英国新闻听力 北约空袭造成阿富汗平民伤亡

The White House said it’s gravely concerned about reports that civilians¹ were among 90 people killed in an attack by NATO-led aircraft in Afghanistan. Local officials said up to 30 civilians had been killed. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai said targeting civilians in any form was unacceptable. And the NATO-led forces have expressed their regret. Chris Morris reports from Kabul.

Two fuel tankers² were hijacked³ by the Taliban last night in the province of Kunduz. A few hours later the tankers were destroyed by a NATO air strike. NATO said it believed only insurgents⁴ were in the area when the attack took place. But several sources in Kunduz say both Taliban fighters and civilians were among the dead. President Karzai expressed deep sorrow for the loss of Afghan compatriots. And the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said an investigation⁵ is underway.

The Chinese authorities say five people have been killed in the unrest in the city of Urumqi this week. Almost 200 people died in July in fighting between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese. The latest protests were triggered by reports of a series of stabbings by people armed with hypodermic syringes. Michael Bristow reports from the city.

Riot police armed with batons⁶, shields and rifles fanned out across the city at first light. After two days of demonstrations⁷, the authorities seemed intent on preventing further protests, but that warning went unheeded. Tempers flared⁸ and there were clashes between protesters and the riot police. Tear gas was used. The Minister for Public Security, Meng Jianzhu, has now arrived in Urumqi. He says he wants to restore order as soon as possible.

The rate of unemployment in the United States has hit a 26-year high. However, analysts⁹ say the number of job losses was lower than expected and suggest that labor¹⁰ market conditions might now be stabilizing¹¹. Our Washington correspondent Kevin Connolly reports.

The news from America’s labor market remains¹² bad and the economists¹³ are left to quarry¹⁴ what nuggets of encouragement they can from the observation that the rate at which is getting worse is slowing down. The most widely used measure of unemployment now stands at 9.7%, its highest level since 1983. But while 216,000 workers lost their jobs in August, that does compare well with the early stages of this recession when unemployment rose by as much as 700,000 in a single month.

The authorities in Sierra Leone say they are closing down nearly 50 health clinics in the capital Freetown because they say they are stuffed by people with little or no medical training. The Deputy Health Minister said people had been killed in botched operations, and that inappropriate treatment was given to patients. He said many of those working in the clinics were foreigners. Sierra Leone’s health care system was badly damaged during the 11 years of civil war that ended in 2002.

There’s been more violence in Gabon as the constitutional court confirmed the election of Ali Ben Bongo as the country’s new president with 41% of the vote. About 50 people were arrested in the city of Port Gentil overnight during unrest following the announcement of the election result. Ali Ben Bongo succeeds his father Omar Bongo who died in office after more than 40 years in power.

The Obama administration has expressed its concern over reports that Israel looks set to approve the construction of hundreds of new buildings for settlers in the occupied West Bank. It said the plans were inconsistent with the commitment to restart peace negotiations¹⁵. Paul Adams reports from Washington.

The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the Obama administration regretted reports of Israel’s plans to approve additional construction in West Bank settlements. But for all the apparent frustration¹⁶, it’s still widely believed that President Obama plans to issue an invitation to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders for a three-way meeting later this month. Sources familiar with intensive, behind-the-scenes discussions have told me they still expect to see Israel announcing a settlement’s freeze in return for a number of concessions¹⁷ from moderate Arab states.

Iraq has begun deploying¹⁸ thousand of extra police on its border with Syria as tensions between the two countries continue to rise. Baghdad accuses Damascus of harboring militants¹⁹ who they say have carried out a spate²⁰ of bombings in Iraq. A local police chief said there was proof of Syria’s involvements and / reinforcements have been ordered by the Prime Minister. Syria has called Iraq’s accusations²¹ immoral²².

Yemen says it will suspend its military offensive against Shiah rebels in the north of the country if the rebels agreed to do the same. The statement on the ruling party’s website said this was to allow aid agencies into the area. This week, the government rejected the rebel group’s offer of a truce²³ prompting the rebels to threaten a war of attrition.

一份报告称，在北约领导的飞机对阿富汗的袭击中死亡的90人中包含平民，白宫对此表示非常担忧。当地官员称，大约30名平民被杀。阿富汗总统卡尔扎伊称，任何形式的袭击平民的行动都是不可接受的。北约领导的军队对此表示遗憾，Chris Morris在喀布尔报道。

昨晚，昆都士省两辆油罐车被塔利班分子劫持。几小时之后，油罐车被北约空袭毁坏。北约称，他们相信，袭击发生时该地区只有反叛分子。但是来自昆都士的几个消息来源均表示，死者中除了塔利班战士之外还有平民在内。总统卡尔扎伊对阿富汗同胞的遇难表示深切的忧伤。北约秘书长拉斯穆森(Anders Fogh Rasmussen)称现在正在进行调查。

中国官方称，本周在乌鲁木齐的暴乱中5人死亡。7月份，穆斯林维吾尔族和汉族人的冲突中，大约200人死亡。最新的抗议活动由人们用针筒伤害路人的一系列报道引发。Michael Bristow在乌鲁木齐报道。

很早的时候手持警棍，盾牌和步枪的防暴警察就在该市呈扇形展开。经过两天的示威活动之后，官方似乎只是想防止进一步的抗议活动，但是该警告似乎并未引起注意。双方群情激愤，抗议者和防暴警察之间发生冲突。公安部长孟建柱目前已抵达乌鲁木齐。他说，希望能够尽快恢复该地区秩序。

美国失业率攀升到26年来最高水平。然而，分析家称，失业人数比预期较低，而且就业市场环境现在正在逐渐稳定。我们的华盛顿记者Kevin Connolly报道。

来自美国就业市场的仍然是坏消息。经济学家只能挖空心思的找出能够鼓舞人心的地方，就是失业率升高的速度正在减慢。使用最广泛的失业率目前已经高达9.7%，自1983年来的最高水平。但是，8月份216,000人失业，与经济衰退初期相比确实更加乐观。当时每个月新增失业人口为700,000。

塞拉利昂官方称他们关闭了首都弗里敦接近50家医疗诊所，因为他们雇用未接受过医疗训练的人员。卫生副部长称，多人在笨拙的手术和不当的治疗中死亡。他说，这些诊所中许多工作人员为外国人。在11年的内战中，塞拉利昂的医疗体系受到严重毁坏。内战于2002年结束。

加蓬宪法法庭确认阿里·邦戈以41%的选票当选加蓬新任总统，加蓬发生更多的暴力活动。选举结果宣布后，让蒂尔港发生动乱，一夜之间大约50人被捕。阿里·邦戈将继其父亲之后成为加蓬总统。前总统奥默尔·邦戈在位40多年，在位期间去世。

有报告称，以色列似乎同意在西岸为定居者建立数百座新的建筑，奥巴马政府表达了深切担忧。奥巴马政府称，该计划于承诺重新开始和平谈判的承诺不一致。Paul Adams在华盛顿报道。

白宫新闻秘书罗伯特·吉布斯称，对于以色列计划同意在西岸建筑更多定居点的计划，奥巴马政府深感遗憾。但是尽管存在非常明显的沮丧情绪，人们仍然普遍相信，本月末奥巴马总统将向以色列和巴勒斯坦领导人发出进行三方会谈的邀请。熟悉幕后会谈的人告诉我，他们仍然预期将看到以色列宣布冻结定居点，以换取温和的阿拉伯国家的一些妥协。

由于两国紧张形势增加，伊拉克向其与叙利亚边境增派了数千名警察。巴格达谴责大马士革窝藏在伊拉克实施爆炸行为的好战分子。当地警察局长称，有证据显示叙利亚卷入这些事件，总理下令加强边境防守。叙利亚称伊拉克的职责是不道德的。

也门称，如果反叛分子同意停止攻击，他们将停止对国家北部什叶派的军事行动。发表在执政党网站上的声明表示将允许救助机构进入该地区。本周，政府拒绝了反叛组织休战的提议，威胁将对其发起战争。

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

3 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

4 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 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。

11 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。

15 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

16 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

17 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

18 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

19 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

20 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

21 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

22 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

23 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。