2015考研英语阅读伦敦巫术

　　Black magic inLondon

　　伦敦巫术

　　Crimes of passion;The Boy in the River. ByRichard Hoskins.

　　激情犯罪;《河里的男孩》，理查德霍斯金斯著。

　　In the late 1980s Richard Hoskins, young andnewly married, spent six years as a missionary inBolobo, upriver from the Congolese capital,Kinshasa. Now back in Britain and something of anAfrica specialist, he advises the authorities on tribal and ritual crimes. In his new book, TheBoy in the River, Mr Hoskins argues that these atrocities are a perversion of African beliefsystems and highly unusual.

　　在二十世纪八十年代早期，年轻且新婚不久的理查德霍斯金斯，在博洛博做了六年的传教士，该地位于刚果首都，金沙萨市的上游。现今已返回英国，有几分非洲专家味道的他，在部落和宗教式犯罪问题上给当局提出相关建议。在他的新书《河里的男孩》中，霍斯金斯先生说这些暴行是对非洲信仰的一种曲解，是极不寻常的。

　　His first case, in 2002, involved the mutilated torso of a boy they named Adam, found inthe River Thames. The police thought it was a muti killing, a South African practice thatinvolves removing organs for use in tribal medicines. Mr Hoskins recognised that Adam was infact a human sacrifice by a Nigerian tribe. Hisevidence was the precise slit in the victims neck and a body drained of blooda divinetribute that is condemned as juju, or black magic, in West Africa. The boys killer has notyet been convicted, but the investigation did uncover a trafficking ring that smuggled Africanchildren to Britain for such ritualistic abuses.

　　在2002年，他的第一个案例：在泰晤士河中发现的一名为亚当的男孩的残缺躯体。警方认为这是起巫术杀人案，这是一种南非部落习俗，取出人体器官以作药用。霍斯金斯先生辨认出亚当实际上是一个尼日利亚部族的活人祭品。他给出的证据是受害人脖子上精确的切口和鲜血流尽的躯体一种被谴责为juju的神圣礼物，或者可称为西非的巫术。杀死男孩的凶手仍未被定罪，但通过此次调查，警方却发现了一个偷运非洲儿童，卖到英国作为仪式献祭的走私集团。

　　Mr Hoskins and his wife suffered their own tragedy in Congo; one of their twins wasstillborn, the other died before she was two. He admits his work presents emotionalchallenges. But he is not overly sentimental. He writes about criminology, how the policedeal with the media and the perverted beliefs behind the crimes. Much of the book is aboutkindoki. Mr Hoskins understands this as a benign affliction treated with a potion of plantextracts from a nganga, a traditional healer. But there is a growing trend of pastors in newrevivalist Christian churches, both in Africa and Britain, preaching a different, malevolentkind of kindoki. They convince parents that their children are possessed by demons whichmust be exorcised through isolation, fasting and beatings. Gullible and desperate believers,who consider their pastors to be little Gods, will pay good money for them to cure thismalady.

　　在刚果，霍斯金斯夫妇自己也惨遭了不幸;双胞胎中的一个是死胎，而另一个在两岁前死亡。他承认在他的作品中带给了读者情感上的挑战。但他并没有过度感伤。他写到犯罪学，警察怎样与媒体周旋，怎样应对罪行背后扭曲的信仰。书的大部分是关于kindoki 。霍斯金斯先生把这认为是一种较为仁慈的折磨，用从 nganga中提取的植物药剂治疗，这是一种传统治疗物。但在非洲及英国，复兴基督教会的牧师有增加的趋势，布道一种不同的、恶毒的kindoki。他们使得父母们相信自己的孩子被魔鬼蛊惑，必须通过隔离、禁食和鞭打才能除怪。这些将他们的牧师当做小神的绝望而易受骗的信徒们，就会付出很多的钱给他们以治愈这种疾病。

　　The most harrowing case is that of Kristy Bamu. Attempting to exorcise the boy ofkindoki, his sister and her boyfriend tortured him to death over five days in December 2010using an array of weapons, including light bulbs, floor tiles, knives and pliers. Mr Hoskinstestified in court that Africans do not practise exorcism like this.

　　最悲惨的事例是一个叫克里斯蒂 巴姆的男子。为了驱除kindoki 的鬼怪，在2010年十二月，他在被妹妹及妹妹的男朋友使用大量武器，包括电灯泡，地板瓷砖，刀子及拳脚相加折磨五天后死去。霍斯金斯先生在法庭上证明非洲人并不用这样的方式除怪。

　　It is heartening to read that the British authorities go to great lengths to solve thesecrimes, but infuriating to learn about the flaws in the system. An important witness to theAdam crime, for example, was deported before she could be properly questioned. An eye-opening book that makes a strong case for cultural understanding.

　　所以当知道英国当局不遗余力要解决这些犯罪时，是很振奋人心的，但在知道系统中的不足时又难免让人感到愤怒。例如，亚当一案中的一个重要证人在被正当地审问钱就被驱逐出境。所以这是一本为文化理解提供了有力事实证据的书