# Culture

Source 路透社

Listening

American is killed by bow and arrow on remote Indian island

Reading

John Allen Chau seemed to know that what he was about to do was extremely dangerous.

Chau, an American thought to be in his 20s, was floating in a kayak off a remote island in the Andaman Sea. He was about to set foot on one of the most sealed-off parts of India, an island inhabited by a small, enigmatic and highly isolated tribe whose members have killed outsiders for simply stepping on their shore.

Fishermen warned him not to go. And Indian government regulations clearly prohibited any interaction with people on the island, called North Sentinel. But Chau pushed ahead, setting off in his kayak, which he had packed with a Bible. After that, it is a bit of a mystery what happened. But police say one thing is clear: Chau did not survive.

On Wednesday, Indian authorities said Chau had been shot with bows and arrows by tribesmen when he got on shore and his body was still on the island. Fishermen who helped take Chau to North Sentinel told police that they had seen tribesmen dragging his body on the beach.

It was a “misplaced adventure, ‘’ said Dependra Pathak, police chief in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “He certainly knew it was off limits.’’

Pathak said Chau, believed to be 26 or 27 and from Washington state, may have been trying to convert the islanders to Christianity. Right before he left in his kayak, Chau gave the fishermen a long note in case he did not come back. In it, police officials said, he had written that Jesus had bestowed him with the strength to go to the most forbidden places on Earth.

Summary

American is killed by bow and arrow on remote Indian island

一个美国人在遥远的印度岛屿被弓箭射杀

• bow /boʊ/

  n.弓

  v.鞠躬 （读音有区别）

  e.g.

  to bow to sb （v.）向某人鞠躬（答谢）

  to take a bow

  to bow and scrape （v.）向某人卑躬屈膝

  It’s embarrassing to see people bowing and scraping to the new CEO. （v.）

  Draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed. 三思而后行（谚语）。（写作）

• remote /rɪˈmoʊt/

  adj. 遥远的，疏远的

  e.g.

  a remote village 地点空间上的遥远

  in the remote past/future 时间上的遥远

  a remote cousin 人与人之间血缘关系的远离

  a remote manner 人与人之间行为和态度上的疏远

John Allen Chau seemed to know that what he was about to do was extremely dangerous. 

约翰·艾伦·周似乎知道他要做的事情是极其危险的。

Chau, an American thought to be in his 20s, was floating in a kayak off a remote island in the Andaman Sea. He was about to set foot on one of the most sealed-off parts of India, an island inhabited by a small, enigmatic and highly isolated tribe whose members have killed outsiders for simply stepping on their shore. 

人们认为周是一位 20 多岁的美国人，当时他正乘坐皮艇，漂浮着离开安达曼海一个偏远的岛屿，并准备踏上印度最封闭的地区之一——在那座岛上住着一个神秘莫测而又与世隔绝的小部落，岛上的居民曾经将只是踏上了海岸的外来者杀死。

• in his 20s

  20多岁

• kayak /ˈkaɪæk/

  n. 皮艇

• set foot on

  踏上、进入

• sealed-off /ˈsiːld ɔːf/

  adj.封闭的，隔离的

  e.g.

  to seal an envelope

• inhabit /ɪnˈhæbɪt/

  v. (人)居住，（动物）栖居

• enigmatic /ˌenɪɡˈmætɪk/

  adj. 神秘的，费解的

  e.g.

  an enigmatic smile

• isolated /ˈaɪsəleɪtɪd/

  adj. 孤立的，隔离的

  e.g.

  an isolated house

  an isolated patient

• tribe /traɪb/

  n.部落，宗族

• outsider

  n.外来者

Fishermen warned him not to go. And Indian government regulations clearly prohibited any interaction with people on the island, called North Sentinel. But Chau pushed ahead, setting off in his kayak, which he had packed with a Bible. After that, it is a bit of a mystery what happened（同位语）. But police say one thing is clear: Chau did not survive. 

渔民曾警告周不要去那儿，印度政府的法规也明确禁止人们与那座名为“北森蒂内尔岛”上的居民有任何来往。但周还是一意孤行，乘坐一艘装有一本《圣经》的皮艇出发了。接下来发生的事情有些神秘。但警方表示，有一点是明确的：周没有活下来。

• prohibit

  v. 禁止

• interaction

  n.交流，来往（v.）

  e.g.

  the interaction between teacher and student

• sentinel /ˈsentɪnl/

  n. 哨兵

• push ahead

  （坚定地）继续前行

  e.g.

  to push ahead with 大力推行

  The government has/have decided to push ahead with its/their reform program.

• set off

  出发

On Wednesday, Indian authorities said Chau had been shot with bows and arrows by tribesmen when he got on shore and his body was still on the island. Fishermen who helped take Chau to North Sentinel told police that they had seen tribesmen dragging his body on the beach. 

周三，印度当局表示，周在上岸时被部落成员用弓箭射中，他的尸体还在岛上。而帮助周前往北森蒂内尔岛的渔民告诉警官，他们曾看见部落居民在海滩上拖拽他的遗体。

• tribesman /ˈtraɪbzmən/

  n.部落居民

• get on = set foot on 使用不同的词表达相同的意思 （写作）

It was a “misplaced adventure,’’ said Dependra Pathak, police chief in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “He certainly knew it was off limits.’’ 

安达曼和尼科巴群岛的警察局长戴鹏卓·帕塔克说，这是“不该发生的冒险，他肯定知道那里是禁区。”

• misplaced

  adj. 错误的，不合时宜的

• off limits

  adj.禁止入内的

  e.g.

  The site is off limits to the public.

  Cream cleansers are off limits for oily skin. 油性皮肤不应该使用洁面霜。

Pathak said Chau, believed to be 26 or 27 and from Washington state, may have been trying to convert the islanders to Christianity(基督教). Right before he left in his kayak, Chau gave the fishermen a long note in case he did not come back. In it, police officials said, he had written that Jesus had bestowed him with the strength to go to the most forbidden places on Earth. 

帕塔克还表示，周的年龄应该是 26、27 岁，来自华盛顿州，他可能一直试图让岛民皈依基督教。就在周乘坐皮艇离开之前，他给了渔民一张长纸条，以防自己再也回不来。警方说，他在纸上写道，耶稣赐予了他力量，让他踏足地球最封闭的禁区。

• convert sb to

  转变，改变某人的信仰

  e.g.

  a convert to Catholicism （n.）

• bestow /bɪˈstoʊ/

  v.赠与，授予，赐予

  e.g.

  to bestow an honour on sb

  to bestow sb with sth

• forbidden /fərˈbɪdn/

  adj. 被禁止的（forbid v.）

  e.g.

  Photography is forbidden in the museum.

  it is forbidden to do sth