VOA标准英语2014--专家称国际缓慢反应造就今日博科圣地

 

Experts: Slow International Response Contributed to Rise of Boko Haram 专家称国际缓慢反应造就今日博科圣地

WASHINGTON — Experts say a slow international response to Boko Haram's crimes in Nigeria has contributed to its rise from a group of marauding militants¹ into an Islamist insurgency² and broader threat. A U.S. congressional panel held a hearing Wednesday to get updates on the group that has wreaked³ havoc⁴ in northeastern Nigeria for the past five years.

New Jersey⁵ Republican Chris Smith, who chairs the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, related his impressions from a recent visit to Nigeria. He said Boko Haram's violence is no longer affecting only Christians⁶. 

"I met with a Muslim father of two girls abducted⁷ from the Chibok school. Fighting back tears, he said the agony was unbearable⁸ - and this is a Muslim father. The story of his daughters underscores the fact that Boko Haram brutalizes Muslims as well," said Smith.

Smith said the brazen⁹ abduction of more than 200 school girls in the northern Borno state in April has finally brought international attention to the group's heinous¹⁰ crimes.

Human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe said a slow international response contributed to the rise of what is now "the second deadliest terror group in the world" after the Taliban.

"When I was Nigeria in April, the average deaths a week were approximately 100. In the four days we were in Nigeria last week, the average was 100 a day," said Ogebe.

Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council's Africa Center, said Boko Haram has grown from a loose group of gunmen into a full-fledged insurgency with help from foreign jihadists in Africa, especially in Somalia and Mali.

"Following the French intervention¹¹ in Mali, the militants, possibly accompanied by a few foreign nationals, returned to northern Nigeria, not only with training and some combat experience in desert warfare¹², but also vehicles and heavy weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles," said Pham.

These weapons enabled Boko Haram to attack the government's military facilities to seize more and better weapons. Pham said corruption¹³ of local officials and a lack of development in northern Nigeria have made Boko Haram's call for a radical¹⁴ change attractive to some people. However, he added, the real problem is the federal government's lax response to the threat.

Former U.S. ambassador Robin¹⁵ Sanders said Nigeria's security forces have neither the experience nor the means to fight the ever moving terrorists.

"The bomb detection equipment is quite rudimentary and they certainly need improved control over the porous¹⁶ borders as we've already heard from my colleagues.  They need improved military planning, logistics, equipment supplies, including sufficient spare parts and fuel," said Sanders.

The Nigerian government also lacks special forces to combat terrorism.

Sanders warned that the battle to contain Boko Haram will be a long one. Lawmakers were also told that the group now poses a danger to U.S. citizens anywhere in the world.

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

3 wreaked   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city. 地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• They have wreaked dreadful havoc among the wildlife by shooting and trapping. 他们射杀和诱捕野生动物，造成了严重的破坏。

4 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

7 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

8 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

9 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

10 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

11 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

12 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

13 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

14 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

15 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

16 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。