英语听力精选进阶版 7440

Troops supporting the two rival leaders in Ivory Coast have continued to fight for key buildings in the main city Abidjan, including the presidential palace and state television station. There were reports of heavy artillery¹ fire as forces loyal to the man internationally recognized as the new president, Allasane Ouattara, closed in on those supporting his rival, Laurent Gbagbo. Four United Nations soldiers were seriously wounded during the day. Andrew Harding reports.

支持科特迪瓦相互敌对的两位领袖的军队仍在发生冲突，争夺主要城市阿比让的关键建筑，包括总统府和国家电视台。有报道称，忠于国际社会认可的新总统瓦塔拉的力量包围支持竞争对手巴博的军队时出现了激烈的炮火声。当天四名联合国士兵受重伤。Andrew Harding报道。

Allasane Ouattara’s forces say they are now making a final push to seize the city. Reinforcements have been pouring in – pickup² trucks packed with young men. But the fighting appears haphazard³ and likely to drag on. Laurent Gbagbo, who lost last year’s presidential election, remains⁴ somewhere in the city. It’s hard to see how his forces can win this, but they are clinging on. The battle for Abidjan will be decisive.

瓦塔拉的部队称，他们正在为占领这座城市做最后的拼搏。援军源源不断的到达——便捷卡车搭载着年轻人到来。但是战争似乎非常混乱，可能还会继续拖延。在去年的总统选举中失败的巴博仍然藏匿在城市的某个角落。现在难以看出他的力量能否获胜，但是他们仍然在苦苦坚持。阿比让的战斗将是决定性的。

The American offshore⁵ oil and gas drilling contractor⁶ Transocean has paid its top executives bonuses for achieving what it said was its best year in safety performance. This is despite the deadly oil platform explosion in the Gulf⁷ of Mexico a year ago. Andy Gallacher reports.

美国近海石油和天然气开采承包商Transocean向高管发放奖金，奖励他们在安全方面取得了表现最好的一年，尽管一年前墨西哥湾曾经发生了致命的石油钻井平台爆炸事件。Andy Gallacher报道。

A presidential commission concluded that the explosion was caused by cost-cutting and directly blamed Transocean, BP, and Halliburton for the disaster. Despite that Transocean handed out huge bonuses to its executives, citing the company’s best year for safety ever, Transocean’s annual report acknowledges the explosion. But it goes on to say they exceeded internal safety targets. Transocean has always maintained that BP is solely⁸ responsible for the oil spill.

总统委员会得出结论，爆炸是由于成本削减，Transocean，BP石油公司和哈里伯顿公司都应该为这次灾难负直接责任。尽管Transocean向高管发放了巨额奖金，公司年度报告仍然承认这次爆炸事故。但是报告说，他们已经超额完成了公司内部设定的安全目标。Transocean坚持称，BP公司应该独立承担这次漏油事故的责任。

Israel has called on the United Nations to scrap⁹ a report which accused it of war crimes during its Gaza offensive two years ago. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the report was a farce¹⁰ which must be rectified¹¹ immediately. Its author Richard Goldstone wrote in an American newspaper that his report would have been a different document had he known then what he did today. Judge Goldstone said investigations¹² by the Israeli military and recognized by a UN committee had shown that Israel did not intentionally¹³ target Palestinian civilians¹⁴.

以色列要求联合国废弃一份报告，该报告指控以色列两年前进攻加沙地带时犯有战争罪。以色列总理内塔尼亚胡表示，这份报告是一个闹剧，必须立即进行纠正。该报告的作者Richard Goldstone在美国一家报纸上写道，如果他提前知道今天的情况，当初的报告会是另外一份文件。法官Goldstone表示，由以色列军方进行，联合国委员会认可的调查显示，以色列当时并没有故意袭击巴勒斯坦平民。

Another attempt is being made to stop radioactive contamination leaking into the sea at the wrecked¹⁵ Fukushima nuclear power station in Japan. A crack was discovered on Saturday in a concrete pit at the plant’s number two reactor¹⁶. From Japan, Rachel Harvey.

日本仍在努力防止受损的福岛核电站的放射性污染物泄漏入海洋。周六，工作人员在该核电站二号反应堆发现了一条裂缝。Rachel Harvey在日本报道。

A photograph released by officials shows water pouring in a steady jet from a crack in a wall. The water is contaminated with radioactive iodine¹⁷ and it’s leaking into the sea. Attempts to plug the gap with concrete have proved unsuccessful. The next plan is to dig a hole in the trench¹⁸ just behind the pit and fill it with an absorbent polymer. The authorities say the radioactive material will rapidly dissipate in the sea and is not thought likely to endanger health. But the pools of contaminated water within the nuclear plant are hampering¹⁹ efforts to stabilise the reactors²⁰.

官方发表的一张照片显示，水从墙上的一条裂缝流入一架静止的飞机。这些水被放射性碘污染，正在向海洋中泄漏。试图用混凝土堵塞这条裂缝的努力最终失败。下一步计划是在裂缝后的沟渠上挖一个洞，用吸收剂聚合物填充。当局表示，放射性物质会迅速在海水中稀释，不会危害健康。但是核电站内部的污染水蓄水池阻碍了使反应堆稳定下来的努力。

BBC News

The top United Nations official in Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, has said the UN will not be driven out of the country in what he called a 'delicate and crucial period’. He was referring to an attack on UN personnel on Friday in the city of Mazar-e Sharif when 14 people, seven of them UN staff, were killed in a protest against the burning of a Qu'ran in the United States. President Obama said the burning of any holy text was an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry²¹.

联合国驻阿富汗高级官员德米斯图拉(Staffan de Mistura)表示，在这个“微妙的，关键的时期”，联合国不会被赶出阿富汗。他指的是周五，联合国工作人员在马扎里沙里夫遭遇袭击的事件。阿富汗人发动了反对美国焚烧可兰经的抗议活动，造成14人死亡，其中7人是联合国工作人员。奥巴马总统表示，焚烧任何圣书的行为都是极端难以容忍的，偏执的行为。

The man who has ruled Kazakhstan for more than 20 years, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is standing²² for re-election today with a strong likelihood that he will win again. Under constitutional changes made in 2007, Mr Nazarbayev is allowed to stand as many times as he wishes. From Alma-Ata, Rayhan Demytrie.

统治哈萨克斯坦20多年的努尔苏丹·纳扎尔巴耶夫(Nursultan Nazarbayev)今天竞选连任，而且再次获胜的可能性非常大。按照2007年进行的宪法修改，纳扎尔巴耶夫可以无限次连任。阿拉木图，Rayhan Demytrie报道。

Voters in Kazakhstan have the choice of four candidates: three rather obscure politicians and the incumbent²³ Nursultan Nazarbayev. But with the main opposition²⁴ parties boycotting²⁵ the vote there is no genuine competition. And it is widely expected that after more than 20 years in power, Mr Nazarbayev will win another term. The government wants to ensure high turnout, but it might be difficult as there is certain apathy²⁶ among the voters.

哈萨克斯坦的投票者可以从四名候选人中做出选择：三名其他非常不出名的政客和现任统治者纳扎尔巴耶夫。但是由于主要的反对党派抵制投票，几乎没有真正的竞争。根据广泛预期，已经执政20多年的纳扎尔巴耶夫可能会再次赢得一个任期。政府希望保持比较高的投票率，但是这是非常困难的，因为投票者对此似乎漠不关心。

A state-funded human rights organization in Mexico says thousands of people have disappeared there over the past five years. The National Commission on Human Rights said almost 5,400 people have been reported missing since 2006 when the President Felipe Calderón declared war on drug cartels. A study by the UN has suggested that Mexican security forces may have played a part in the disappearance²⁷ of some of those missing.

墨西哥一个国家提供资金的人权组织表示，过去五年共有数千人失踪。国家人权委员会表示，自2006年卡尔德龙总统宣布发动打击毒品团伙的战争以来，共有接近5,400人报告失踪。联合国一份调查显示，墨西哥安全力量在其中一些人的失踪事件中可能发挥了一定的作用。

A court in Guatemala has ordered the divorce proceedings²⁸ of the country’s first couple to be halted. The first lady, Sandra Torres, announced last week that she would divorce the President, Alvaro Colom, so she could stand for election to succeed him. Guatemala’s constitution bans close relatives of the president from running for the top office. Petitioners²⁹ said the planned divorce was a farce aimed at circumventing³⁰ the constitution.

危地马拉法庭下令总统与第一夫人离婚的司法程序暂停。第一夫人Sandra Torres上周宣布她将与总统Alvaro Colom离婚，这样她就可以参加竞选，接替总统职位。危地马拉宪法禁止总统的亲属竞选高级官员。离婚案原告称，总统和夫人有计划的离婚是为了规避宪法规定的闹剧。

1 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

2 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

3 haphazard   

adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的

参考例句：

• The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。
• He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

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 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

6 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

7 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。

8 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

9 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

10 farce   

n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹

参考例句：

• They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
• The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

11 rectified   

[医]矫正的，调整的

参考例句：

• I am hopeful this misunderstanding will be rectified very quickly. 我相信这个误会将很快得到纠正。
• That mistake could have been rectified within 28 days. 那个错误原本可以在28天内得以纠正。

12 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

13 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

14 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

15 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

16 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

17 iodine   

n.碘，碘酒

参考例句：

• The doctor painted iodine on the cut.医生在伤口上涂点碘酒。
• Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.碘容易集于甲状腺。

18 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

19 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

20 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

21 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

22 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

23 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

24 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。

25 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

26 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

27 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

28 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

29 petitioners   

n.请求人，请愿人( petitioner的名词复数 )；离婚案原告

参考例句：

• Petitioners suggest that anything less than certainty, that any speculation, is irresponsible. 申诉者认为不准确的事或推断都是不负责任的。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The judge awarded the costs of the case to the petitioners. 法官判定由这起案件的上诉人支付诉讼费用。 来自辞典例句

30 circumventing   

v.设法克服或避免（某事物），回避( circumvent的现在分词 )；绕过，绕行，绕道旅行

参考例句：

• They found a way of circumventing the law. 他们找到了规避法律的途径。
• This viewpoint sees the Multinational Corporation as capable of circumventing or subverting national objectives and policies. 这种观点认为，跨国公司能够遏制和破坏国家的目标和政策。 来自辞典例句