2007年VOA标准英语-Gunmen Set Free Two Hostages in Nigerian Oil De

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
28 August 2007

Gunmen in Nigeria's troubled oil-rich southern Rivers state have set free a Nigerian oil worker and a Pakistani construction manager seized about a month ago.  Gilbert da Costa in Abuja reports that only one hostage is being held in the volatile¹ state.

Militants2 wearing black masks, military fatigues3 and carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers patrol the creeks4 of the Niger Delta5 area of Nigeria (File)" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070901/0958070.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Militants wearing black masks, military fatigues and carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers patrol the creeks of the Niger Delta area of Nigeria (File)

Local police chief Felix Ogbaudu who confirmed the release says the no-ransom⁶ policy of the current government is yielding positive results as hostage-takers in Rivers state now realize their demands may no longer be met.
 
He said only one foreigner, a British oil worker, remains⁷ in captivity⁸ in Rivers state.

"If it is the Pakistani engineer you are talking about, Engineer Mohammed, they just dumped him somewhere and the man found his way to one of my police stations in that Ogoni area, and the police handed him over to his employer," he said.  "But there is still one hostage left, a Briton.  He is the only one left.  When they hold them and nobody is coming forward they will bring them out.  Because it is no longer business as usual."
 
Peter Agwuna, a Nigerian supervisor⁹ with the Elf oil company was kidnapped on his way to church on August 1, and was released late Monday.  His release came a few hours after a Pakistani construction manager was set free by his abductors, one month after he was kidnapped.
 
Violence in Nigeria's oil heartland increased sharply last year when armed groups started blowing up oil facilities and kidnapping foreign workers to protest what they called neglect and corruption¹⁰ in the impoverished¹¹ delta.
 
More than 200 foreigners, mostly oil workers, have been kidnapped in the region since the start of 2006.
 
Most have been released after the payment of ransom.  The relatives of wealthy locals have also been the target of hostage-takers.
 
The violence has forced the closure of several oil fields, cutting Nigeria's oil output by as much as one-fifth.

1 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

4 creeks   

n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪

参考例句：

• The prospect lies between two creeks. 矿区位于两条溪流之间。 来自辞典例句
• There was the excitement of fishing in country creeks with my grandpa on cloudy days. 有在阴雨天和姥爷一起到乡村河湾钓鱼的喜悦。 来自辞典例句

5 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

6 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

9 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

10 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

11 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》