VOA标准英语2008年-Nigerians Shocked by South African Anti-Immigra

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
24 May 2008

The violence against foreigners in South Africa is being monitored closely in Nigeria. Several thousand Nigerians live in South Africa, and some of them have been targeted in the recent violence against foreigners. Gilbert da Costa in Abuja has been gauging¹ the mood in Nigeria and filed this report for VOA.

During a visit to the Nigerian capital, South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka issued a public apology for the anti-immigrant violence in her country.

Dozens of Nigerian-owned businesses have been targeted in nearly two weeks of violence in South Africa against immigrants, most of them from Zimbabwe and Somalia. The attacks blame immigrants for being responsible for crime and taking jobs.

Nigeria, like many other African countries, provided substantial support to the worldwide campaign against apartheid in South Africa.

"It is baffling to me and to most people that people who have been refugees all over the neighboring countries, and even here, during the apartheid, should forget the brotherly welcome they got from Africans, from the so-called frontline states. It is most baffling," said Peter Egom, a senior researcher at the Lagos-based Nigerian Institute for International Affairs.

Media in Nigeria have carried images of burned bodies in South African townships and hostile mobs harassing² immigrants.

Nigerian President Umaru Yar Adua discussed the situation with his South African counterpart, Thabo Mbeki, at a mini-summit near the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha on Thursday.

At least 42 people have been killed and 25,000 have been displaced in two weeks of violence in South Africa.

South Africa is home to about five million immigrants.

1 gauging   

n.测量[试]，测定，计量v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的现在分词 )；估计；计量；划分

参考例句：

• The method is especially attractive for gauging natural streams. 该方法对于测量天然的流注具有特殊的吸引力。 来自辞典例句
• Incommunicative as he was, some time elapsed before I had an opportunity of gauging his mind. 由于他不爱说话，我过了一些时候才有机会探测他的心灵。 来自辞典例句

2 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句