英语听力精选进阶版 7377

Federal authorities in the United States have made 115 arrests in what the US Attorney General Eric Holder¹ called the largest ever single-day operation against the mafia. Those detained include prominent members of at least six organised crime families. They face charges ranging from extortion to drug dealing² and murder. Mr Holder said it was part of an ongoing³ battle against the mafia.

美国联邦当局实施了15次逮捕行动，美国司法部长埃里克·霍尔德(Eric Holder)称这是一天之内针对黑手党实施的最大规模的行动。被拘留者包括至少六个有组织的犯罪团伙中的卓越人物。他们将面临从敲诈到贩卖毒品到谋杀的罪名。霍尔德表示，这是针对黑手党的持续的斗争的一部分。

"Today's arrests mark an important and encouraging step forward in disrupting La Cosa Nostra's operations. But the reality is that our battle against organised crime enterprises is far from over. This is an ongoing effort, and it must and will remain a top priority for all of us in law enforcement. Members and associates of La Cosa Nostra are among the most dangerous criminals in our country."

“今天的逮捕行动意味着在打击拉科萨家族(La Cosa Nostra)的行动中取得了重大的鼓舞人心的一步。但是实际情况是，我们打击犯罪团伙的战争还远远没有结束。我们一直在不断努力，而且这项活动对执法系统中的所有人来说都必须是首要任务。拉科萨家族的成员和有关联的人物都是我们的国家最危险的犯罪分子。”

Suicide bomb attacks near the Iraqi city of Karbala have killed at least 50 people and injured many more. Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.

伊拉克城市卡尔巴拉附近发生自杀式爆炸袭击，造成至少50人死亡，多人受伤。Jim Muir在巴格达报道。

The Karbala bombings came despite very stringent⁴ security measures to protect the many hundreds of thousands of Shia faithful making their way to the city on foot from all over the country in a pilgrimage that reaches its climax⁵ early next week. Even before that, the earlier spate⁶ of attacks had prompted questions here about the effectiveness of security arrangements not just for pilgrims but even for the security forces themselves increasingly targeted as American forces withdraw.

数十万什叶派信徒从全国各地前往该城市参加朝圣，活动将于下周初达到顶峰。当局采取了严厉的安全措施来保护这些信徒，但是仍然发生了爆炸袭击。甚至在那之前的一系列爆炸已经引发人们对这里的安全措施的怀疑，因为不仅是穆斯林，随着美国军队的撤退，安全力量本身也逐渐成为袭击的目标。

The Chinese President Hu Jintao says China has no interest in pursuing an arms race, nor exerting military dominance over other nations. Speaking at a business forum⁷ in Washington, Mr Hu said there was no need for the US to see China as a threat. Paul Adams reports.

中国国家主席胡锦涛表示，中国没有兴趣参加军备竞赛，没有兴趣对其他国家实施军事统治。在华盛顿商务论坛上发表讲话时胡锦涛表示，美国没有必要将中国视为威胁。Paul Adams报道。

President Hu used his lunch-time speech to drive home his message that America should not see China as a dangerous rival. "We do not engage in arms races," he said. "We are not a military threat to any country." He described Tibet and Taiwan as core Chinese interests but did not add the South China Sea to this list, suggesting a degree of flexibility⁸ on an issue that has been a recent source of tension. Earlier, President Hu swapped⁹ the military bands and state banquet at the White House for the rather more combative¹⁰ atmosphere of Capitol Hill. Members of Congress raised a number of familiar concerns, including human rights, efforts to contain North Korea, safeguarding intellectual property and the need for a level playing field in international trade.

胡锦涛利用午餐时间讲话传达了他的信息，美国人不应该将中国视为危险的竞争对手。“我们不参加任何军事竞赛，我们对任何国家来说都不是军事威胁。”他表示，西藏和台湾是中国的核心利益，但是没有将南中国海加入这个名单，这表明，这个最近引发紧张形势的问题是有弹性的。此前，胡锦涛主席与奥巴马交换了军章，并在白宫享受了国宴。但是在国会山更加好战的气氛中，国会议员提出了一系列已经耳熟能详的担忧，包括人权，控制朝鲜，保护知识产权和为国际贸易提供舞台的问题。

Tunisia's new interim¹¹ government says it'll recognise all banned political groups and grant amnesties to all political prisoners. A government spokesman said all groups would be recognised including the Islamist Ennahda movement. The announcement came as the new cabinet met for the first time a week after street protest[s] forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee Tunisia.

突尼斯新的临时政府表示，他们将认可所有被禁止的政治组织，特赦所有政治犯。政府一名发言人表示，所有组织都将被认可，包括伊斯兰Ennahda运动在内。民众的街头抗议迫使总统本·阿里(Zine El Abidine Ben Ali)逃离突尼斯一周之后，新的内阁举行首次会晤时宣布了该决定。

World News from the BBC

The Vatican says it's worried about the latest scandal surrounding the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and demanded higher moral standards from politicians. The secretary of state of the Holy See made his comments after being asked about allegations that Mr Berlusconi had organised sex parties with young prostitutes. He said Italy was in turmoil¹² over the issue. The prime minister has vehemently¹³ denied the allegations.

A new estimate says there may be twice as much natural gas available in the world as previously¹⁴ thought. The International Energy Agency said new techniques to extract gas from previously inaccessible¹⁵ rock formations could extend global reserves for more than 250 years. Roger Harrabin reports.

一项新的评估表示，全世界的天然气储备可能是此前评估的两倍。国际能源组织表示，从岩石中提取天然气的新技术可能延长全球储备250年的时间。Roger Harrabin报道。

A few years ago, the world looked likely to enjoy natural gas for 60 years with maybe a further 60 if engineers could access all known supplies. Then came a technological¹⁶ breakthrough in the United States, where firms found a way to free gas previously trapped in shale¹⁷ rocks. It made the US the world's top gas producer in 2009. Engineers worldwide now want to recover more so-called unconventional gas from coal beds and other rocks where it's currently trapped.

几年前，全世界认为天然气可以供人类使用60年的时间，如果工程人员能够开采所有已知的储备，或许可以再延长60年。后来美国出现了技术突破，一些公司发现了从页岩中提取天然气的方法。这使得美国在2009年成为世界上最大的天然气生产国。全世界的过程人员现在都想在煤层和其他岩石中发现更多所谓的非传统的天然气。

One of the most senior members of Britain's opposition¹⁸ Labour Party has announced that he's stepping down as its spokesman on financial affairs. The politician Alan Johnson had been in the job only a few months and admitted having little economic experience. He said he was resigning for personal reasons but gave no more details.

英国反对派工党最高级成员之一宣布他将辞去金融事务发言人的职位。政治家Alan Johnson几个月前才开始从事该工作，他承认自己没有什么经济经验。他说，他辞职是因为个人原因，但是没有透露详细情况。

Police in Mexico say a posting on the social networking site Facebook has led them to the main suspect in the shooting of the Paraguayan footballer Salvador Cabanas last year. Police knew that the suspect, Jose Jorge Balderas Garza, was in a relationship with a Colombian model. When she listed a Mexico City neighbourhood as her current location on Facebook, police moved in.

墨西哥警方表示，社交网站Facebook上公开的一份信息让他们找到了去年枪击巴拉圭球员卡巴拿斯(Salvador Caba?as)的主要嫌疑人。警方了解到，这名嫌疑人Jose Jorge Balderas Garza正与一名哥伦比亚模特恋爱中。这名模特在Facebook中贴出了她现在居住在墨西哥的一个社区后，警方采取了行动。

1 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

2 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。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

5 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

6 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。

7 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

8 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

9 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。

10 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

11 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

12 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

13 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

14 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

15 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

16 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

17 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

18 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。