英国新闻听力 墨西哥音乐会发生踩踏事件

President Obama has said the huge oil spill in the Gulf¹ of Mexico is a potentially unprecedented² environmental disaster. And the British company BP will have to meet the cost of dealing³ with it. Mr Obama said his government would work to prevent further damage to the region, but he stressed BP was responsible.

"Let me be clear. BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill. But as president of the United States, I'm gonna spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues, and we will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused. And while there'll be time to fully⁴ investigate what happened on that rig and hold responsible parties accountable. Our focus now is on a fully-coordinated, relentless⁵ response effort to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the Gulf."

The US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the authorities are taking the car bomb that was defused at Times Square in New York very seriously. She described it as a potential terrorist attack, but added that it hadn't been a very sophisticated one, and there was no evidence it was more than a one-off event. Times Square was packed with thousands of people when the bomb was discovered. This man, a T-shirt seller, raised the alarm.

"I saw the car sitting on the corner. The keys were in it and the car was running. Police officers walked towards me asked me if it was my car and I said 'No, I don't know whose car it was in this stuff.' So shortly after that, the smoke started coming out of the car, you know it was like, wow, you know, and maybe about three or four minutes after that that's when we first heard the popping sound and it was like a firecracker was going on and black smoke, and then that's when everybody just ran down the street. I took off, everybody took off."

The countries using the euro have approved and made public the massive deal aimed at rescuing the Greek economy. It includes a loan package agreed with the International Monetary⁶ Fund worth 146 billion dollars over three years. In return, Athens is expected to embark⁷ on a program of severe budget cuts, tax increases and structural⁸ reforms. The Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou gave details of some of the cuts and their likely impacts.

"The fiscal⁹ adjustment includes measures such as reduction in public sector¹⁰ wages, reduction in pensions, trying, however, to protect the low paid and the low pensions as well as increases in VAT¹¹, increases in other excise¹² taxes. We are fully aware that this is a program that is not gonna be easy. We are absolutely convinced that this is a necessary program."

Two years after a devastating¹³ cyclone¹⁴ hit Burma, the aid agency Oxfam has appealed for more aid for the survivors¹⁵, saying international plans for funding have not been fulfilled. Oxfam said that two years into a three-year appeal only about a quarter of the money needed had been promised. With the monsoon¹⁶ season approaching in Burma, shelter and agriculture were priorities.

Somali insurgents¹⁸ have taken control of one of the main pirate havens¹⁹ in the south of the country. Residents said several hundred rebels from the group Hizbul Islam had taken over the coastal²⁰ town of Haradhere without a fight on Saturday and the pirates had fled. Here is the BBC's Will Ross.

A senior official of the group said his troops moved in after receiving a request from local residents for help with security. The insurgents have reportedly earlier tried to negotiate a share of the profits with the pirates who had refused. This would suggest that rather than trying to shut down the piracy²¹, the insurgents simply aim to take over. This whole event puts the hundreds of hostages currently being held in a more precarious²² position. Another insurgent¹⁷ group al-Shabab has also been closing in on the pirate's strongholds in recent weeks.

An explosion at a mosque²³ in the southern Somali city of Kismayu has killed at least one person, at least five worshipers were injured. Reports said that a bomb exploded during prayers. It was the third attack on a mosque in Somalia in a week.

Officials in Mexico say five people have been killed and at least a dozen more injured during a stampede at a concert in the northern state of Nuevo Leon. Police said panic broke out when shots were heard at a pop concert in Guadalupe, sending around 500 people scrambling²⁴ for cover. The area has seen an increase in drugs-related violence over the past three months after an alliance between two rival drugs cartels broke down.

Pope Benedict has visited the northern Italian city of Turin to see a relic²⁵ which many Roman Catholics believe is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. The relic, known as the Shroud²⁶ of Turin, shows a man's body and face. It's on public display for the first time in ten years. After arriving in Turin, the Pope celebrated²⁷ an open-air mass outside the cathedral which houses the shroud. The Roman Catholic Church has never pronounced on the authenticity²⁸ of the shroud which some dismiss as a medieval forgery²⁹.

奥巴马总统表示，墨西哥湾巨大的漏油事件会造成潜在的前所未有的环境灾难。英国BP石油公司必须支付应对这场灾难所需的费用。奥巴马表示，美国政府会采取措施防止对该地区造成进一步的损害，但是他强调BP石油公司必须负责。

“我必须说清楚。BP石油公司应该为这次石油泄漏事故负责。BP将为此买单。但是作为美国总统，只要这场危机继续，我将不遗余力地来解决，我们将使用一切资源来清除这场危机造成的损害。我们还将对钻塔爆炸沉没的情况进行全面调查，相关责任方必须承担起责任。现在，我们的焦点是团结协作，采取一切措施来制止漏油，防止对海湾地区造成进一步的损害。”

美国国土安全部长珍尼特·纳波利塔诺(Janet Napolitano)表示，当局严肃对待在纽约时代广场拆除的汽车炸弹。她称这是一起潜在的恐怖主义袭击，但是她补充说，这不是一次非常成熟的袭击，没有证据表明这不是单一事件。炸弹被发现时，时代广场聚集了数千人。这名出售T恤衫的男子拉响了警报。

“我看到汽车停在角落，钥匙还在上面，汽车引擎也在运转。警察走过来问我这辆车是不是我的，我说，不，我不知道是谁的。过后不久，车内开始冒烟，你知道，就好像，大约三四分钟之后我们首次听到爆音，好像鞭炮在响的声音。后来所有人都沿街飞奔而去。我也离开了，每个人都离开了。”

欧元区国家通过并公布了拯救希腊经济的大规模协议。包括与IMF在三年之内提供1460亿美元贷款的协议。相应地，雅典预期将着手大幅削减预算，提高税收并进行结构性改革。希腊财政部长帕帕康斯坦季努(George Papaconstantinou)披露了其中一些削减项目的细节和可能造成的影响。

“财政调整包括削减公务员工资，降低养老金等措施，然而却努力保护低收入和低养老保险人群，同时增加增值税和其他消费税。我们已经充分的意识到，这个项目不容易进行。但是我们完全相信，这是非常必要的项目。”

灾难性的飓风袭击缅甸两年之后，救助机构Oxfam(牛津饥荒救济委员会)呼吁为幸存者提供更多救助。他们说，筹集资金的国际计划现在还没有完成。Oxfam表示，原本计划求助三年，现在两年的时间已经过去，但是现在承诺捐赠的资金只有所需资金的四分之一。由于季风即将到达缅甸，庇护所和农业是当务之急。

索马里反叛分子控制了该国南部主要的海盗庇护港。居民称，周六，海盗不战而降，落荒而逃，来自“伊斯兰党”(Hizbul-Islam)的几百名叛军占领了海岸小镇Haradhere。BBC记者Will Ross报道。

该组织一名高级官员表示，收到当地居民维持安定的请求之后，他的军队采取行动。据报道，这些叛军此前曾经要求与海盗分享收益遭拒。这表明，这些叛军不是为了消除海盗，而仅仅是为了占领这个小镇。该事件使被俘为人质的数百名人质处于更加危险的处境。最近几周，另外一个反叛组织青年党也在打击海盗的堡垒。

索马里南部城市基斯马尤一座清真寺发生爆炸事件，造成至少一人死亡，5名礼拜者受伤。报道称，在祈祷期间，一枚炸弹爆炸。这是一周之内索马里清真寺发生的第三起袭击。

墨西哥官员表示，北部新莱昂州一场音乐会上发生踩踏事件，5人死亡，至少十多人受伤。警方表示，在瓜达卢普的流行音乐会上突然听到枪声，观众惊慌失措，大约500人抢着寻找庇护所。过去三个月两个毒品卡特尔联盟破裂之后，与毒品相关的暴力事件不断增加。

教皇本笃访问意大利北部城市都灵，参观被许多罗马天主教徒奉为耶稣基督殓布的遗迹。该遗迹被称为都灵“耶稣裹尸布”，展示出一个人的面部和身体。这是十年来首次进行公开展览。抵达都灵之后，教皇在展览殓布的大教堂外举行了露天弥撒。罗马天主教堂从未证实殓布的真实性。一些人称这只是中世纪的伪造物。

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

6 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

8 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

9 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

10 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

11 vat   

n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶

参考例句：

• The office is asking for the vat papers.办事处要有关增值税的文件。
• His father emptied sacks of stale rye bread into the vat.他父亲把一袋袋发霉的黑面包倒进大桶里。

12 excise   

n.(国产)货物税；vt.切除，删去

参考例句：

• I'll excise the patient's burnt areas.我去切除病人烧坏的部分。
• Jordan's free trade zone free of import duty,excise tax and all other taxes.约旦的自由贸易区免收进口税、国内货物税及其它一切税收。

13 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

14 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

15 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

16 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

17 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

18 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

19 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

20 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

21 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

22 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

23 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

24 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

26 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

27 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

28 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

29 forgery   

n.伪造的文件等，赝品，伪造（行为）

参考例句：

• The painting was a forgery.这张画是赝品。
• He was sent to prison for forgery.他因伪造罪而被关进监狱。