高级英语听力 lesson 10

 

Lesson Ten

     Section One: News in Brief

     Tapescript
     1. President Reagan said today he will veto a defense¹ spending bill if
     it is approved, as expected, by the House.  Speaking to a private
     group in Washington today, the President said he was concerned
     about provisions in the bill that would ban nuclear testing and cut
     funding for his Star Wars defense system.  The President also charged
     that the Soviet-backed ban on nuclear testing is 'a backdoor to
     nuclear freeze." And he accused the Soviets² of a major propagand
     campaign on the testing issue.

     2. Israeli warplanes bombed suspected Palestinian guerrilla bases in
     Southeast Beirut today.  Police said the bomb set at least four targets
     on fire.  There are reports that two people were wounded in the at-
     tacks³.

     3. At a news conference in Pretoria today, South African Foreign
     Minister Pic Botha called international sanctions against his country
     .a mad perverse⁴ action' that will put many blacks out of work. But
     Botha said the South African government 'accepts the challenge to
     overcome the effect of sanctions.'

     4. White House spokesman Larry Speakes  said today President
     Reagan will veto on Friday a sanctions bill passed by Congress, but
     he admitted it will be tough to sustain the veto.

     5. On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up
     four and a half points, closing at 1797.81. Trading was moderate,
     one hundred thirty-two million shares.

     (up four and a half) points, (cl@n )

Section Two: News in Detail

 Tapescript
     Israeli wa lanes today bombed four suspected Palestinian
                rp
 guerrilla bases in Lebanon.  Reports from Beirut say at least two
 people were wounded and a number of fires started in the four vil-
 lages.  From Jerusalem, Jerry Cheslow filed this report which was
 subject to censorship by Israeli authorities.
     According to the Israeli army spokesman, the targets were bases
 belonging to two pro-Syrian Palestinian guerrilla organizations.
 Israeli military sources say one of the targets was a staging base for
 raids against northern Israel.  Lebanese radio stations reported that
 at least two people were wounded in the attack south of Beirut and
 that Beirut International Airport was closed for half an hour.  Israeli
 military sources stress that the air raid had nothing to do with this
 week's tensions along Israel/s border with Lebanon.  They were be-
 tween the Shi'ite Muslim Hizbullah (Party of God) Militia⁵ and the
 Israeli-backed South Lebanese Army Militia.  Over the past two
 weeks, large Hizbullah forces stormed dozens of South Lebanese
 Army positions.  Israeli military sources say that at least fifteen South
 Lebanese Army men and some fifty members of Hizbullah were kil-
 led.  According to the sources the attacks also badly damaged the
 -morale of the South Lebanese Army, and this led Israel to deploy⁶ a
 large force along its border with Lebanon.  The force included
 troops, armor and artillery⁷, and according to knowledgeable⁸ observ-
 @ers it was equipped for offensive action against Hizbullah.  Senior
 @Israeli defense sources say that Hizbullah was trying to take over all
 ,of southern Lebanon.  Hizbullah has also been attacking Unifil, the
 ,@UN force in Southern Lebanon.  Over the past six weeks, four French
 Unifil troops were killed by Hizbullah, and just this morning a
 French UN base was rocketed in Southern Lebanon.  There were no
 casualty, but some of its soldiers were blown off their seats.  And the
 sources said that Hizbullah's domination of Southern Lebanon
 would be a direct threat to Israel.  Some of its men who were killed
 were wearing kerchiefs with the words 'Onward⁹ to Jerusalem' print-
 ed on them.  But since the Israeli troops deployed¹⁰ along the border
 three days ago, there have been no Hizbuilah attacks on the South
 Lebanese Army.  By nightfall here in the Middle East, the Israeli
 troops had returned to their bases.  For National Public Radio, I'm
 Jerry Cheslow in Jerusalem.

  Section Three: Special Report

  Tapescript
       This week, Californian wine workers vote on a contract propo-
  sal from winery owners.  The workers have now been on strike for six
  weeks.  The contract proposal calls for cuts in wages and cuts in ben-
  efits.  The prospects¹¹ for rank and file approval seem slim.  A central
  issue of the strike is the economic well-being¹² of the California Wine
  industry.  William Drummond reports.
       A gondola¹³ containing tons of freshly picked Chardenay grapes
  is dumped into a hopper as the process begins for bottling the 1986
  vintage.  The harvest has continued despite the fact that more than
  two thousand winery workers have struck twelve of the biggest
  wineries in Northern and Central California.  Reiving on automated¹⁴
  plants and non-union labor¹⁵, members of the Winery Owners' Asso-
 ciation have succeeded in carrying on what looks like business is
 usual.  But out on the picket¹⁶ line, union worker Pat Scoley is any-
 thing but pleased.
      "I guess they're doing all right.  If they aren't, they want us to
 think they are.  I hope to hell they aren't, between you and me.'
      The union contract expired at the end of July, which is the be-
 ginning of the harvest, the time when wine makers¹⁷ usually need all
 the help they can get.  But many plants are like the Charles Kruge
 Winery, which has been completely automated.  Owner Peter
 Mondaby says the strike has no effect on producing the product.
      'We feel that we can go on indefinitely, because there's a lot of
 people who want to work.  And it's only a question of training these
 people and, of course, with the system that we have, very well
 computerized, that they can fit in with a reasonable amount of train-
 ing, that they can fit in.  So, I mean, we're not concerned about it.'
      Actually, the heavy rainfall several days ago in the Napa Valley
 seemed to disturb the owners more than the strike.  Mondaby pro-
 duces around a million @cases a year, super premium¹⁸ brands under
 the Charles Kruge label, mid-range premium wines and jug¹⁹ wines.
 Mondaby says the industry took a beating during the last several
 years because of cheap wine imports from Europe.  Even though
 Americans today are drinking more wine chiefly in the form of wine
 coolers, wine makers say there's not that much profit in the coolers,
 and they're still in a financial pinch.
      'I feel that the industry has hit its low point and now is on the
 uptrend.  Of course, it's not an uptrend that you will see overnight,
 but it is a healthy uptrend in a gradual growth manner now.  But I
 wouldn't necessarily say a greater profitability because the profit is
 very, very marginal.  The.volume is there, it's true, but the profit is
 very, very marginal."
      Mondaby's marginal profit argument does not win much sup-
 port among striking workers, like Hannah Stockton, who works in
 the bottling plant at Christian²¹ Brothers.
       'I don't believe it, because I read the paper every day, and I lis-
  ten to the news.  I mean, there has been increase in sale.  I mean, ... I
  believe three or four years back, we had a slump²² in the industry.  But
  wine is coming back.  Now they are coming out with wine coolers;
  they are making money.  We don't want a raise; we just want to keep
  what we've got.'
       Wages for workers in the winery industry range from around
  eight dollars to fifteen dollars an hour.  The union was willing to give
  up a slight reduction in wages, but refused to accept cuts in the pen-
  sion and health benefits.  The employers reportedly want a twenty
  percent reduction in the wages and benefits package.  Winery owners
  say the union has to recognize that overall costs have increased.
       "Not only is your gross down; the competition has forced us to,
  increase marketing²³ and,advertising, which is further eroding²⁴ whatev-
  er margin²⁰ was there.'
       David Spaulding is general manager of a winery in Calistoga.
  Spaulding Vineyards is tiny compared to Charles Kruge and Gallo,
  and Spaulding Vineyards is not on strike, but David Spaulding says
  he faces the same market forces as the big guys.
       'I think the big problem is the same problem that faces agricul-
  ture all over this country; and that is surplus.  You know we are pro-
  ducing more and producing it more efficiently²⁵, and we have a pro-
  duction that exceeds the demand in the market.'
       Spaulding says wine coolers have taken up some of the
  over-production, but not all of it.  As for the union leaders, they
  don't think it's a good idea to give back wages and benefits when the
  demand for the product is on the increase.  Winery workers are vot-
  ing all this week on the wages and benefits cuts proposed by man-
  agement.  Jerry Davis is an official of the union.
       ' From the people I talked to to  'day and what the negotiating
  committee is stating, we ask a NO vote on this proposal.'
       The results are expected to be known by Thursday.  For Nation-
  al Public Radio, I'm William Drummond reporting.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

3 tacks   

大头钉( tack的名词复数 )； 平头钉； 航向； 方法

参考例句：

• Never mind the side issues, let's get down to brass tacks and thrash out a basic agreement. 别管枝节问题，让我们讨论问题的实质，以求得基本一致。
• Get down to the brass tacks,and quit talking round the subject. 谈实质问题吧，别兜圈子了。

4 perverse   

adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的

参考例句：

• It would be perverse to stop this healthy trend.阻止这种健康发展的趋势是没有道理的。
• She gets a perverse satisfaction from making other people embarrassed.她有一种不正常的心态，以使别人难堪来取乐。

5 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

6 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

7 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

8 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

9 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

10 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

11 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

12 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

13 gondola   

n.威尼斯的平底轻舟；飞船的吊船

参考例句：

• The road is too narrow to allow the passage of gondola.这条街太窄大型货车不能通过。
• I have a gondola here.我开来了一条平底船。

14 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

15 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

16 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。

17 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

19 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

20 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

21 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

22 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

23 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

24 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

25 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。