VOA慢速英语 海盗袭击索马里海岸所有过往船只

　　Piracy Wave Hits Ships of All Flags Near Somalia's Coast

　　海盗袭击索马里海岸所有过往船只

　　VOICE ONE:

　　I'm Shirley Griffith.

　　VOICE TWO:

　　And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about a wave of crime taking place in the warm waters off the east coast of Africa.

　　(MUSIC)

　　VOICE ONE:

　　The weather was good on the morning of April eighth. One sailor described the sea as being as smooth as glass. The container ship, Maersk Alabama, was sailing through the Gulf of Aden to the port of Mombasa, Kenya, on the east coast of Africa. The American-operated ship carried thousands of tons of agricultural materials for the World Food Program and other aid organizations.

　　But, for days, a small boat had been following the Maersk Alabama. In it, four heavily armed Somali men were watching and waiting. Now, the pirates saw their chance. They moved to board the ship.

　　Captain Richard Phillips sounded a warning and the crew took positions in several parts of the ship. Soon the pirates had climbed on board.

　　Their goal: hijack the ship and hold the crew hostage until the ship's owners paid for their release.

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