VOA慢速英语 海盗袭击索马里海岸所有过往船只

　　Pirates have probably existed as long as valuable goods have been transported by sea. Pirates robbed ancient Greek and Roman ships.

　　From the fifteen hundreds to the seventeen hundreds, pirates from Britain attacked French and Spanish ships carrying riches. Some were known as "privateers." They were given special letters by the British government to attack the ships of enemy nations. But privateers did not work for the government. Their support came from private investors who shared in the captured riches.

　　VOICE TWO:

　　Over two hundred years ago, the United States struggled with piracy in the Mediterranean Sea. A group of small states on the coast of North Africa was seizing American ships and holding their crews hostage. The Barbary States, as they were known, demanded payment for the release of hostages and safe passage of American ships. President Thomas Jefferson refused to pay. He sent the United States Navy on its first foreign expedition to punish the states of Morocco, Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers.

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