2006年VOA标准英语-Superstitions About Indonesia's Disasters May A

By Michael Coren
Jakarta
25 July 2006

Destroyed fishing boats are seen after a tsunami¹ swept past the beach in Kebumen, Central Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, July 18, 2006   
  
Beneath the veneer² of modern Indonesia, ancient beliefs are strong. Some Indonesians blame the recent string of natural disasters in the country on a host of supernatural influences. A recent survey suggests many are beginning to see the country's leadership, particularly its president, as out of tune³ with the forces of nature, and therefore, a reason for their misfortune.

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If you ask some Indonesians, signs of the supernatural are everywhere, and many believe that events in nature can portend⁴ political change. The recent fusillade of natural disasters has left the people groping for the meaning of it all. More than 170,000 people have died in the last two years due to earthquakes, tsunamis⁵, bird flu outbreaks and volcanic⁶ eruptions⁸.

Trying to explain their run of bad luck, many Indonesians do not see it as luck at all. The news media are full of talk about divine retribution, particularly toward the country's leaders.  Most Indonesians are Muslim, but many are Christian⁹, Hindu, and followers¹⁰ of other faiths.

Nurlelawati, 21, a Muslim from an area of South Sumatra rattled¹¹ by a quake in the Sunda Strait last week, says the mark of supernatural displeasure is clear.

"This is the sign of a small doomsday from heaven. We were given a sign that in this world we can't just be sinful and ignore our moral duties. We have to pray a lot and deepen our religious studies."

She is not alone. A study conducted last month by Survey Circle Indonesia found that 78 percent of those polled believe the disasters represent warnings from nature. Many said the perceived misdeeds of the government are to blame.

Muhammad Qodari, deputy executive director of Survey Circle, says the results confirm Indonesians' ancient penchant¹² for supernatural beliefs - and indicate how much politicians must pay attention to such things.

"I'm not so surprised because in Indonesia, especially Java, there are people whose thinking is not rational," Qodari said. "People are trying to find the answer, but the available answer- the scientific explanation - is just not enough."

Mystical beliefs are at the core of Javanese culture, which long pre-dates the introduction of Islam to the country. These beliefs infuse daily life; shamans, spiritual healers, sorcerers and soothsayers still command reverence¹³ and fear.

Politicians from the disgraced dictator, Suharto, to former president and Muslim leader Abdurrachman Wahid, sought advice from modern-day technocrats¹⁴ while they were in office. But they also freely sought guidance at the graves of their ancestors. 

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (file photo)  
  
Qodari says no one has been more closely associated in the public mind with the recent disasters than President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also known by his abbreviation SBY.

"People associate the time of disaster with SBY's position as president," Qodari said. "If this pattern continues, I think it will narrow SBY's opportunity to be re-elected in 2009, especially if opposition¹⁵ starts to campaign, starts to strengthen the association of SBY with disasters."

Two months after Mr. Yudhoyono assumed the presidency¹⁶ in 2004, a massive tsunami swept across Aceh province, killing¹⁷ about 170,000 people. Two more serious earthquakes, the eruption⁷ of Mt. Merapi, outbreaks of bird flu and most recently, a second tsunami, have followed, cementing the perception of a star-crossed administration.

Political opponents - some of whom even say the President's birthdate is inauspicious - point to malevolent¹⁸ forces in his government.  The president has been advised to do everything from slaughtering¹⁹ a thousand sheep to meditating²⁰ in a cave to obtaining a "keris" - a sacred Javanese dagger²¹.

Even those who do not subscribe²² to such superstitions²³ know them well.  Erni, 31, a Christian of Chinese ancestry²⁴, says people in her Jakarta community say the disasters are retribution for repeated massacres²⁵ of Chinese in Indonesia - memories of those events are so strong that she refused to give her full name. She has heard all kinds of explanations for the elemental chaos²⁶.

"Nobody knows, nobody knows," Erni said. "You can ask them: 'What is the sin of SBY?' Nobody knows, because it's just people talking on the street: 'It must be SBY's fault. We Indonesian people are suffering for all these sins because of him.'"

Such talk has intensified²⁷ since a tsunami struck Java's southern coast on July 19, killing more than 590 people. Tabloids²⁸, television commercials and neighborhood conversations offer supernatural explanations tarnishing²⁹ the government's image while it struggles to deal with very real problems caused by the natural disasters.

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 veneer   

n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰

参考例句：

• For the first time her veneer of politeness began to crack.她温文尔雅的外表第一次露出破绽。
• The panel had a veneer of gold and ivory.这木板上面镶饰了一层金和象牙。

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 portend   

v.预兆，预示；给…以警告

参考例句：

• Black clouds portend a storm.乌云为暴风雨的前兆。
• What do these strange events portend?这些奇怪的事件预示着什么？

5 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

6 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

7 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。

8 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

11 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

12 penchant   

n.爱好，嗜好；（强烈的）倾向

参考例句：

• She has a penchant for Indian food.她爱吃印度食物。
• He had a penchant for playing jokes on people.他喜欢拿人开玩笑。

13 reverence   

n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• We reverence tradition but will not be fettered by it.我们尊重传统，但不被传统所束缚。

14 technocrats   

n.技术专家，专家政治论者( technocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Few business barons remained. They were replaced by "technocrats," who became the heads of corporations. 企业巨头所剩无几，大多已被“技术专家”所代替，这些人成了公司的领导。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• However, bankers called the technocrats' bluff and proceeded to lend with gusto. 但是，银行家们称技术专家官员不过在虚张声势，并且还会乐观的继续借贷业务。 来自互联网

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

17 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。

18 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

19 slaughtering   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Revolutionary Tribunal went to work, and a steady slaughtering began. 革命法庭投入工作，持续不断的大屠杀开始了。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• \"Isn't it terrific slaughtering pigs? “宰猪的！ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

20 meditating   

a.沉思的，冥想的

参考例句：

• They were meditating revenge. 他们在谋划进行报复。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics. 这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

21 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

22 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

23 superstitions   

迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
• Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。

24 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

25 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

26 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

27 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 tabloids   

n.小报，通俗小报（版面通常比大报小一半，文章短，图片多，经常报道名人佚事）( tabloid的名词复数 )；药片

参考例句：

• The story was on the front pages of all the tabloids. 所有小报都在头版报道了这件事。
• The story made the front page in all the tabloids. 这件事成了所有小报的头版新闻。

29 tarnishing   

（印花）白地沾色

参考例句：

• The causes of tarnishing gold and silver-plated connectors were studied respectively. 分别探讨了接插件镀金和镀银层变色的原因。
• Bright tin electrodeposits on copper wire are susceptible to tarnishing. 铜线材经光亮镀锡后易产生腐蚀变色。