英语听力精选进阶版 7498

The authorities in Syria have been struggling to contain a new wave of anti-government demonstrations¹ across the country. Opposition² groups said security forces had opened fire on crowds in several areas, including the capital Damascus. At least 28 people are reported to have been killed nationally, 10 of them in the northern town of Maarat al-Numan. Helicopter gunships are said to have attacked protesters there after a police station and [a] court building were set on fire.

叙利亚当局正在努力控制全国掀起的新一轮反政府示威活动。反对派组织表示，几个地区的安全力量向人群开火，包括首都大马士革在内。据报道，全国各地至少28人死亡，其中10人来自北部城镇马拉特·努曼(Maarat al-Numan)。据称，当地一座警察局和法院大楼被纵火之后，武装直升机对抗议者发动了袭击。

Opposition activists³ said Syrian troops had adopted a scorched⁴ earth policy in Jisr al-Shughour. Jim Muir is monitoring events from neighbouring Lebanon.

反对派活动积极分子表示，叙利亚军队对吉斯尔·舒古尔(Jisr al-Shughour)实施了焦土政策。Jim Muir正在邻国黎巴嫩密切关注事态的进展情况。

Both the state media and activists on the ground are reporting that troops and tanks are pressing in around Jisr al-Shughour. Shooting was reported from some of the nearby villages, where barricades⁵ of burning tyres have been put up to try to block the advance. The town itself is believed to be largely deserted⁶ after many of its inhabitants fled the impending⁷ crackdown, some of them crossing the border to nearby Turkey. Meanwhile, there are reports of many big protest demonstrations in practically all parts of the country.

国家媒体和现场的积极分子均报道称，军队和坦克正在向吉斯尔·舒古尔周围逼近。附近一些村庄设置了燃烧的轮胎作为路障，防止军队进一步推进，这些地方出现了枪击事件。据信，许多居民逃离即将发生的镇压活动之后，这个城镇大部分已经被遗弃，其中一些人穿越边境逃往附近的土耳其。同时，有报道称，几乎全国各地都在发生许多大规模的抗议示威活动。

The authorities in Somalia say the Interior Minister Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan has been killed in a suicide attack on his home. Our East Africa correspondent Will Ross reports.

索马里当局表示，内政部长阿卜迪-沙库尔-谢赫-哈桑(Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan)在家中遭遇自杀式袭击身亡。我们的东非记者Will Ross报道。

Somalia's Interior Minister Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan was killed by his own teenage niece. The girl had visited his home several times in recent days, and thinking that she posed no threat, the guards did not carry out a security check. She then walked into the living room and set off a bomb. She was killed instantly. The minister died from his injuries as efforts were underway to fly him to hospital in Nairobi. The Islamist insurgent⁸ group al-Shabab said it had been behind the blast and said more attacks would follow.

索马里内政部长阿卜迪-沙库尔-谢赫-哈桑被他十几岁的侄女杀害。最近几天，这个女孩几次造访他的家。警卫认为她不会造成任何威胁，因此没有进行安全检查。随后，她走进起居室，引爆了炸弹。她本人也当场死亡。内政部长在被送往内罗毕的医院的途中重伤身亡。伊斯兰激进组织青年党声称他们策划了这次爆炸事件，并宣称之后还会实施多次袭击。

The southern Sudanese army says the northern military has carried out air raids in south Sudan. The region is due to become independent in a month's time. Mary Harper reports.

南苏丹军队表示，北方军队对南方实施了空袭。一个月之后，南方将宣布独立。Mary Harper报道。

A spokesman for the southern Sudanese army said three people had been killed in a series of air strikes in Unity⁹ state. He said Khartoum was trying to seize oil fields and that the southern army was strengthening its defensive¹⁰ positions. The United Nations says the violence has spread across the border from north Sudan, where fighting in the town of Kadugli has forced between 30,000 and 40,000 people to flee their homes. The recent flare-up in violence suggests difficult times ahead for what will be Africa's newest country of south Sudan.

南苏丹军队发言人表示，3人在尤尼替(Unity)州遭遇的一系列空袭中身亡。他表示，喀土穆试图控制油田，南方军队加强了防卫力量。联合国表示，暴力形势已经从北苏丹边境开始蔓延。卡杜格利的冲突已经迫使30,000至40,000人逃离家园。最近暴力形势的升级表明非洲即将诞生的新国家南苏丹将面临非常艰难的形势。

Hospital doctors say the Libyan port city of Misrata has come under a renewed artillery¹¹ barrage¹² by troops loyal to the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi. At least 17 people are reported to have been killed and at least 60 wounded in the city, which is the principal rebel-held area in western Libya. Doctors said there had been no sign of Nato warplanes over the city. Misrata is surrounded on three sides by government forces.

医院医生表示，利比亚港口城市米 苏拉塔遭遇来自卡扎菲上校的力量的新一轮炮火袭击。据报道，该城市至少17人遇难，至少60人受伤。米苏拉塔是利比亚西部地区由叛军控制的主要城市。医生表示，该城市上空没有出现北约战斗机的痕迹。米苏拉塔已经三面被政府军队包围。

World News from the BBC

Two soldiers have been arrested in Pakistan and charged with murdering an unarmed teenager who was filmed being shot in the country's biggest city Karachi. The soldiers' unit initially¹³ refused to hand them over to the police, but relented under pressure from senior government officials. The video caused a storm of protest across Pakistan after it was shown on a local TV station.

巴基斯坦两名士兵被逮捕，并被指控谋杀了一名手无寸铁的青年。根据录像资料，这名青年男子在该国最大的城市卡拉奇被枪击。这两名士兵所在的部队最初拒绝将他们移交警方，但是在高级政府官员的压力下妥协。录像在巴基斯坦当地电视台播放后引发了全国各地的抗议风暴。

The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has strongly criticised America's Nato allies in his last major speech before he retires later this month. He warned that Nato risked becoming a military irrelevance¹⁴ unless European countries increased their defence spending.

在本月末退休前发表的最后一次重要讲话中，美国国防部长罗伯特·盖茨严厉谴责了美国的北约盟国。他警告称，除非欧洲国家增加国防支出，否则北约将变成军事方面完全没有联系的组织。

"Future US political leaders - those for whom the Cold War was not the formative experience that it was for me - may not consider the return on America's investment in NATO worth the cost. What I've sketched¹⁵ out is the real possibility for a dim, if not dismal¹⁶ future for the transatlantic alliance."

“美国未来的政策领袖——对他们来说冷战的经历并不是那么记忆犹新——他们可能认为所获得的回报并不值得美国对北约的投资。我描绘的是这个跨大西洋联盟惨淡的未来。”

A senior Mexican official has said the government is prepared to have formal discussions with members of a peace march protesting about drugs-related violence. Thousands of marchers on the so-called "peace caravan¹⁷" have been calling for the Mexican government to change tactics in its war on drugs cartels. The "peace caravan" has reached its final destination Ciudad Juarez, on the border with the United States, after a journey of some 2,500km. The leader of the march has called Ciudad Juarez the "epicentre of pain" due to the levels of violence there.

墨西哥一名高级官员表示，政府正在准备与抗议毒品相关暴力和平游行的人员进行正式讨论。参加和平游行的数千名抗议者呼吁墨西哥政府改变打击毒品卡特尔组织的策略。和平游行队伍经过2,500千米的路程之后已经到达终点站，美国边境处的华雷斯。游行的负责人称由于暴力水平非常高，华雷斯已经成为痛苦的中心。

Football in Finland has been hit by a growing match-fixing scandal with global implications. Nine former members of one team, seven Zambians and two Georgians, are on trial along with a man from Singapore. Police say the case is linked to an investigation¹⁸ of the top club, Tampere United, which has been suspended for failing to explain why it received nearly half a million dollars from a Singapore company.

芬兰足球爆发愈演愈烈的操纵比赛丑闻，在全世界产生了极坏的影响。芬兰足球受到重创。来自一个球队的9名前队员，其中7名赞比亚人，两名乔治亚人与来自新加坡的一名男子一起出庭受审。警方表示，该案件与对坦佩雷联足球俱乐部的调查有关。由于未能解释为何从新加坡一家公司获得50万美元的资金，该俱乐部已经被勒令暂停运营。

1 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。

2 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。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

5 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

6 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

7 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

8 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。

9 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

10 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

11 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。

12 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

13 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

14 irrelevance   

n.无关紧要；不相关；不相关的事物

参考例句：

• the irrelevance of the curriculum to children's daily life 课程与孩子们日常生活的脱节
• A President who identifies leadership with public opinion polls dooms himself to irrelevance. 一位总统如果把他的领导和民意测验投票结果等同起来，那么他注定将成为一个可有可无的人物。 来自辞典例句

15 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

17 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

18 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。