VOA标准英语 Somali Pirates Seize 4 Ships in 24 Hours
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2009年(四月)
Somali pirates have stepped up the seizure 1 of ships along the coast of the lawless country. A Greek-owned vessel 2 with 22 crew members was hijacked 3 early Tuesday and there is word that a Togo-flagged vessel has also been seized. Monday, two Egyptian fishing vessels 4 were hijacked, in a sign that the attacks will continue despite rescue missions by American and French forces over the weekend.
Wives of Filipino sailors show pictures of their husbands Carlo, left, and Rodell,who are in Somali pirates' hand, in Manila, Philippines, 13 Apr 2009
Early Tuesday pirates seized the MV Irene, a Greek-flagged ship carrying 22 crew members. A U.S. Navy spokesman told the AP news agency the crew is from the Philippines.
The ship was passing through the Gulf 5 of Aden on its way from Jordan to India when it was hijacked in a rare nighttime attack, facilitated by the light from a nearly full moon. NATO officials say a Togo-flagged ship, the MV Sea Horse has also been taken over.
A day earlier, pirates captured two Egyptian fishing boats carrying as many as 24 sailors, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry 6.
The attacks suggest that the latest wave of piracy 7 in the area is not slowing, despite the fact that five pirates were killed over the weekend when American and French special forces freed hostages in separate operations.
Pirates have vowed 8 to continue their attacks, and there are fears that the operations may have antagonized pirates. Jama Si'ad, a pirate in the coastal 9 town of Harardhere, a hub of pirate activity, said that pirates would retaliate 10 against American citizens.
He said in the future, pirates would execute French and American crew members that they capture and would display their bodies to the media.
Whether such threats are more than just rhetoric 11 remains 12 to be seen. But on Monday, U.S. president Barack Obama said the American government is committed to combating the rise in piracy, and the U.S. military is considering options for escalating 13 its response. However, U.S. Defense 14 Secretary Robert Gates noted 15 the difficulty of the job, saying Monday that economic improvements within Somalia will ultimately be needed to stop the attacks.
For the past few months, as many as 20 warships 16 from various countries have been patrolling the waters off the Somali coast in an attempt to deter 17 pirate attacks. But the area is huge, and while the frequency of hijackings appeared to drop off earlier this year, the recent spate 18 of attacks has dispelled 19 any hopes that the threat has receded 20.
According to the International Maritime 21 Bureau, more than a dozen ships, and more than 200 hostages are currently being held by Somali pirates, seeking ransom 22 payments.
While the United States and France have quickly mobilized military operations when their citizens have been hijacked, other hostages, many of them from the Philippines and other poorer countries, have had to wait for ransom negotiations 23 to unfold. Many have been held captive for several months.
The World Food Program also said Tuesday that piracy is threatening the delivery of food aid to war-torn Somalia, 90 percent of which arrives by sea.
- The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
- The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。
- The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
- You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
- The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
- The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。
- The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
- There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
- 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。
- 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。
- 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。
- The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
- This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
- He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
- It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。
- Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
- Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
- The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句
- 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。
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
- The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。
- Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
- Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。
- Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
- Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。
- His speech dispelled any fears about his health. 他的发言消除了人们对他身体健康的担心。
- The sun soon dispelled the thick fog. 太阳很快驱散了浓雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
- The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。
- Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
- The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。
- 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。
- negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
- Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。