2006年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Leader Vows to End Oil Violence

By Gilbert Da Costa
Abuja
30 January 2006
 
 
President Olusegun Obasanjo 
  
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has vowed¹ to stamp out violence in the country's troubled Niger Delta². He spoke³ late

Monday at a meeting with four foreign oil workers released by militants⁴ just hours earlier.

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The Nigerian leader says his administration will not be intimidated⁵ by attacks on oil companies. He says new security

measures will be introduced to stem rising violence in the area.

"I want to assure you and assure your employers, Nigerians and the international community, that we will do everything

humanly possible to try to prevent a re-occurrence of what has happened," he said.

President Obasanjo also had a word for his country's independent media.

"I want to appeal to the Nigeria press, because we have some form of sensationalism in this. Now, if you glorify⁶ people who

have done bad things, you're not doing any credit to your country or to yourself," said Mr. Obasanjo. "In fact, you're

undermining the security of your country. I was told when I was in Davos, while we are working to get the people out, one

paper came out with another sensation that another four had been kidnapped, which is a lie, which is untrue, and which can

create both internally and externally the feeling of insecurity in the country."

Nigeria's largest labor⁷ organization, the Nigeria Labor Congress, which represents the interest of oil workers, has also

welcomed the release of the oil workers. NLC Secretary General George Odah says improving security for oil workers should be

a priority.

"It's understandable that our members are apprehensive⁸ about working in this area. Because if we are going to continue to

have a situation where we're being threatened with the possibility of abduction at the slightest opportunity, this can't

provide the necessary enabling environment to do work," said Odah. "The security of lives and property should be a primary

consideration for both oil companies and respective government agencies that are charged with this responsibility."

None of the four former captives - a Briton, Bulgarian, Honduran and American - was allowed to speak to reporters. The

release of the four has been warmly welcomed by most Nigerians. The U.S. embassy in Abuja has also welcomed their release. In

a statement Monday it deplored⁹ acts of hostage taking and appealed for a solution to the problems in the Niger Delta.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 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。

3 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。

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 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 glorify   

vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化

参考例句：

• Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
• We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝，竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 apprehensive   

adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的

参考例句：

• She was deeply apprehensive about her future.她对未来感到非常担心。
• He was rather apprehensive of failure.他相当害怕失败。

9 deplored   

v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They deplored the price of motor car, textiles, wheat, and oil. 他们悲叹汽车、纺织品、小麦和石油的价格。 来自辞典例句
• Hawthorne feels that all excess is to be deplored. 霍桑觉得一切过分的举动都是可悲的。 来自辞典例句