英语听力：自然百科 国家地理：钻石：黑暗的一面—12

 The smuggler¹ began to suspect he was being set up. He was vulnerable and carrying more than a quarter of a million dollars. It would be all too easy for blood-thirsty rebels to take his money and his life. 

 

-Is he going to kill me, my holy God?

Fear for his life overtook his lust² for blood diamonds ahd vast profits, he told the rebel commander that he wanted to leave.

 

-He said to me, if you want to go back to Liberia, you have to give me 15,000 dollars. And you know what it is, before he ended his word, I already opened my suitcase. I said, this is 15,000 dollars.

To get back to the relatively³ safety Liberia border, he would have to walk by through war-wrecked territory, and faced with fighters and child soldiers, who could kill him on the wing. And this time he was traveling without the rebel leader's protection.

-So I was beating ** all day again**.

Carrying a suitcase full of diamonds and money, he was a prime target. Peros along the hike was almost 200 kilometers, included corssing the M* River, where rebels were rumoured⁴ to throw their bleeding victims to the crocodiles.

 

-And I was scared, but I could not show it.

He hired child soldiers as guards.

-They were scared. They were more scared than me.

In a constant state of fear, he kept himself and his hired child mercenaries on the move.

-I met a guard. He said, we want to have a rest. I can't have a rest. I have full of diamonds. I have full of money. 

 

He crossed the M* River at night and walked for four days, before finally crossing the border into Foya and relatively safety of Lieberia.

1 smuggler   

n.走私者

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight, awaiting extradition to Britain. 这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• The smuggler was finally obliged to inform against his boss. 那个走私犯最后不得不告发他的首领。

2 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记