英国新闻听力 76

BBC News with Sandy Walsh.

Heavy fighting is going on into the night in the Gaza Strip with the report said Israeli troops have made a new incursion into the south of the territory. Security sources in Gaza said about 40 Israeli tanks were moving towards the town of Khan Younis and the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.

Lyse Doucet reports.

The night is freezing cold, and for the residents of Gaza it is dark and dangerous. The besieged¹ sleeve of land along the Mediterranean² has virtually no electricity. And from our vantage point here close to the border, we can see and hear of the attacks on Gaza are intensifying³. There's the constant clatter⁴ of helicopter gunships and the roar of Israeli war planes across the skies, and from the ground, the unrelenting thud of explosions. And an Israeli military spokesman said Israel forces had dealt Hamas some very major blows. But he said we will have to hit again and this could take time. But Israel knows the diplomatic clock is also ticking. Envoys⁵ from Russia and across Europe are arriving in the region, including the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. He's said that the start of the ground war has underlined the urgent need for a ceasefire, but for the moment for Israel it's its military campaign that's of greater urgency. And yet despite nine days of Israeli attacks against Gaza from the air, the sea, and now on the ground, militant⁶ groups have still been able to fire rockets into southern Israel. Today, more than 40 landed in towns and villages across the south.

Medical officials say more than 500 Palestinians have been killed since the assault began. The senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has warned Israel of the consequences of its assault on the Gaza Strip. Mr. Erakat said the violence was destroying the peace process.

The Israelis believe that they can achieve peace and security through such military bombardment, and attacks and incursions, this will only enlarge the cycle of violence counter-violence and strengthen extremists."

Earlier, the only two Arab countries that have peace treaties with Israel, Egypt and Jordan, both condemned⁷ its actions.

The Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, has withdrawn⁸ as president-elected Barack Obama's nominee⁹ for Commerce Secretary. Mr. Obama said he had accepted Mr. Richardson's decision with deep regret. Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.

It's the first hurdle¹⁰ for Barack Obama as he puts together his administration. Mr. Richardson denies any wrongdoing and both he and Mr. Obama said that in the middle of the economic crisis, the decision to withdraw had been made to avoid delays in filling this crucial economic post. A federal grand jury in New Mexico is investigating whether a financial firm improperly¹¹ won more than $1.4 million in work for the state shortly after making contributions to Mr. Richardson's campaign.

BBC News.

Reports from Pakistan say five policemen and two civilians¹² have been killed in a bomb blast in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan near the Afghan border. Local government officials said the attack happened outside a college where parliamentary troops had been stationed.

Iraqi security officials say a suicide bomber¹³ has killed at least 35 Shiite pilgrims and wounded many others in an attack to shrine¹⁴ in Baghdad. The explosion took place in Kadhimiya , a mainly Shiite part of the Iraqi capital. From Baghdad, Caroline Wyatt reports.

Iraqi police say a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt close to a checkpoint where pilgrims were gathering¹⁵ to march outside of the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim, one of the holiest places in Shiite Islam. The Iraqi police say a number of Iranian pilgrims were also among the casualties. The attack came as Shiites prepared to mark Ashura, one of the most important holy days in their calendar.

At least four people were killed and many more injured in a series of earthquakes and aftershocks that struck the Indonesian province of West Papua. Some buildings in the provincial¹⁶ capital Manokwari were destroyed and power lines cut. The trembles were felt in Japan and Australia.

The Russia's state gas company Gazprom has called on the European Union to monitor the gas supplies flowing to the EU through Ukraine. A spokesman for Gazprom said independent monitor should be let in because Ukraine was not allowing Russian staff to monitor the gas flows. Russia has again accused Ukraine of stealing gas intended for EU customers. Russia has cut gas supplies to Ukraine on Thursday after a dispute over prices and unpaid¹⁷ bills.

The Tamil Tiger in Sri Lanka said it had inflicted¹⁸ heavy casualties on government troops, attempting to capture remaining rebel strongholds in the north of the country. The rebel said more than 40 government soldiers had been killed on the main road leading from the region of Kilinochchi eastwards¹⁹ toward Mullaitivu.

BBC News.

1 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

2 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

3 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

4 clatter   

v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声

参考例句：

• The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。
• Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。

5 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

8 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

9 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

10 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

11 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

12 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。

13 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

14 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

15 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

16 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

17 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

18 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

19 eastwards   

adj.向东方（的），朝东（的）；n.向东的方向

参考例句：

• The current sets strongly eastwards.急流迅猛东去。
• The Changjiang River rolls on eastwards.长江滚滚向东流。