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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
07 June 2007
Newly instated Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua will face as one of his first challenges controlling the unruly and lawless Niger Delta1. Kidnappings of foreigners have escalated2 as armed militants4 and average citizens decry5 the persistence6 of rampant7 poverty in a region teeming8 with oil wealth. Kari Barber reports from the Niger Delta.
Two Indian petrochemical workers were abducted9 at gunpoint from their apartment. Security guards say an armed group fired on the building in the early hours of the morning and took the two men captive. "They were holding ammunition10 that was more than the security's."
The guard on duty was armed with a baton11. Hostages are usually held until a ransom12 is paid.
A militant3 group called The Niger Delta Vigilantes struts13 through the streets of Okrika Island. The group has become a major militant force fighting for better compensation for the region from the government and oil companies. They say they wish peaceful means were an option.
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Marcus Appolos, Commander with the Iijaw Youth Council |
"The threat of the Niger Delta was not like this [before], but today every little child is aware of fighting for freedom. So now even unborn children are happy to die for justice."
A maze14 of winding15 waterways offers hideouts for militant bases, accessible only by speedboat. Small fishing villages like this are caught in the crossfire16 of gang-like warfare17 as militant groups battle for territory. Fishermen here say they have lost their livelihood18.
One such fisherman is Samuel Johnson, who says, "All of my things are lost. My house is burned. My canoe, my net is finished. I am empty."
Meanwhile, a pipeline19 outside the village moves oil underneath20 the waterways. One of the complaints of militant groups and citizens is that oil production has degraded their environment. Gas flares21 are common.
In the village of Ikarama in the southern state of Bayelsa people live by farming and fishing.
But they say life has become more difficult since oil from a line belonging to Dutch conglomerate22 Shell began seeping23 to the surface, spilling across a field and entering the creeks24 and swamps. Engineer Lambert Miebi says the environment is not safe. "We are not in a safe environment. We feed from this soil and also we fish from these swamps, we have so many ponds around. We fish from them and they are all polluted."
Oil companies, including Shell, were contacted for this report but representatives say they are too busy dealing25 with attacks and hostage situations to speak to the media.
Residents say another oil company built a footbridge for them as a sign of good relations. But, they say now the bridge is falling apart.
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delta
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n.(流的)角洲 | |
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escalated
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v.(使)逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 );(使)逐步扩大;(使)更高;(使)更大 | |
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3
militant
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adj.激进的,好斗的;n.激进分子,斗士 | |
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militants
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激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 ) | |
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decry
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v.危难,谴责 | |
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persistence
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n.坚持,持续,存留 | |
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rampant
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adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的 | |
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teeming
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adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注 | |
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abducted
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劫持,诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 ); 使(肢体等)外展 | |
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10
ammunition
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n.军火,弹药 | |
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baton
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n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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ransom
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n.赎金,赎身;v.赎回,解救 | |
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struts
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(框架的)支杆( strut的名词复数 ); 支柱; 趾高气扬的步态; (尤指跳舞或表演时)卖弄 | |
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maze
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n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑 | |
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winding
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n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 | |
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crossfire
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n.被卷进争端 | |
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warfare
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n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突 | |
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livelihood
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n.生计,谋生之道 | |
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pipeline
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n.管道,管线 | |
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20
underneath
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adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 | |
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flares
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n.喇叭裤v.(使)闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 );(使)(船舷)外倾;(使)鼻孔张大;(使)(衣裙、酒杯等)呈喇叭形展开 | |
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conglomerate
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n.综合商社,多元化集团公司 | |
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23
seeping
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v.(液体)渗( seep的现在分词 );渗透;渗出;漏出 | |
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24
creeks
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n.小湾( creek的名词复数 );小港;小河;小溪 | |
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dealing
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n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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