英语听力—环球英语 491 Voices of Kidnapping

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Ryan Geerstma. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Caracol Radio Station, Bogota, Colombia. It is the Sunday all-night programme - usually the quietest time in a radio station’s week. But there are hundreds of people who telephone this show. They all have messages to read on the radio. Some people even come into Radio Caracol’s building to speak live. One such person is Marta Gonzalez. She sits in front of a large microphone³, and she holds a small piece of paper in her hands. Her voice shakes with emotion as she speaks:
Voice 3
“I dreamed about you two times this week. It was so good to be with you - even if it was only a dream.”
Voice 1
Tears run down Marta’s face. Speaking such emotional⁴ words in public is a very difficult experience. But she knows it is something that she must do. Not just once, but again and again - until she can speak her words of love face to face to her missing⁵ husband.
Voice 2
This radio programme is called, “Voices of Kidnapping.” The man responsible for the programme is Herbin Hoyos. He started the program after a difficult experience in his own life. In 1994, Hoyos was working for Radio Caracol as a broadcaster. One day, he was working at the station as usual. Suddenly, some rebel⁷ soldiers entered the building. They were wearing normal clothes - so no one recognized them. They told the person in the welcome area to telephone Herbin Hoyos. She obeyed. When Hoyos appeared, the soldiers pointed⁸ a gun at him and pulled him out of the building.
Voice 1
The rebel soldiers took Hoyos to their secret camp. This camp was deep in the Colombian jungle - a large forest area. They made him march for hours through the thick, wild growth. After some time, his shoes broke. But the soldiers forced him to continue in his bare feet. On the way, Hoyos saw another kidnap⁶ victim. Soldiers had tied this man to a tree. Hoyos and the man managed to speak for a few minutes. The man discovered that Hoyos was a radio reporter. He showed Hoyos a radio. He said that many hostages¹⁰ listened to the radio. And he asked him why Colombia’s news writers did not make programs to encourage hostages. The man’s question stayed in Hoyos’ mind - right up until the time the army rescued him seventeen days later.
Voice 2
After his release¹¹, Herbin Hoyos returned to work at Radio Caracol. And a few weeks later, on the 10th of April, he broadcast the first “Voices of Kidnapping” programme. People take turns to read short messages of love and support for family and friends held hostage⁹ in the jungle. The programme is broadcast at night when the signal is strong. And the family members hope that the soldiers in the jungle will have their radios on. They want their loved ones to hear that they are not forgotten.
Voice 1
Colombia has been in a state of conflict for many years. And kidnapping is a common event. There are many military groups who want to get rid of the government. And many of these groups are also involved in the illegal drug trade. The government has to fight two battles against these groups - one to keep their political power. And the other to stop the spread of the illegal drugs trade across Colombia and the rest of South America.
Voice 2
The conflict in Colombia has caused its people to suffer greatly. Human rights groups report mass killings¹², torture¹³, violent crime - and kidnapping. They estimate¹⁴ that the number of hostages in 2008 is around three thousand [3,000]. The main rebel group, the FARC, still holds the largest number - seven hundred [700] hostages.
Voice 1
Back at Radio Caracol, Herbin Hoyos is busy. He is finding¹⁵ time for as many family members as possible to read their messages. However one hostage’s mother does not need to telephone the programme again. Since 2002, Yolanda Pulecio has read many messages to her daughter. Herbin Hoyos remembers her well:
Voice 4
“She called on the telephone from all over the world. She would wait on the line for two hours to get a message to her daughter Ingrid.”
Voice 1
In 2002, Ingrid Betancourt was a candidate¹⁶ to become president of Colombia. She often spoke¹⁷ fiercely against rebel groups. Later that year, she visited a FARC-controlled area in South Colombia. The group then saw their chance. They seized Ingrid Betancourt. And they kept her hostage for almost six years.
Voice 2
The FARC made Ingrid’s life as a hostage very difficult. But sometimes she managed to send a letter to her mother. In one letter, she wrote:
Voice 5
“I open my eyes and get ready to be wide awake to listen to your messages... I hear your voice and sense your love and your strength. This fills me with joy.”
Voice 2
In July 2008, Colombian soldiers attempted to rescue Ingrid and some other hostages. The soldiers acted as if they belonged to a non-government organization. They said that someone had given them orders to fly the hostages to another camp. The rebel leader believed the soldiers’ words. So, the rebels¹⁸ loaded the hostages onto a helicopter. When they were flying away, the soldiers told the hostages the truth. The hostages jumped up and down with joy! They were free at last!
Voice 1
The hostages needed time to rest and recover their health. But Ingrid had one very special thing that she needed to do. She went to the Radio Caracol building very early on a Sunday morning. And she read this message to the remaining hostages in the jungle:
Voice 5
“I know that freedom will come soon. You who are in the jungle - you know me. You know that when I promise to do something, I mean what I say. I am not going to waste a second. I will fight for your freedom...I will make sure that you come home as quickly as possible.”
Voice 1
And that is the wish of all the people on the “Voices of Kidnapping” programme week after week. They will never give up hope. And they will continue to speak their words of love into the long, dark night.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 microphone   

n.扩音器，麦克风，话筒

参考例句：

• He gave a tap at the microphone before speaking.他在讲话前先轻叩了一下扩音器。
• She behaved naturally before the microphone.她在话筒前表现自然。

4 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

5 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

6 kidnap   

v.拐，绑架，劫持（某人）

参考例句：

• A pair of robbers were trying to kidnap his wife.两个强盗正试图绑架他的妻子。
• They were intelligent and educated,yet they chose to kidnap and kill.他们聪明且有教养，却选择去绑架和杀人。

7 rebel   

n.叛徒，起义者；vi.造反，反抗，反感；adj.造反的，反抗的，反叛者的

参考例句：

• The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.反叛军队企图颠覆政府统治。
• The rebel army has readjusted its strategy.叛军已经重新调整了策略。

8 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

9 hostage   

n.人质，抵押品

参考例句：

• One group claimed to have executed the American hostage.一个组织声称已经处决了那名美国人质。
• Have you read the article about the rescue of the hostage?你看了关于营救人质的文章了吗？

10 hostages   

人质( hostage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The hostages were tied up and blindfolded. 人质被捆绑起来并蒙上了眼睛。
• Fear was the hostages' constant companion. 人质一直都感到恐惧不安。

11 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

12 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

13 torture   

n.折磨；v.折磨，使痛苦；使苦恼，使为难

参考例句：

• No torture would make him speak.任何严刑拷打都不能使他开口。
• Through those long years of imprisonment and torture,he remained faithful and unyielding.在那些遭受囚禁和酷刑的漫长岁月里，他始终坚贞不屈。

14 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

15 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

16 candidate   

n.候选人；候补者；投考者，申请求职者

参考例句：

• Voters like a candidate who has the common touch. 投票者喜欢那些平易近人的候选人。
• The local newspapers dressed up the candidate as a boxer.当地报纸把那个候选人描绘成一个拳击手。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 rebels   

n.反政府的人( rebel的名词复数 )；反叛者；造反者；叛逆者v.反抗政府( rebel的第三人称单数 )；反抗权威

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The rebels went on an orgy of killing. 叛乱者肆意杀人。