Pirates back to attack ships
作者：AGENCIES 时间：2008-10-09
来源：21世纪英文报第774期
conscious 有意识的
crewman 船员
eye-patched 戴眼罩的
grappling 爪钩
grenade 手榴弹
Gulf of Aden 亚丁湾
indistinguishable 不能区别的
Mediterranean Sea 地中海
mug 杯子
notorious 声名狼籍的
piracy 海盗行为
raid 袭击
ransom 赎金
response 回答
simultaneous 同时的
rocket-propelled 火箭驱动
rum 浪姆酒(用甘蔗或糖蜜等酿制的一种甜酒)
Somalia 索马里
split 分割的
subject 实验对象
Sumatra 苏门答腊 (在印尼西部)
toll 通行税(费)
PIRACY may seem like a romanticized problem of the past. In reality, piracy is flourishing from Sumatra to Somalia, and today’s pirates are far from the lovable rogues in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean.
On September 25, a Ukrainian ship became the victim of pirates in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. The pirates have reportedly killed one of the crewmen and are demanding a ransom of $20 million.
Of course, raiding and killing by pirates is nothing new. Ever since there has been water and ships, there have been pirates. The earliest recorded pirates date back to the 13th century BC in the Mediterranean Sea. Even the famous Roman leader Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates in the Mediterranean Sea in 75 BC. He was detained for 40 days until a ransom was paid.
Piracy reached its peak in the early 18th century. The notorious pirate of the Caribbean, Blackbeard, was active in this period. However, today colorful legends and modern portrayals by TV and films help romanticize pirates. They are often shown as eye-patched, standing on a wooden leg, with a mug of rum. Many believe their lives are thrilling tales of rebellion, independence and romance.
Until the mid-20th century, most pirates were petty thieves. They used grappling hooks to climb onto commercial ships, and took all that they could find. These pirates were more likely to flee than fight if confronted by the crew.
However, modern-day pirate attacks are shockingly violent. The BBC reports that today’s pirates attack ships with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. Their objective – to kidnap, steal, attack and murder.
Ransom
In a typical attack, a handful of pirates will pull up alongside a boat in the middle of the night, climb aboard, and steal cash and jewelry from the crew and passengers. Commercial vessels often carry money for tolls and shipping taxes; pirates blow these open or force captains to unlock them. Attacks of this kind tend to bring in between $1,000 and $20,000. With the ransoms they collect, pirates can earn up to $40,000 a year, analysts say. That’s a fortune for someone from an poor country.
“There’s nothing romantic about piracy,” said Pottengal Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau. “These are cruel people who are heavily armed and prey on people that are weaker than them.”
Piracy increases throughout the world
PIRACY is on the rise in recent years. The International Maritime Bureau says 49 attacks were reported in the first three months of 2008, compared with 41 for the same period last year. It recorded 263 pirate attacks last year, up from 239 the year before.
These days more and more of the world’s goods travel by ship. Ninety-five percent of America’s foreign trade moves by water, providing opportunities for pirates. It is difficult to fight against piracy because many attacks by pirates take place outside the territorial waters of a state.
There are two piracy hot spots. The waters around Indonesia continue to be dangerous, with 40 percent of pirate attacks in the first three months of this year happening there. Attacks off Somalia are increasing because of the lack of a functioning government in the country.
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