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VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-04-16 Boko Haram Suspected in Nigeria Terror Attack 外界怀疑博科圣地在尼日利亚策划恐怖袭击

时间:2014-04-24 15:50:18

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AS IT IS 2014-04-16 Boko Haram Suspected in Nigeria Terror Attack 外界怀疑博科圣地在尼日利亚策划恐怖袭击

Hello, and welcome back to another edition of the program that helps you learn and improve your American English.  I’m Jim Tedder1 in Washington.  Today we hear about another terrorist attack in Nigeria.  Officials fear Boko Haram rebels are getting stronger.

Then we will examine events that are taking place during the holiest week in the Christian3 calendar. 

We are here to help you 7 days a week, on the Internet, on radio, and on television.  And we talk about things that are important for all of us to understand.  The show is called …

As It Is.

Nigeria experienced another deadly terror attack Monday. Police said a bombing killed at least 71 people at a bus station close to the capital, Abuja.  Experts say the most recent attack appears to be a sign that the Islamist rebels of Boko Haram have expanded their operations in Nigeria. 

Taxi driver Joseph Suleiman was driving into Abuja shortly before 7 o’clock in the morning, local time, when the bomb exploded.

 

“We were inside the car. We heard the bomb blast and my car was shaking.  Everybody, we were totally confused.”

Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, has not had a bomb attack in two years.  At that time, Boko Haram targeted a media group killing4 several people.  In 2011, more than 60 people were killed in Abuja in attacks that targeted the local United Nations headquarters and a Christian church.

Mr. Sulieman says he saw many badly injured people as he passed a bus station.  He said people in the area told him that Boko Haram had exploded a car bomb.

Some officials say the Boko Haram rebellion is growing. The group is mainly active in three northeastern Nigerian states.  The area is under emergency rule.

Member of Parliament Herman Hembe says the government has been spending huge amounts of money on security.  But he does not think things are getting better.

“I don’t see any improvement. It’s just been getting worse.”

Boko Haram has been blamed for thousands of deaths since the rebellion began in 2009.  Amnesty International says 1,500 people have been killed in attacks this year.  The group says about 500,000 have fled their homes.

Boko Haram says it wants to destroy the government. The group also wants to enforce its version of Islamic law.

Many observers partly blame the rebellion on extreme poverty.  They say unemployment drives young men to fight for Boko Haram for small amounts of money.

Pastor5 Ayo Oritsejafor is president of the Christian Association of Nigeria.  He says the rebellion is the result of religious extremism although poverty does drive some to join the group.

“It’s about ideology6.  It’s not poverty.  It’s not about marginalization.  Yes it is true that when you deal with poverty, you may reduce the number of recruits – people that they can recruit.”

The only way to end the rebellion, says the pastor, is to fight the extremism through education and the religious leadership in mostly-Muslim northern states.

The Nigerian military says it has forced back Boko Haram fighters and re-claimed many areas once held by the rebels.  The military also says Boko Haram attempted to gain new members by leading a huge prisoner escape last month. Security forces killed hundreds of detainees fleeing the prison.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the prisoner escape.  It also has threatened more violence.  The group has not claimed responsibility for the latest bomb attack however.  Boko Haram often communicates with the public through video messages, which can take days or weeks to be released.

It Is Holy Week for Christians7

Christians around the world are observing Holy Week.  It is the most important and serious holiday time in the Christian religion. It begins with what many Christians call Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday observes the day Christians believe Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. The following Sunday is Easter, the day Christians believe Christ came back to life after execution on the cross.  Caty Weaver8 tells us more.

Those are the bells of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher9 in Jerusalem. It stands in the place where Christians say Jesus died on the cross and was buried.

On Sunday, the church was crowded with worshippers waving palm leaves.  They represent the palm leaves that the crowd spread in front of Jesus as he rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. At the time, that was a traditional way to welcome and honor an important person The worshippers Sunday also called out “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Christians believe the people of ancient Jerusalem also did this as Christ arrived in the city. Visitors came from around the world this year, as in years past. Miriam Akin2 travelled from Nigeria.

“Oh, I feel great, I feel awesome10, I feel elated.  And I give all the glory to God for bringing us to this awesome place.”

Another worshipper, Jane Reynolds, came from the southern U.S. state of Georgia.  She said the experience brings the Christian holy book, the Bible, to life.

“This is where Jesus actually went down that hill into the city. It just is amazing to me to think I am in the same spot, and to think that it really happened, and that it is not just black and white on the pages.”

In Vatican City in Palm Sunday Pope Francis gave a service for thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.  The Roman Catholic Church leader decided11 against using the homily, or speech, he had prepared for the service.   In his talk, he discussed the people around Jesus in the days before his execution and return. The Pope asked “Where is my heart, and which of these persons am I most like?”

After the service, Pope Francis went into the crowd. He joined some of those gathered to have his photograph taken.

Later this week, Christians will observe Good Friday, the day Jesus was believed to have been died on the cross. Holy Week ends on Saturday. That is the day Christians believe Jesus’ body lay in its burial place.  Sunday begins Easter week in the Christian religious tradition. Easter is the day Christians believe Jesus woke from death and left his burial tomb. I’m Caty Weaver.


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1 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
2 akin uxbz2     
adj.同族的,类似的
参考例句:
  • She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
  • Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。
3 Christian KVByl     
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。
4 killing kpBziQ     
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。
5 pastor h3Ozz     
n.牧师,牧人
参考例句:
  • He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
  • We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师:教会的事是由五位执事管理的。
6 ideology Scfzg     
n.意识形态,(政治或社会的)思想意识
参考例句:
  • The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
  • The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。
7 Christians 28e6e30f94480962cc721493f76ca6c6     
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。
8 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
9 sepulcher yDozX     
n.坟墓
参考例句:
  • He said softly,as if his voice were coming from a sepulcher.他幽幽说道,象是从坟墓里传来的声音。
  • Let us bend before the venerated sepulcher.让我们在他神圣的墓前鞠躬致敬。
10 awesome CyCzdV     
adj.令人惊叹的,难得吓人的,很好的
参考例句:
  • The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
  • That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.
11 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

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