英国新闻听力 英国拒绝公开关于对伊战争会议资料

The British government says it's vetoing the publication of Cabinet minutes on the legality of the Iraq war. Last month, a Freedom of Information tribunal ordered the release of papers from two Cabinet sessions held in March 2003, at which the invasion of Iraq war was discussed. As Nick Childs reports, the government's veto decision has sparked controversy¹.

Britain's Justice Secretary Jack² Straw said publication of the Cabinet minutes when advice on the legality of the Iraq war was discussed would risk serious damage to an important principle of British democracy. But there was an angry response from MPs, some of whom cried shame. The main opposition³ Conservative Party supports the decision but says there should be a full public inquiry⁴ into the war. The Liberal Democrat⁵ Party says ministers are covering up their own embarrassment⁶. The decision to go to war in 2003 still stirs emotions. Mr. Straw insisted British government was very open and this was the first time that it had used its veto under the Freedom of Information Act.

President Barack Obama and the Japanese Prime Minister Taro⁷ Aso have agreed to resist economic protectionism at a meeting in Washington. Mr. Aso is the first world leader to visit President Obama at the White House. From Washington, James Coomarasamy reports

The message from this meeting was that the world's two largest economies are working in tandem⁸ to help solve the global financial crisis. In a statement, the White House said that President Obama and Prime Minister Aso had pledged to work closely and urgently to stimulate⁹ demand and had agreed on the need to resist protectionism. The Japanese leader told reporters they'd also spoken of the importance of maintaining confidence in the U.S. dollar. Later in the day, Mr. Obama will attempt to send his own message of confidence, if a sober one, when he lays out his economic vision to a joint¹⁰ session of Congress.

The head of the U.S. central bank, Ben Bernanke, says that the American economy is in a severe contraction¹¹ and may remain in recession until 2010. But he said there was a reasonable prospect¹² of the recession ending this year if the government managed to stabilize¹³ the financial system. Andrew Walker reports.

In testimony¹⁴ to a Senate committee, Mr. Bernanke painted a bleak¹⁵ picture of the U.S. economy. The sharp contraction in economic activity at the end of last year appears to have continued, he said. and he warned there are further risks to the outlook. One is the global nature of the economic problem, which he said could affect U.S. exports even more than already expected. Nonetheless, he said there is a reasonable chance that the recession will end this year, and that 2010 will be a year of recovery.

The Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos says his country is prepared in principle to take in some prisoners released from the U.S. detention¹⁶ center at Guantanamo Bay. He said his American counterpart Hillary Clinton had asked him, in his words, for help in solving this drama during a meeting in Washington.

This is World News from the BBC.

The U.S. military in Iraq says several soldiers have been wounded and an interpreter has been killed in an attack by Iraqi policemen in the northern city of Mosul. Earlier, reports said four U.S. soldiers were killed in the incident but a military spokesman has since denied this. From Baghdad, Mike Sergeant¹⁷.

The incident took place at a police checkpoint under a bridge in the center of Mosul. Police intelligence sources said the U.S. patrols were invited to lunch at the checkpoint. When they arrived, two Iraqi policemen, a corporal and a private, opened fire on them. The U.S. military said one interpreter was killed and a number of soldiers were wounded in the attack. The two policemen then ran up some stairs onto the bridge where a car was waiting for them. It's not the first time U.S. soldiers have been targeted in Mosul. The city is regarded by the U.S. as one of the last places where there is a significant al-Qaeda presence.

Investigators¹⁸ in Peru say that they've identified 23 bodies from the country's largest mass grave. They used DNA¹⁹ sampling to identify the victims at a site in a remote mountain valley, which was a flashpoint in a war against the left-wing Shining Path rebels. More than 100 people including young children were killed during the massacre²⁰ in 1984.

A Catholic bishop²¹ who caused outrage²² by denying the scale of the Nazi²³ Holocaust²⁴ has left Argentina for London two days after being ordered to leave the country. The British Bishop, Richard Williamson, came to world attention last month when Pope Benedict lifted his excommunication in an effort to mend a rift²⁵ with ultra-traditionalist clerics.

A multi-million dollar NASA satellite which was supposed to map global sources of carbon dioxide from space has crashed into the ocean near Antarctica. The American space agency said the craft plummeted²⁶ into the sea after the satellite failed to separate from the casing which covered it as it travelled through the atmosphere.

英国政府声称拒绝公开内阁关于伊拉克战争合法性的会议记录。上个月，一个信息自由法庭命令公开2003年3月两次讨论攻打伊拉克的战争的内阁会议的文件。据报道，政府的拒绝引起了争议。

英国司法秘书Jack Straw声称，这两次内阁会议讨论了伊拉克战争的法律依据问题，如果公开，将会严重损害英国民主的一项重要原则。但是MPs对此很生气，有的人声称这是个耻辱。主要的反对党保守党支持了该决定，但是认为公众应该对该战争有个全面的了解。自由民主党声称，有的部长是在掩盖自己的尴尬处境。2003年的战争决定至今仍能激起人们的情绪，Straw先生坚称英国政府很开放，这是首次依自由信息法案作出的否决。

奥巴马总统和日本首相Taro Aso在华盛顿就抵制经济保护主义达成一致，Taro Aso是首个在白宫与奥巴马会见的领导人。

来自此次会议的报道说，这两个世界经济大国正协同一致共同解决世界金融危机，在一份声明中，白宫表示，奥巴马总统和Taro Aso首相已宣誓要进行加紧合作以刺激经济需求，就抵制贸易保护主义达成一致。日本首相告诉记者，双发也就保持美元信心的重要性进行了谈话。随后，奥巴马将表明自己的信心，并向国会联席会议提出自己的经济展望。

美国中央银行总裁Ben Bernanke声称美国经济处于严重紧缩并将一直不景气至2010年，但是他说，如果政府能设法稳定金融体系，经济衰退今年有理由转好。

在一份向参议院委员会提交的证据中，Bernanke描述了一幅美国经济萧瑟的图景。去年年底经济的严重紧缩看起来还会继续，他警告说，经来还会有更多风险。一个是经济问题的全球性质，他认为这将影响美国的出口，比预料的还要严重。然而，他说衰退的局势在今年有望改变，2010年将会复苏。

西班牙外交部长Miguel Angel Moratinos声称，西班牙将接纳一些从美国关塔那摩拘留中心释放的囚犯，他说美国国务卿希拉里曾在华盛顿的一次会议上请求他帮助解决这一问题。

美国驻伊拉克军方声称，在北部城市摩苏尔伊拉克警察发起的进攻中，有几名士兵受伤，一名翻译死亡。早些时候，报道说有四名美国士兵在这次事件中死亡，但是一名军事发言人对此进行否认。

这次事件发生在摩苏尔中心一个桥下的警察检查站，警察情报信息中心声称，他们邀请这些美国巡逻兵到检查站用午餐，当这些巡逻兵抵达时，两名伊拉克警察（一名下士和一名士兵）对他们开火。美国军方声称有一名翻译被杀，并有数名士兵受伤。随后这两名警察马上爬台阶上了桥，桥上有辆车在等他们。美国士兵在摩苏尔被杀已不是第一次了。该城市被美国视为有大量“基地”组织驻兵的最后一个据点。

秘鲁调查人员声称已在该国最大的墓群辨认出23具尸体，他们在一个偏远山谷的一个据点运用DNA检测技术识别这些死者的身份，该地是对左翼Shing Path叛乱武装战争的爆发点。在1984年的这场大屠杀中，100多人遇难，其中包括幼童。

一位天主教主教因否认纳粹大屠杀而引起公愤，被命令离开英国的要求下已于两天前离开伦敦。这位英国主教Richard Williamson上月引起了世界的关注，当时教皇Benedict取消对他逐出教会的决定，该决定是为修正同极端传统主义教士的关系而作出的。

NASA一艘耗资数百万被用作从太空监测全球二氧化碳来源的卫星在南极洲附近海域坠落，该美国航空机构声称火箭因卫星未能与保护它的外壳脱离而垂直落入海中。

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

7 taro   

n.芋，芋头

参考例句：

• Main grain crop has taro,corn,banana to wait.主要粮食作物有芋头、玉米、芭蕉等。
• You celebrate your birthday with taro,red bean and butter.用红豆、芋头和黄油给自己过生日。

8 tandem   

n.同时发生；配合；adv.一个跟着一个地；纵排地；adj.（两匹马）前后纵列的

参考例句：

• Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.马尔科姆的合同将与他手头的合同同时生效。
• He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.他正配合欺诈重案办公室的官员工作。

9 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

12 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

13 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

14 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

15 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。

16 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

17 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

18 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

20 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

21 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

22 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

23 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。

24 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

25 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

26 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》