VOA常速英语2021--澳大利亚年底前全民接种疫苗目标夭折

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Diane Roberts. Seven Catholic clergy¹, including two French citizens, were kidnapped Sunday in Haiti, according to a spokesperson of the Bishop's Conference for the island nation, which has been rocked by unrest. Five priests and two nuns³ were abducted⁴ in the morning in a commune northeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where they were "on their way to the installation of a new parish priest," a priest told AFP. He added the kidnappers⁵ had demanded a $1 million ransom⁶ for the group, which includes one French priest and one French nun². Haitian authorities suspect an armed gang called "400 Mawozo," which is active in kidnappings, is behind the abduction, according to a police source.

欢迎收听美国之音新闻，我是黛安·罗伯茨，为您远程报道。据海地主教会议发言人称，7名天主教神职人员周日在海地被绑架，其中包括两名法国公民。海地一直受到动乱的冲击。一名神父告诉法新社记者，5名神父和2名修女上午在海地首都太子港东北部一个公社被绑架，他们当时“正前往安置新教区神父的途中”。他补充道，绑匪要求教区支付100万美元赎金，其中包括一名法国牧师和一名法国修女。据警方消息，海地当局怀疑一个名为“400 Mawozo”的武装团伙是绑架案的幕后主使。

Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate⁷ nearly all of its 26 million population by the end of 2021. This follows advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine⁸ rather than AstraZeneca's shot. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon Australia had banked on the AstraZeneca vaccine for the majority of its shots and had no plans to set any new targets for completing its vaccination⁹ program. Australia raced to double its order of the Pfizer vaccine last week. It had originally planned to have its entire population vaccinated¹⁰ by the end of October.

澳大利亚已经放弃了到2021年底为其2600万人口几乎全部接种疫苗的目标。此前，有人建议50岁以下的人接种辉瑞公司的新冠疫苗，而不接种阿斯利康疫苗。澳大利亚总理莫里森周日下午在脸书上发表文章称，澳大利亚大部分疫苗都是依靠阿斯利康疫苗，没有计划为完成疫苗接种计划设定任何新目标。澳大利亚上周迅速将辉瑞公司的疫苗订单翻了一番。它原本计划在10月底之前给所有人接种疫苗。

Massive power outages struck the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent before dawn Sunday as officials recorded more explosive activity at a long-dormant volcano that launched into a series of eruptions¹¹. After remaining quiet for nearly 42 years, La Soufriere rumbled¹² back into life Friday, blanketing the island in ash and permeating¹³ the air with the stench of sulphur. The Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan will begin Tuesday, April 13th, in Egypt and Lebanon. Religious authorities in the two countries announced Sunday. The start of Ramadan is set by both lunar calculations and physical sightings that determine when one month ends and another begins. Via remote, Diane Roberts.

周日黎明前，加勒比海圣文森特岛发生了大规模停电事故，官员们记录到一座曾经爆发多次但长期处于休眠状态的火山产生了更多的爆发活动。在沉寂了近42年之后，苏弗里耶火山于上周五重新恢复生机，圣文森特岛被火山灰覆盖，空气中弥漫着硫磺的臭味。穆斯林斋月将于4月13日星期二在埃及和黎巴嫩开始。两国宗教当局周日发布了通知。斋月的开始是由月球预测和物理观测确定的，可以决定一个月的结束和另一个月的开始。我是黛安·罗伯茨，为您远程报道。

1 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

2 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

3 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

4 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

5 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》

6 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

7 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

10 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

12 rumbled   

发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）

参考例句：

• The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
• Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

13 permeating   

弥漫( permeate的现在分词 )； 遍布； 渗入； 渗透

参考例句：

• His grace was more permeating because it found a readier medium. 他的风度因为有人赏识显得更加迷人。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Thoughts are a strangely permeating factor. 思想真是一种会蔓延的奇怪东西。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹