英国新闻听力 美国称中国船只骚扰美军“无暇号”

President Obama has ended an eight-year ban on US federal funding for embryonic² stem cell research. Mr. Obama promised that American research would now be free of political interference. Richard Lister reports.

Many scientists believe such cells may be manipulated to treat a range of ailments³, but extracting them leads to the death of the embryo¹. President Obama said as a religious person he felt he had a calling to try to ease human suffering, but he also acknowledged the need for strict limits. He gave the National Institutes for Health four months to draw up guidelines on how to review requests for federal funding and ensure that cloning for human reproduction remains⁴ banned.

The United States says five Chinese ships harassed⁵ a US Navy surveillance vessel⁶ in international waters in the South China Sea, sailing dangerously close to it. The Pentagon said one of the Chinese boats came within a few meters of the US vessel which was unarmed and it responded by spraying fire hoses at the Chinese crew. Kevin Connolly reports.

Aggressive manoeuvring by ships of rival navies in sensitive international waters is not uncommon⁷. At issue is the manner in which the US Navy says the Chinese vessels⁸ went beyond the usual boundaries in shadowing and harassing⁹ the Impeccable. At one point, one of its ships closed within five meters with its crew waving flags and broadcasting messages to the unarmed American vessel which responded by using a fire hose to drive off the Chinese flotilla. This may be an example of China testing the mettle¹⁰ of a new American administration, just as it did when it impounded an American spy plane immediately after George W. Bush took office.

The United Nations in Madagascar says it's giving protection to the opposition¹¹ leader Andry Rajoelina who is involved in a long-running power struggle with the island's president that's led to widespread unrest. This follows a day of looting in the capital, Antananarivo. Gunfire was heard on the streets for several hours. The Malagasy army has called on the politicians to sort out their differences after weeks of violent demonstrations¹² that have left more than 100 people dead. The UN and church groups have announced that a new round of peace talks will begin on Thursday involving the army and the police.

Workers at the Ford¹³ motor company in the United States have voted to accept a series of contract concessions¹⁴ aimed at helping¹⁵ the firm offset¹⁶ the effects of the global financial crisis. The agreement negotiated by Ford and the United Auto¹⁷ Workers trade union includes the freezing of wages and a series of cuts in benefits. Karen Nye reports from New York.

Ford is the one US carmaker that has not taken government bail-out money but it lost 14 billion dollars last year and posted a huge drop in sales last month. Ford's agreement could serve as a pattern for the other struggling carmakers in Detroit, General Motors and Chrysler who have taken billions in government aid.

A civilian¹⁸ has been killed in a rocket attack on a British military base in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. British officials say that the base was near Basra airport but did not give any further details. It's the first time that the base has been attacked since December last year.

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for the interests of the world's poorest countries to be put at the center of the G20 summit in Britain next month. Speaking at a development conference in London, Mr. Brown said that global economic crisis threatened to reverse progress made. David Loyn reports.

Gordon Brown said that the unprecedented¹⁹ nature of the global financial meltdown had hit hardest the poorest people in the world and now threatens to return the world to protectionism and away from modernity itself. He said there was no way of dealing²⁰ with the challenges of globalization, climate change or security without involving developing countries. It was an appeal to see problems as linked up in a world where the jobs of textile workers in Bangladesh and miners in Congo were as much threatened as those of steel workers in the United States and car workers in Britain.

The Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said it's unlikely that foul²¹ play was involved in the car crash that killed his wife on Friday. He described the crash as an accident which unfortunately had taken the life of his wife Susan as well as injuring him. Mr. Tsvangirai was speaking at his home in Harare after returning from Botswana where he had treatment for his injuries.

Researchers say a chimpanzee at a Swedish zoo who hoarded²³ stones so he'd throw them at visitors proves that apes can plan ahead as well as humans can. On numerous occasions, keepers at Furuvik Zoo have watched the chimp²² Santino gathering²⁴ ammunition²⁵ in the early morning directly facing areas where he knew crowds will be gathering later. He was also seen breaking up concrete to add to his stock of missiles.

奥巴马总统解除了胚胎干细胞研究禁令，该禁令已经实施八年。奥巴马保证，美国的研究不会受到政治的干扰。

许多科学家认为这样的细胞通过复制，可以用于对付多种疾病，但是提取干细胞就意味着杀死胚胎。奥巴马总统作为一名宗教信仰者，他感到内心有一种减轻人类疾病的呼声，但是他承认，需要对研究设置严格的限制。他给全国健康研究所四个月的时间来起草研究规范：如何审查联邦资金申请并确保禁止克隆人。

美国宣称在中国南海的国际水域，五艘中国船只骚扰了美国一艘海军测量船，前者危险地逼近后者。五角大楼宣称，其中的一艘中国船驶近这艘毫无装备的美国船只近数米处，后者拿起救火龙头喷向中国船员。

在敏感的国际海域富有侵犯性地操纵对方海军的船只并不常见，问题是美国海军行事的方式，它宣称中国海军越过边界线，遮蔽并骚扰了“无暇号”。有一点需要注意，其中的一只船与“无暇号”相聚五米远，船员挥动旗子，并向无武装的美国船只播放广播信号，而后者拿起救活水龙头驱走中国的小船队。这可能是中国想试探美国新政府的脾性，就像布什刚上任后，中国扣押了美国一架侦察机那样。

联合国驻阿达加斯加人员宣称对反对派领导人Rajoelina给予保护，他与该岛总统进行了长期的权力争斗，导致了大范围的动荡不安。首都安塔那利佛刚刚遭遇一天的大洗劫，大街上的炮火持续了几个小时。数周的暴力游行间，100多人死亡，马尔加什军方要求政治家们将各自证见的差异归类。联合国和教会组织宣称新一轮的和平对话将于周二开始，届时将有军队和警察参加。

美国福特汽车公司的工人同意签署一系列的妥协协议，以帮助公司弥补在全球金融危机中遭受的损失。这个由福特和全美汽车工人协会交涉的协议内容包括：冻结工资、裁掉一系列的福利。

福特是没有得到政府救市资金的汽车制造商之一，但是去年它损失了140亿美元，上月的销售额骤减。福特的这一协议可为底特律其他同样处于挣扎中的汽车公司提供榜样。

在伊拉克南部城市巴士拉，一平民在英国一军事基地被火箭袭击致死，英国官方称该基地在巴士拉附近，但是没有给出更多细节。这是自去年十二月来该基地首次被袭击。

下月将在英国举行G20峰会，为此，英国首相布朗呼吁要将全世界最贫困国家的利益置于峰会讨论的核心。在伦敦举行的发展会议上，布朗认为全球经济危机已经使经济倒退了。

布朗说，空前的全球金融风暴对全世界最贫困国家的打击最严重，目前这一威胁已经使全世界回到使用贸易保护主义并偏离现代作风上去了。他说，没有发展中国家的合作，就不可能解决全球化带来的挑战，无法解决气温变暖和安全问题。他呼吁各国看到世界问题间的关联，孟加拉国纺织工人和刚果矿工在工作上面临的威胁，一点不比美国钢铁工人和英国汽车工人面临的威胁少。

津巴布韦总理茨万吉拉伊表示，周五杀死妻子的汽车事故不可能与不道德的行为有关。他认为这次夺走妻子性命并使自己受伤的碰撞只是个事故，茨万吉拉伊是在哈拉雷的家里发表讲话的，他刚从波扎那回来，在那里他接受了治疗。

瑞典动物园的一只黑猩猩能够储藏石头，以便可以扔向游客，研究人员由此认为猿能像人那样做事之前进行计划。有很多次，Furuvik动物园的管理人员发现，黑猩猩Santino一大早就在收集石头，放在它认为人群会聚集的地方的径前方。人们还看到他打碎水泥块，来增加自己的“武器”储备。

1 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

2 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

3 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

4 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。

5 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

6 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

8 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 harassing   

v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人）

参考例句：

• The court ordered him to stop harassing his ex-wife. 法庭命令他不得再骚扰前妻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was too close to be merely harassing fire. 打得这么近，不能完全是扰乱射击。 来自辞典例句

10 mettle   

n.勇气，精神

参考例句：

• When the seas are in turmoil,heroes are on their mettle.沧海横流，方显出英雄本色。
• Each and every one of these soldiers has proved his mettle.这些战士个个都是好样的。

11 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。

12 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

13 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

14 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

16 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

17 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

18 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

19 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

20 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

21 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

22 chimp   

n.黑猩猩

参考例句：

• In fact,the color of gorilla and chimp are light-color.其实大猩猩和黑猩猩的肤色是较为浅的。
• The chimp is the champ.猩猩是冠军。

23 hoarded   

v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It owned great properties and often hoarded huge treasures. 它拥有庞大的财产，同时往往窖藏巨额的财宝。 来自辞典例句
• Sylvia among them, good-naturedly applaud so much long-hoarded treasure of useless knowing. 西尔维亚也在他们中间，为那些长期珍藏的无用知识，友好地、起劲地鼓掌。 来自互联网

24 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。

25 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。