Movie Highlights Terror at Algerian Monastery

     A movie about the lives - and gruesome deaths - of French Cistercian Trappist monks² in Algeria has become an unexpected box-office hit in France and has now been released worldwide. "Of Gods and Men" is set during Algeria's horrific 1990's civil war. The Tibhirine monastery³（修道院） where the monks live, serves as a reminder⁴ of the country's unresolved past.

    The French Cistercian monastery sits on a small hill overlooking the Algerian village, Tibhirine, a two-hour drive from the capital. It is a large, rambling⁵ stone building surrounded by high walls and fields. The view from here is magnificent - the valley and distant hills spread below.

    Fifty-three-year-old Jean-Paul Tissot shows a visitor around. He arrived here from France, last November, to help the Catholic Church care for the monastery.

    Tissot says he wants to prepare the way for a new community of monks to move in. He wants to be proof that living at the Tibhirine monastery is possible - although there are no plans for more monks to come here anytime soon.

    Fifteen years ago, a community of Cistercian Trappist monks did live at the monastery. They kept bees and farmed.

    But in the 1990's, the monks were caught up in Algeria's brutal⁶ civil war that pitted Islamist militants（激进分子） against the military-backed government. It killed upwards⁷ of 150,000 people. The monks decided⁸ to stay. They felt the village needed them.

    In March, 1996, seven of the monks were kidnapped. Two months later, they were killed. Their severed⁹ heads were found, but not their bodies. Only two monks, who had been hiding in the monastery, survived.

    A movie about the monks has become a box office hit in France. "Of Gods and Men" won the country's prestigious¹⁰ Cesar award for best movie, last year. It is now being released in other countries.

    Tissot shows the monks' gravestones. They are located in a beautiful, peaceful spot, surrounded by pine trees.

    Tissot has not yet seen the movie. Right now, he feels too close to the events.

    Tibhirine has not forgotten the monks. Village resident Samir Lahmani says the monastery completed their lives.

    Lahmani says the monks were good to the village. They gave money to the poor. One monk¹, Father Luc, was a doctor who cared for the sick.

    It is still unclear who killed the monks. Was it the Islamist terrorists?  Or was it, as some suggest, the Algerian army, because the monks refused their demands to leave?

    The question of who killed who during the bloody¹¹ 1990's still haunts Algeria. Some, like Nassera Dustour, have made it their life mission to find out the truth. Dustour is spokeswoman for SOS Disparus, an association representing the families of an estimated 8,000 Algerians who disappeared during the civil war. That includes her son - who would have been 35 years old today.

    Dustour says the Algerian state must investigate the massacres¹². The killers¹³ must be given names. The country must confront its past.

    What is clear is that the monks have left a profound mark in this Islamic country. Visitors from all over Algeria drop by. Tissot gives them a tour of the monastery. Some have read about the monks in the newspapers or heard about them from friends.

    Faiza Ahfir, who drove here from the coastal¹⁴ town, Tipaza, downloaded the movie "Of Gods and Men" from the Internet.

    Ahfir says her family was deeply moved by the film. She says the monks could have left the violence and returned to France. Instead, they chose to stay.

    Should Algerians forget their past?  Bury what people here call "the black decade?"No, Ahfir says, absolutely not. Algerians have experienced it all - civil war, terrorism. She says now they must draw lessons from it.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

2 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 rambling   

adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的

参考例句：

• We spent the summer rambling in Ireland. 我们花了一个夏天漫游爱尔兰。
• It was easy to get lost in the rambling house. 在布局凌乱的大房子里容易迷路。

6 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

7 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

8 decided   

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。

9 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

11 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

12 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

13 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

14 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。