VOA标准英语2010年-Nigeria's Acting President Replaces Se

Nigeria's acting¹ president has appointed a new National Security Advisor² following the deaths of hundreds of people in the latest round of ethnic³ and religious violence near the city of Jos.

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan fired National Security Advisor Sarki Mukhtar and replaced him with retired⁴ Lieutenant⁵ General Aliyu Gusau. Gusau held that post under former president Olusegun Obasanjo and is seen by many as a potential presidential candidate in next year's election, having finished second to President Umaru Yar'Adua in the last ruling-party primary.

Mr. Jonathan's move to sack a national security advisor chosen by President Yar'Adua is the latest move by the acting president to solidify⁶ his position at a time when President Yar'Adua is still recovering from a heart condition and the nation is facing renewed civil unrest.

Nigerian troops are patrolling villages near the city of Jos after Plateau state officials say the death toll⁷ from Sunday's ethnic and religious violence could be as high as 500.

Residents in the village of Dogo Nahawa say Fulani herdsmen raided their village before dawn, shooting in the air to draw people out of their homes before attacking them with machetes and knives. Many of those killed were women and children who could not outrun their attackers.

Most Fulani herdsmen are Muslim. The villages they attacked are predominantly Christian⁸.

Thousands of people have been killed in the last decade in and around Jos which sits on the line roughly dividing Nigeria's mainly Muslim north and Christian-dominated south.

The area has been under a dusk-to-dawn curfew since January, when another outburst of Muslim-Christian violence in Jos killed about 325 people. Some civilians⁹ are now leaving the area, asking why their villages were left unprotected.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the killings¹⁰ are "appalling¹¹" and is urging Nigerian political and religious leaders to work together to address the underlying¹² causes of violence in the area.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Nigerian authorities should bring the perpetrators to justice under the rule of law while respecting human rights as order is restored.

The group Human Rights Watch says Acting President Jonathan must ensure that security forces prevent reprisal¹³ attacks.
 

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

6 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

11 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

12 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

13 reprisal   

n.报复，报仇，报复性劫掠

参考例句：

• There is no political alternative but a big reprisal.政治上没有旁的选择只能是大规模报复。
• They bombed civilian targets in reprisal.他们炮轰平民目标作为报复。