VOA慢速英语2015 突尼斯官员称22人死于博物馆枪击案

Tunisian Officials: 22 People Killed in Museum Attack 突尼斯官员称22人死于博物馆枪击案

Reports from Tunisia say more than 20 people are confirmed dead following an attack in the capital, Tunis. Gunmen fired on visitors to the Bardo Museum, near the parliament building.

Among the dead are 17 tourists from four European countries: Poland, Italy, Germany and Spain. More than 20 others were injured.

Two of the gunmen were killed when security forces moved in to stop the shooting. The country's prime minister said two security force members were killed during the operation.

Israel announces election result

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will do everything in his power to guarantee the “well-being and security” of all Israeli citizens. Mr. Netanyahu spoke¹ during a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, his Likud Party won the largest number of seats in Israel’s parliamentary election. Nearly all of the ballots² have been counted. Likud won 30 of the 120 seats in parliament. The party captured six more seats than its main opponent, the Zionist Union.

A union of four Arab-led parties called the Joint³ List finished in third place, with 14 seats. Its electoral success will give Israel’s Arab minority influence in parliament for the first time.

Nigerian army still searching for kidnapped girls

The Nigerian army says it has found no evidence of the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram militants⁴. The army statement comes after troops seized many towns formerly⁵ under the control of the militants.

The chief of Nigeria’s Army Staff told reporters the army has been asking about the girls in all the recaptured towns. But he said those questioned, in his words, “have not made any comments suggesting the Chibok girls were there and taken away.”

Boko Haram kidnapped the girls from a secondary school in the town of Chibok nearly a year ago. The incident led to strong international criticism of the militants and intense criticism of the Nigerian government for failing to protect or find the girls.

Death threats against U.S. officials in Japan are investigated

Japanese police say they are investigating death threats against two United States diplomats⁶. The two are Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Alfred Magleby, the top U.S. official in Okinawa.

Police officials were reported as saying the threats were made in telephone calls to the U.S. embassy. News of the threats came as the wife of President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, arrived in Japan. The threats follow an attack earlier this month on the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert.

Vanuatu struggles to recover from storm damage

Workers are transporting emergency supplies to areas far from population centers in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.

A powerful storm, Cyclone⁷ Pam, hit the country last week. Since then, poor weather conditions and communications issues have slowed the arrival of aid. They have also prevented officials from judging the amount of damage.

Words in this Story

prose – n., written or spoken language in its normal form

symbolize⁸ – v., to stand for something; to be a symbol for something

liberal – adj., not opposed to new ideas or ways of behaving that are not traditional or widely accepted

tolerance⁹ – n., the ability to deal with or accept something, including behavior or opinions that one does not agree with

controversial – adj., relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument

detector¹⁰ – n., a device that detects the presence of something

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 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。

5 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

6 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

8 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

9 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

10 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。