新西兰英语 304 Rainbow Warrior Ship Bombed 25 years ago
In the 1980s, France was carrying out nuclear weapons tests on small islands in the South Pacific. Greenpeace was preparing to visit Mururoa in French Polynesia to protest about France’s nuclear tests. The Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior 1, was tied up in the Auckland harbour on 10th July 1985 when two bombs which were attached to the bottom of the ship exploded just before midnight. Only one man was on the ship at this time and he was killed. He was a Portuguese 2 photographer, Fernando Pereira.
Two French spies were arrested but three others escaped in a yacht 3. The spies, Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart, were found guilty of manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 years in prison. They were sent to a small island in the Pacific but after less than two years, they returned to France.
This has been New Zealand’s only terrorist 4 attack.
Later the French President, Mitterand, admitted that he had ordered the bombing. The French government wanted to stop Greenpeace from protesting about the French nuclear testing in the Pacific. Later the French government paid $13m to New Zealand in compensation 5. The French did not stop their nuclear testing in the Pacific for another 10 years. Listen to March 24th 2009 for more about this.
The Rainbow Warrior ship wreck 6 was taken to the Bay of Islands where today it is explored by divers 7. The ship was only 40m long so it is possible for divers to swim all around it quite easily. Divers can see the hole made by the bomb.
Today, an exhibition of photographs opened in Whangarei to show people more about the background to the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.
Questions
1. Why, do you think, did France carry out nuclear weapons tests above ground in French Polynesia instead of underground in France?
2. Did France know of the dangers from nuclear radioactivity?
3. Why did France want nuclear weapons?
4. What do you know about Greenpeace? Do they still protest about nuclear weapons testing or are they more worried about other environmental matters today?
- The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
- A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。
- They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
- Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。
- He was responsible for the location of the missing yacht.他负责查明失踪游艇的下落。
- He planned to cross the Pacific by yacht.他曾打算乘快艇横渡太平洋。
- Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
- The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。
- Workers who have been unfairly dismissed may claim compensation.被无理开除的工人可以要求补偿。
- Equal compensation should be given to men and women for equal work.男女同工应同酬。
- Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
- No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。