2007年VOA标准英语-South Korea Takes Custody of 2 Freed Taleban Ho

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
13 August 2007

 

South Korea says two hostages freed by Taleban insurgents¹ in Afghanistan are now under South Korean protection. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, where authorities still face the problem of getting 19 other captives out of danger.

Two released South Korean hostages, left and 2nd left, are seen walking toward a International Committee of The Red Cross' (ICRC) vehicle in Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, 13 Aug 2007

An Afghan nightmare is over for 37-year-old Kim Kyung-ja and 32-year-old Kim Ji-na.

The two were released by Taleban insurgents who kidnapped them nearly a month ago in Afghanistan. They had been reported to be ill.

South Korean Foreign Ministry² Spokesman Cho Hee-yong says they are now in South Korean protection, after being transported to a safe area by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He says South Korea is relieved the two women are safe. He calls for Taleban militants³ to free the rest of the hostages immediately.

Family members of the two freed hostages expressed a sigh of relief.

The brother of Kim Ji-na told reporters he is glad to hear that his sister will come back to Korea, but he says the families as a group are depressed⁴ in spirit. He calls for the government's support to get others returned to their families.

Taleban insurgents seized a total of 23 South Korean hostages last month as they traveled in Afghanistan for Christian⁵ volunteer work. They executed two of the male hostages and 19 remain in captivity⁶, most of them female.

The group went to Afghanistan in defiance⁷ of a South Korean government ban on travel there. Several hundred South Korean military and civilian⁸ personnel provide non-combat support to U.S.-led international stabilization⁹ efforts, following the ouster of the Taleban regime.

The kidnappers¹⁰ have warned they will kill more hostages if Taleban comrades are not released from Afghan prisons.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 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。

4 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 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。

7 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

8 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

9 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

10 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》