VOA慢速英语2015 船长要为地中海移民死亡负责

Captain Blamed for Mediterranean¹ Migrant Deaths 船长要为地中海移民死亡负责

Officials have blamed the Tunisian captain of a fishing boat for causing the deaths of hundreds of migrants. They say the migrants were locked inside when their boat overturned in the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend.

Prosecutors³ said on Tuesday that 27-year-old Mohammed Ali Malek was arrested on suspicion of killing⁴ many people. The prosecutors said the captain mistakenly turned his overloaded⁵ boat into a merchant ship that was coming to its rescue.

Only 28 survivors⁶ have been brought to Italy from the hundreds of Bangladeshi migrants on board the boat. Most of the migrants were African and Bangladeshi. Police have said as many as 950 people may have died. It appears to be the worst disaster ever among migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

The lead prosecutor² said so few people survived because most of the migrants on board had been locked in the lower levels of the fishing boat. Many of the passengers were women and children.

South Africa to deploy⁷ army to prevent attacks on foreigners

South Africa’s defense⁸ minister says the government will deploy soldiers to prevent further violence, after a series of attacks on foreigners in Johannesburg and Durban. Seven people have been killed.

The attacks began in early April. They have occurred in poor areas of Johannesburg and Durban. South Africa’s defense minister announced Tuesday that soldiers will join with police to stop the attacks on foreigners.

Immigrants from African nations including Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Somalia and Zimbabwe have been among the targets of the attacks. Many have sought shelter in temporary camps. Some African embassies say many citizens are trying to return to their home countries.

Egypt’s Morsi sentenced to 20 years in prison

An Egyptian court sentenced former President Mohamed Morsi to 20 years in prison Tuesday. He was sentenced in connection with the killings⁹ of protesters near the presidential palace in Cairo in 2012.

It is the first sentence in several cases against Mohamed Morsi.

The former president escaped a possible death penalty. The court ruled that he and 12 other Muslim Brotherhood¹⁰ leaders and supporters were guilty of intimidation¹¹ and violence, but not murder.

Morsi was the country's first democratically elected president. He promised citizens a brighter future for Egypt, after the popular uprising that ended the long rule of Hosni Mubarak.

CPJ releases list of most-censored countries

Eritrea and North Korea were named the most-censored countries in the world by the Committee to Protect Journalists . On Tuesday, the press freedom group, based in New York City, released this year’s list of the 10 countries that restrict their news media the most.

Other countries on the list are Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Iran, China, Burma and Cuba.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the list is based on research of punishment of journalists and repressive laws used against them. The group also considers limits on Internet access.

Words in the News:

prosecutor - n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty

merchant - adj. used for or involved in trading goods

intimidation - n. the act of making (someone) afraid

uprising - n a usually violent effort by many people to change the government or leader of a country

censor¹² - v. to examine books, newspapers, movies, letters, etc., in order to remove things that a government considers harmful to society

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

3 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

6 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

7 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

10 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

11 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

12 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。