英国新闻听力 89

BBC News with David Legg.

The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has started making a televised address in which he's expected to announce a ceasefire in Israel's three-week conflict with Hamas. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned¹ as outrageous² an Israeli attack on a UN school that left two young children dead. Speaking to reporters in Beirut, Mr. Ban demanded a thorough investigation³ and a punishment of those responsible. Laura Trevelyan reports from the Lebanese capital Beirut.

This latest attack on a UN school, the third to take place during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, has left Mr. Ban visibly angry. Only two days ago, he was in Tel Aviv when a UN compound in Gaza was shelled by the Israeli military. He received apologies from Israel's prime minister and defence minister and assurances that UN facilities would be respected in the future. The UN Secretary General condemned what he called this outrageous attack, demanded an investigation and a punishment of those responsible.

The Israeli prime minister said Israel had achieved all its goals in Gaza, badly damaging the Palestinian militant⁴ group Hamas, which has been firing rockets at Israel for years.

The American President-elect Barack Obama is making a historic train journey from Philadelphia to Washington where he will be inaugurated on Tuesday as the 44th president of the United States. Using the same route as President Abraham Lincoln used 150 years ago, the train will make a number of stops of public events. Before leaving Philadelphia, Mr. Obama said all Americans needed to do their part to rebuild the country.

"Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union. Let's build a government that's responsible to the people. Let's accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable. Let all of us do our part to rebuild this country. Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but just the beginning. "

Russia and Ukraine have struggled to make progress in top-level talks in Moscow aimed at ending the gas dispute that has disrupted supplies to much of Europe for the past eleven days. The European Union's executive has called the meeting "the last best chance to restore supplies." Richard Galpin reports from Moscow.

Ahead of their meeting, the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko talked up the chances of an agreement, but it soon became clear the two sides were still far apart in this dispute, which is ostensibly about the price Ukraine will pay this year for its supplies of Russian gas. Moscow indicated the Ukrainian prime minister did not have the full authority needed to negotiate a deal, something the Ukrainians have now denied.

World News from the BBC.

The Vatican is to get its own channel on the video-sharing website Youtube. Under an agreement between Google, the owners of the Youtube, and Vatican TV & Radio, papal speeches and church events will be made available to a world audience. The Vatican set up its first website 13 years ago and gets millions of hits every week.

The Sri Lankan government says that over the past few days, hundreds of civilians⁵ have been emerging from Tamil Tiger-held territory and crossing into areas controlled by the Army. International human rights organizations have expressed grave concern for what they say are as many as a quarter of a million civilians trapped in rebel territory. Warren Boo reports.

Senior officials in the north of Sri Lanka say over 700 people have crossed the front lines from Tamil Tiger-held territory since Thursday, and more are fleeing, some are reported to have walked many kilometers, carrying white flags to help them reach safety. The Sri Lankan army has made rapid advances into rebel-held territory in the last few months. And the human rights organization, Amnesty International, says as the fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers intensifies⁶, those who remain in the shrinking rebel-held areas face immense hardship including food shortages, and are running out of what it calls safe space.

The American military has signed an agreement with Tajikistan that will enable it to ship non-military supplies into Afghanistan via Tajik territory. The deal was signed by the top US commander in the region, Gen. David Petraeus. At the moment, they are heavily dependent on routes that've come in from the south via Pakistan.

Well, finally more on our top story that the Israeli prime minister has now announced a ceasefire in Gaza. He says from two o'clock in the morning, Israel will stop its actions in Gaza and will continue to maintain its positions there.

And that's the latest BBC News.

1 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。

2 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 intensifies   

n.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的名词复数 )v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A clear atmosphere intensifies the blue of the sky. 纯净的空气使天空变得更蓝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Blowing on fire intensifies the heat. 吹火使热度加强。 来自《简明英汉词典》