英国新闻听力 111

The Director of National Intelligence in Washington, Dennis Blair, says the global economic crisis is the main immediate¹ security concern for the United States. Admiral Blair gave his analysis in an annual assessment² of the threats the United States believes it's facing. As Richard Lister reports from Washington.

Admiral Blair warned that the longer it takes the economic recovery to begin, the more likely it is that American's strategic interests will be seriously damaged. He said about a quarter of the world's countries have already experienced low-level instability, such as changes in government because of the current slowdown, and that most nations in Latin America, the former Soviet³ Union and Sub-Sahara Africa don't have the financial resources to limit the impact of recession. That, he said, increase their risk of major instability, leading to economic nationalism and ultimately the inability of America's friends and allies to meet their defence and humanitarian⁴ obligations.

A Republican member of the Untied⁵ States Senator, Judd Gregg, has withdrawn⁶ as President Obama's nominee⁷ for the cabinet post of commerce secretary because of differences over policy. Senator Gregg was Mr. Obama's second choice for the post. His first choice, Bill Richardson, withdrew his name a month ago after questions were raised about his past links to big business. From Washington, Jonathan Beale now reports.

This is another blow for Barack Obama in trying to shape his cabinet. It's also a serious setback⁸ in the president's efforts to reach out to Republicans. In a statement, Judd Gregg said it had become apparent during the vetting¹⁰ process that his appointment would not work because, as he said, there were irresolvable conflicts on policy. Senator Gregg cited Barack Obama's stimulus¹¹ package as an example. It's been widely criticized by Republicans who say it'll lead to wasteful¹² government spending.

The new Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, has spent some of his first full day in office, visiting political prisoners linked to his party, the Movement for Democratic Change. Earlier, the human rights group, Amnesty International, called on the new unity¹³ government to release all political prisoners. Greg Morsbach reports.

Mr. Tsvangirai did not make any guarantees that the political prisoners would be released. But after a brief visit to a maximum-security prison near the capital, he did tell them their cases would be processed more quickly. Mr. Tsvangirai promised that the law would take its proper cause, as he put it. The 16 prisoners who met the prime minister are all charged with trying to overthrow¹⁴ President Mugabe. Several of the prisoners are said to be unwell and have not received the medical attention the MDC has called for.

A United States government report says the Pentagon has failed to keep track of tens of thousands of weapons sent to the Afghan security forces. The report says the arms include rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers provided by the United States and its NATO allies.

You are listening to the World News from the BBC.

India has welcomed Pakistan's first acknowledgement that the deadly attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai last November were partly planned in Pakistan. The head of the Pakistani Interior Ministry¹⁵ said criminal proceedings¹⁶ had begun in Islamabad against eight men on terrorism charges. India's External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, welcomed Pakistan's action.

"Some of the persons have been arrested. This is a positive step. They have also asked [for] more materials. After examination, we'll share whatever we can. We'll expect that Pakistan would take credible¹⁷ steps to dismantle¹⁸ the infrastructure¹⁹ which are used by these terror elements."

The controversial right-wing Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, has flown out of Britain after being refused entry because of a government ban. The British government said his views on Islam threatened community harmony and national security. Mr. Wilders accused the British government of acting²⁰ against freedom of speech. He'd been invited to Parliament to show a film he'd made which describes the Koran as fascist²¹.

Riot police from mainland France have arrived on the French Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe to try to keep the peace as protests escalate²² over low wages and increasing cost of living. Strikes on the islands have closed shops and schools, and the reinforcements are intended to help local police.

Evidence has emerged that Neanderthal Man may have been able to speak as well as modern-day humans. Researchers in Germany say they've found that our closest evolutionary²³ relative who died out around 30,000 years ago shared a gene²⁴ that associated with speech and language. The scientists say that analysing the differences between modern humans and Neanderthals might shed light on the evolution of modern conditions such as autism.

BBC News.

Glossary²⁵

shed light on: To shed light on, throw light on, or cast light on something means to make it easier to understand, because more information is known about it.

vet⁹: If someone is vetted²⁶, they are investigated fully²⁷ before being given a particular job, role, or position, especially one which involves military or political secrets.

华盛顿美国情报总监丹尼斯-布莱尔说，全球经济危机是美国当前最主要的安全隐患。海军上将布莱尔在美国所面临的威胁的年度评估报告中分析道。Richard Lister在华盛顿报道。

海军上将布莱尔警告说，经济复兴计划开始的越迟，美国战略性利益受损的可能性越大。他说，世界上大约四分之一的国家已经经历了的低水平的不稳定性，比如由于目前的经济下滑导致的政府变革，拉丁美洲的许多国家，前苏联和撒哈拉以南非洲不具备金融来源来限制经济衰退的影响。他说，这增加了主要的动乱的风险，会导致经济民族主义，最终会导致美国的友国和盟国不能完成国防和人道主义使命。

美国共和党参议员贾德·格雷格由于政见不同，宣布退出奥巴马政府商务部长提名。格雷格是奥巴马对该职位的第二个人选。他的第一个提名人理察森由于过往与大集团的联系于一个月前退出提名。华盛顿，Jonathan Beale报道。

这是奥巴马组阁受到的又一次打击。这也是总统试图团结共和党遇到的严重挫折。在声明中，格雷格表示，已经非常明显，他的任命不可行，因为双方在政治观念方面有冲突。他引用奥巴马的经济刺激方案为例。在共和党内部，该方案收到广泛批评，会导致巨大的政府支出浪费。

津巴布韦信任总理摩根·茨万吉拉伊执政的第一天造访了民主改革运动的政治囚犯。此前，人权组织国际特赦组织呼吁建立全新的统一政府，释放所有政治犯。Greg Morsbach 报道。

茨万吉拉伊没有做出任何将要释放政治犯的保证。但是对首都附近一所最安全的监狱进行访问后，他告诉囚犯，他们的案件将会加快审理。茨万吉拉伊许诺，一切都将按照法律程序。会见总理的16名犯人都被起诉试图推翻总统穆加贝。据说，一些囚犯身体状况不佳，却没有按照反对派的要求进行医治。

一篇美国政府报道称，五角大楼未留意到踪运往阿富汗安全保卫部队的数千武器。该报告称，这批装备包括来复枪，导弹推进的手榴弹发射台，均由美国及北约盟国提供。

巴基斯坦首次承认，去年11月份孟买受到的致命袭击部分在巴基斯坦进行策划。印度对此表示欢迎。巴基斯坦内政部长表示，已经在伊斯兰堡对八名恐怖主义嫌疑人开始刑事诉讼。印度外交部长慕克吉对巴基斯坦的行为表示赞赏。

“其中一些罪犯已经被逮捕，这是积极进展，目前还需要进一步的资料。在审查过后，我们将分享所有信息。我们希望巴基斯坦采取可靠措施，拆除恐怖分子用来实施恐怖行动的基础设施。”

颇具争议的右翼荷兰政客威尔德斯由于政府禁令被禁止入境，飞离英国。英国政府表示，威尔德斯关于伊斯兰教的看法威胁社会和谐和国家安全。威尔德斯控诉英国政府反对言论自由。他曾被邀请到议会播放电影，在电影中，他将古兰经描述成法西斯。

由于工资降低，生活成本提高，反对的声音不断扩散，法国本土防爆警察抵达加勒比海的马提尼岛和瓜德罗普岛，试图保证和平。这两个岛屿举行罢工活动，商店和学校纷纷关闭，救兵主要是为了援助当地警察。

有证据表明， 穴居人可以像现代人一样说话。德国研究人员表示，他们发现了死于30，000年前的离我们最近的祖先与我们有同样的语言基因。科学家表示，研究穴居人和现代人的不同有助于现代疾病治疗比如孤僻症的发展。

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

6 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。

7 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。

8 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

9 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

10 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

11 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

12 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

13 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

14 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

15 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

16 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

17 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

18 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

19 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

20 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

21 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

22 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

23 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

24 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

25 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。

26 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

27 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。