VOA标准英语 Rescued Ship Captain Returns Home to US After Somali

The U.S. shipping¹ captain who was held hostage for five days by Somali pirates has returned homeand received a hero's welcome in the small Northeastern state of Vermont.
　
Captain Richard Phillips (right) arrives in US after his rescued from pirates. His daughter Mariah is on the left.

But Captain Richard Phillips says he is not a hero. "I am not the hero. The military is the hero. Thank them. Thank you,"

Phillips was held on a lifeboat by four pirates after offering himself as a hostage to save his crew during an attempted hijacking² of his ship on April 8. Three of the pirates were shot and killed as U.S. Navy SEALS special forces rescued Phillips on April 12. The fourth captor was taken into custody³.

Shortly after he stepped off a plane in Burlington, Vermont Friday, the captain of the Maersk Alabama was reunited with his wife and children. He expressed gratitude⁴ to them, to neighbors in his nearby home town of Underhill, to supporters everywhere, and most of all to the Navy SEALS. "I am just a bit part in this story. I am a small part. I am a seaman⁵, doing the best he can, like all the other seamen⁶ out there. The first people I want to thank are the SEALS. They are the superheroes. They are the titans. They are impossible men doing an impossible job, and they did the impossible with me," he said.

Phillips also praised the crew of the Maersk Alabama for their professionalism. "We did it. I told you it was not going to be 'if,' it was going to be 'when,' and we did what we trained to do. We are just seamen--We do the best with what we have got. My crew did an excellent job, and I am so proud of them that they are all home," he said.

After the reunion, Phillips' wife Andrea also thanked neighbors and fellow Americans for their support, and she asked the news media to respect the family's privacy. "This is not one of our typical homecomings. And now that Richard is back, I just ask that you give us some time to be a family again. Hey, Rich, welcome home," she said.

Here in Washington, high-ranking officials from the Defense⁷ Department and the U.S. intelligence services met at the State Department Friday to look for new ways to fight piracy⁸ in the waters off Somalia.

Meanwhile, the tiny town of Underhill, Vermont is decorated with banners and balloons to welcome home the local hero.

1 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

2 hijacking   

n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I have been told about the hijacking . 我已听说了那次劫机事件。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• They are taking measures to guarantee against the occurrence of hijacking. 他们正采取措施防止劫机事件的发生。

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

4 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

5 seaman   

n.海员，水手，水兵

参考例句：

• That young man is a experienced seaman.那个年轻人是一个经验丰富的水手。
• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。

6 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

7 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。

8 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。