imminent.  

Javanese dancers perform as an offering to appease⁸ Indonesia's Mount Merapi Volcano Sunday May 14, 2006  
  
Mesran and the other elders are Muslims, but like many in Indonesia, they also continue to practice ancient animist traditions. He says it is crucial for villagers to remember their traditional beliefs about the spiritual king of Merapi.

Mesran says if the mountain erupts, it means the king is having a party. If people run out and look at the clouds and lava, the king will not be happy, because it is forbidden for humans to watch the kingdom's celebrations.

When Merapi erupted in 1994, clouds of searing gas incinerated a village, killing⁹ more than 60 people. Mesran suspects that forgetting the mountain's traditions may have played a part in that tragedy. He says if they stay patient and observe the traditions, the king will not be angry. "If we love Merapi," he says, "Merapi will love us."

Residents of the area call the 3,000 meter volcano Sapujagat, which means "the broom that sweeps away everything." The mountain rises from the middle of Indonesia's most populous¹⁰ island, Java, about 460 kilometers west of Jakarta.

Christian¹¹ Awuy serves as a mountaineering guide and leads the local rescue team, and he hikes to the top of the volcano on a regular basis. He says he has been there with local villagers who claim to be able to see the spiritual kingdom. They describe a beautiful town, he says, with houses and trees and a whole magical bureaucracy.

"There is a prime minister, a king, a sultan, a secretary, a guard, everything," said Awuy. [And] horses."

Awuy says the spiritual beliefs lead to good ecological¹² practices, such as annual tree plantings, and taboos¹³ against over-harvesting. He says he understands why people stay on the volcano's slopes, even in the face of an eruption. Merapi, he says, is their home.

"People living under the volcano say, 'we born here. We die here.' This explains everything," he said.

Besides the spiritual beliefs, there are purely¹⁴ economic reasons why the villagers stay. For the last two weeks, Lis has been living with 2,000 other evacuees¹⁵ at the overflowing¹⁶ Hargobinangun camp, one of 23 refugee centers in the area surrounding Mount Merapi.

But her husband is one of more than 7,000 subsistence farmers who have stayed at home.

She says since the evacuation they've had no income, and depend on government assistance. Her husband is staying to take care of their farm. She says villagers fear if they leave their farms, their livestock¹⁷ will be stolen and their crops will die in the field.

Their singing finished, Mesran and the other elders circle the village barefooted, carrying an offering to the spirit kingdom. Along the way they pass watch fires, where residents keep a vigil through the night for signs of an eruption. The villagers say they are scared, but they put their faith in Allah - and in Merapi's spiritual king.

1 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

2 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

3 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

4 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

5 smoldering   

v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mat was smoldering where the burning log had fallen. 燃烧的木棒落下的地方垫子慢慢燃烧起来。 来自辞典例句
• The wood was smoldering in the fireplace. 木柴在壁炉中闷烧。 来自辞典例句

6 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

7 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

8 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

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 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

11 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。

12 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

13 taboos   

禁忌( taboo的名词复数 )； 忌讳； 戒律； 禁忌的事物（或行为）

参考例句：

• She was unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos. 她被藩蓠、法律及外来的戒律赶下了马。
• His mind was charged with taboos. 他头脑里忌讳很多。

14 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

15 evacuees   

n.被疏散者( evacuee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Moreover, for multi-exits, evacuees select a exit based on game theory. 在有多个出口时，疏散人员根据对策论选择出口。 来自互联网
• Evacuees wade through flooded area following heavy monsoon rains in Peshawar on Saturday, July 31, 2010. 撤离灾区涉水通过后在白沙瓦沉重的季风降雨在周六，2010年7月31日。 来自互联网

16 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

17 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。