新西兰英语 577 Te Urewera trial

 　　In October 2007, the police arrested 18 people from the Maori iwi, Ngai Tuhoe, in Te Urewera. The police said that these people were training in secret for possible terrorist¹ activities like kidnapping. The police had taken secret videos showing these 18 people learning² to use guns and other weapons in a military kind of training.

　　Most of those 18 were charged with using illegal firearms – guns.

　　However, four people were charged with a serious crime of belonging to an organized criminal group. The trial took six weeks. The jury³ took 19 hours looking at the evidence and finally this afternoon said they could not reach a decision on that main charge. However, the jury found them guilty of some firearms charges. They will be sentenced in May. Meanwhile they are on bail⁴ and allowed to go home.

　　The police might decide to ask for a re-trial.

　　There was a political reason for the activity of these 18 people. They believe that their land in Te Urewera was not part of the Treaty⁵ of Waitangi. They were badly treated by the government in the 1860s. Some of the Tuhoe talk of wanting independence from the rest of New Zealand.

　　Te Urewera is a National Park in the central North Island and includes Lake Waikaremoana. Most of the land is hilly and covered in forest. The Tuhoe people are a very strong community.

　　Listen to September 17th 2011 to hear more about this. (Note that one of those people arrested died some time after 2007.)

　　Vocabulary

　　firearms – guns

　　charges – accused of crimes in court

　　sentence –decision of the judge e.g. go to prison, pay a fine, do community service

　　on bail – do not have to stay in prison before the sentence

　　evidence – everything that is said in court

　　re-trial – another trial for the same crimes

1 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 jury   

n.陪审团，评委会；adj.临时用的；vt.挑选

参考例句：

• These twelve men are believed to compose the jury.据信，陪审团是由这12人组成的。
• The members of the jury were discharged from their duties.陪审员们被解除了职务。

4 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

5 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。