VOA常速英语2008年-Pilots Attacked on New Zealand Plane

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
08 February 2008

A woman has been arrested after allegedly stabbing two pilots and threatening to blow up a 19-seat commuter² plane in New Zealand. Police say the mid-air drama took place over the country's South Island. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

The Jetstream aircraft was traveling from the provincial³ town of Blenheim to Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island when the emergency unfolded.

Police say the two pilots sent a distress⁴ call after being attacked in the cockpit by a knife-wielding passenger. None of the other passengers on the Air New Zealand flight was injured.

Authorities say a 33-year-old woman also claimed there were two bombs on board the aircraft. Bomb squad⁵ officers boarded the plane but found no explosives.

The woman was arrested when the plane touched down in Christchurch, one of New Zealand's busiest airports.

Police inspector⁶ Dave Cliff says the injured pilots were taken to a hospital for treatment.

"One pilot received quite severe cuts to the hand and the second pilot received an injury to the foot," he said. "It's understood the injuries were caused by a knife."

The suspect is being questioned in Christchurch. The motive⁷ for the alleged¹ attack is still unclear. The woman lives in New Zealand, but is originally from Somalia.

Flights to and from Christchurch were suspended for more than two hours while the aircraft was searched. National carrier Air New Zealand has said it would review security procedures. Passengers taking domestic flights out of Blenheim airport are not subject to security checks, and hand luggage is not scanned.

The 19-seater Jetstream planes are used on short-haul regional flights by Air New Zealand and have only curtains separating the cockpit from travelers.

New Zealand, with a population of four million people, has never been targeted by a terrorist attack.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

5 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

6 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

7 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。