英国新闻听力 57

BBC News with Cathy Clarkson.

In its latest effort to fight recession, the United States central bank has cut its main interest rate to the lowest level on record. But instead of cutting it by a fixed¹ rate, is opted² for a target range, reducing it from 1% to between 0 and 0.25%. US stock markets reacted positively³. The New York Dow Jones index closed up more than 4%. Our Washington correspondent Kevin calmly reports.

It is a dramatic move from the Federal Reserve for designed signal both to Wall Street and Main Street. The American authority is doing everything they can fight back for the economy slides into recession. Interest rate in US now has been cut by 4-5 percentage point in just over a year. The planners make borrowing so cheap that liquidity⁴ returns economy and restores confidence in consumption levels. The outlook of the American economy remains⁵ bleak⁶ and the Fed says that it's likely the rates will remain exceptionally low for some time.

The United Nation Security Council has approved a resolution valid⁷ for a year, allowing foreign military forces to pursue pirates on land in Somalia. Pirates are already holding about a dozen captured ships including a Saudi super tank. From the UN, Lorry Trevelyan reports.

The UN Security Council has already authorized⁸ the countries to enter Somali territorial⁹ waters and chase pirates. Now, countries will be able to chase pirates on land, too, provided they have consent of Somalia's transitional government. Piracy¹⁰ is rife¹¹ of Somalia's coastline, a symptom of the country's descend¹² into chaos¹³.

In an attempt to give a new impetus¹⁴ to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the UN Security Council has passed its first resolution on the Middle East for 5 years. The resolution prepared by the US and Russia says that the US sponsored process between Israeli and Palestinian is irreversible. It calls on both sides to fulfill¹⁵ their obligations. The resolution was passed with 14 out of 15 votes. Libya, the only Arab country currently own Security Council, abstained¹⁶, criticizing it for not condemning¹⁷ Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

There are reports of heavy casualties after a day of intense clashes between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil tiger rebels in the north of the island. Both sides say they have killed dozens of fighters during fighting around rebel's stronghold of Kilinochchi. Here is Arland Johnston.

A military spokesman said that 120 rebels were killed. He also acknowledged that 25 soldiers had died and that another 10 were missing.

The Tigers, meanwhile, say that 150 troops were killed in a fighting around the town of Kilinochchi and that more died further north. They made no reference to any casualties of their own. This latest fighting was part of what has been many months of sustained effort by the army to capture rebel territory.

World News from the BBC.

The United States Justice Department says that Mexican drug traffickers posed the biggest organized crime threat to the US. It says the Mexican drug cartels controlled the distribution of illegal drugs in most American cities and in those markets that they don't control they are gaining strength. According to the Justice Department most of the cocaine¹⁸ available in the US has been smuggled¹⁹ across the Mexican border.

The British government has welcomed the guilty verdict given to an Iraqi doctor Bella Ahbudala for plotting a series of car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow. A court in London convicted him of conspiring²⁰ to murder and to cause explosions. A Judean doctor Muhammad Arssia was acquitted²¹ of the same charges. They were arrested after an attempted suicide attack at Glasgow airport last year. They were also accused of involvement in failed car bomb attacks a day earlier on a nightclub and bus stop in London. The Home Secretary Jacky Smith praised the police investigation²² but said the case showed that the Britain remained the target.

"I'm pleased they won the game. Policing and this technology together have brought these persons to justice. It identifies the very good works being carried out by the police and the security services but it also identifies the British people that we face a severe and sustained threat from terrorism."

The Bangladesh a military backed government has lifted a 2-year state of emergency ahead of parliamentary election scheduled for Dec. 29th. The main contenders to parliament are the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of the former Prime Minister Hallie Daziya and A Warmilig led by Sheik Hassina.

A 105-year-old singer, a former favor of Adolf Hitler has lost a lawsuit²³ against the film maker²⁴ who had accused him of singing for Nazi²⁵ guards at the Doha concentration camp. Photograph showed the singer Johannes Hissters at the camp in Germany in 1941 but he denied he performed for the ...

1 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

2 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

3 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

4 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

5 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。

6 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

7 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

8 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

9 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

10 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

11 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

12 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

13 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

14 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

15 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

16 abstained   

v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票）

参考例句：

• Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained. 十人投票赞成，五人反对，两人弃权。
• They collectively abstained (from voting) in the elections for local councilors. 他们在地方议会议员选举中集体弃权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

19 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

20 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

21 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

22 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。

23 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

24 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

25 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。