英语听力精选进阶版 7508

Syrian activists¹ say their anti-government protests will continue, dismissing a renewed pledge by President Bashar al-Assad to set up a national dialogue. Just minutes after the speech, fresh demonstrations² were reported in several cities. A spokesman for the activists said they were no longer just demanding reform but a change of government. Jim Muir reports from Beirut.

叙利亚积极分子表示，他们将会继续进行反政府抗议活动，拒绝了阿萨德总统进行全国对话的承诺。讲话几分钟之后，几个城市出现了新的抗议活动报道。活动积极分子一名发言人表示，他们已经不再要求变革，而是要求更换政府。Jim Muir在贝鲁特报道。

Within minutes of Mr Assad finishing his speech, protesters were out in the streets of Homs, the country's third biggest city. "This is the response to your speech," they chanted. "You and those around you are in the rubbish bin³ of history." As far as the protest movement is concerned, the speech contained nothing new, just a repeat of what they call the "empty promises" of reform and change that he's laid out before.

阿萨德总统讲话结束几分钟之内，抗议者再次走向第三大城市霍姆斯的街头。他们高呼，“这是民众对你的讲话的反应。你和你的内阁将进入历史的垃圾箱。”对抗议活动来说，阿萨德总统的讲话没有任何改变，只是重复曾经多次作出的改革和变更的“空洞的承诺”。

A court in Tunisia has sentenced the former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi to 35 years in prison. They were accused of corruption⁴ and drug trafficking and sentenced in absentia. In a BBC interview, Mr Ben Ali's lawyer Akram Azouri dismissed the verdict as politically motivated.

突尼斯法庭判处前总统本·阿里(Zine El Abidine Ben Ali)和他的妻子特拉贝西(Leila Trabelsi)35年的监禁。他们被指控贪污受贿和贩卖毒品，被缺席审判。在BBC的采访中，本·阿里的律师Akram Azouri驳斥该判决是出于政治目的的。

"This is a joke. This is a continuation of the political judgment⁵ that has already been issued and executed. And I'm very happy now I think that no court of justice can recognise this judgment."

“这是一个玩笑。这是已经发布并执行的政治判决的延续。我很高兴，我认为任何正义的法庭都不会认可该判决。”

The Libyan authorities say an attack on a compound owned by one of Colonel Gaddafi's closest advisers⁶ has killed 15 people, three of them children. They accuse Nato of using eight rockets to carry out the attack, which pulverised a country estate west of the capital Tripoli. Nato said its warplanes carried out a precision air strike against a key command-and-control site of the Libyan government.

利比亚当局表示，卡扎菲上校的亲密顾问拥有的一座建筑遭遇袭击，造成15人死亡，其中3人是儿童。他们指控北约使用八枚火箭来实施这次袭击，摧毁了首都的黎波里西部的国家财产。北约表示，他们的战斗机对利比亚政府的指挥和控制塔进行了精密的空袭。

The families of a group of doctors on trial in Bahrain for taking part in anti-government protests say they've been tortured into making false confessions⁸. Prosecutors⁹ say the doctors took over Bahrain's biggest hospital as a base for anti-government protests in March. Human rights groups say the authorities are making an example of them by trying them in a military court. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Bahrain has been talking to the relatives.

因参加反政府抗议活动而在巴林接受审判的医生的家属说，他们被屈打成招。检控官表示，这些医生在三月份占领了巴林最大的医院作为反政府抗议活动的基地。人权组织表示，当局在军事法庭对他们进行审判，以儆效尤。Rupert Wingfield-Hayes在巴林采访了这些医生的家属。

The first government witness today accused them of a strange list of crimes, including stealing blood from the blood bank and transporting guns in ambulances. But interviews with families of several of the doctors reveal compelling evidence that they have been tortured. The wife of one of them told me why her husband had signed a confession⁷.

第一名政府目击者指控他们一系列古怪的罪名，包括从血库中偷血，用救护车运输武器。但是对几名医生的家人进行的采访表明，有确凿的证据显示他们遭受了酷刑。其中一名医生的妻子告诉我为何她的丈夫签字认罪。

"They didn't allow him to sit for three weeks. They will release his handcuff only when he want[s] to eat. There was no sleep because he was standing¹⁰, standing and standing."

“他们连续三个星期不准他坐下来。只有在吃饭的时候才给他打开手铐。因为一直站着，根本不可能睡觉。”

Representatives of north and south Sudan have signed an agreement to withdraw their troops from the disputed Abyei region and allow Ethiopian peacekeepers to move in. The move to demilitarise the area comes just three weeks before the south is due to secede¹¹ from the north.

来自南北苏丹的代表签署协议，从有争议的阿卜耶伊地区撤出自己的军队，允许埃塞俄比亚维和人员进入。解除对该地区军事管制的举动距离南苏丹从北方独立出来还有三周的时间。

World News from the BBC

In the largest sex discrimination case ever brought before a court, the United States Supreme¹² Court has ruled in favour of the retailing¹³ giant Wal-Mart. One and a half million women employees had brought a class action suit in which they accused Wal-Mart of paying women less and giving them fewer promotions¹⁴. Here's Paul Adams.

在法庭受理的最大规模的性别歧视案中，美国最高法庭裁决支持零售巨头沃尔玛。150万名女性雇员提起集体诉讼，指控沃尔玛为女性员工提供的薪资和升职机会都少于男性。Paul Adams报道。

The court's ruling was all about what constitutes a class action suit, and here all nine justices agreed that this was a flawed case. The court concluded that it was simply not possible to lump together up to 1.5 million employees at 3,400 stores. Evidence of a general policy of discrimination was, in the words of Justice Antonin Scalia, "entirely¹⁵ absent". But that doesn't mean the court found no evidence of discrimination. The four most liberal justices, three of them women, wrote that Wal-Mart's predominantly male managers were steeped in a corporate¹⁶ culture that perpetuates¹⁷ gender¹⁸ stereotypes¹⁹.

法庭裁决是完全关于构成集体诉讼的因素。九名大法官一致认同，这是有缺陷的案件。法庭得出结论，他们不可能召集沃尔玛3,400个店铺接近150万名女雇员。用大法官Antonin Scalia的话说，总体政策存在性别歧视的证据“完全不存在”。但是这并不意味着法庭没有发现关于性别歧视的任何证据。四名自由主义法官，其中三名是女性，写到，沃尔玛的经理由男性主宰，在这样的公司文化中，这种性别组成结构一直存在。

The vice²⁰ president of football's world governing body Fifa has resigned. Jack²¹ Warner was suspended last month over allegations of bribery²², but Fifa said those had now been dropped. Mr Warner was being investigated over a cash-for-votes scandal. Another Fifa executive committee member, Mohamed Bin Hammam, was also implicated²³. Fifa said Mr Warner had left of his own volition²⁴.

国际足联副主席杰克·华纳(Jack Warner)宣布辞职。上月，由于面临受贿指控，杰克·华纳(Jack Warner)被停职。但是国际足联表示，该决定现在已经终止。华纳因为收买选票丑闻接受了调查。国际足联另外一名执行委员哈曼(Mohamed Bin Hammam)也牵涉其中。国际足联表示，华纳意志力薄弱，被金钱收买。

A new report on the state of the world's oceans warns marine²⁵ life is likely to go extinct at a rate unprecedented²⁶ in human history. The study by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean concludes that the world's waters are in a poorer shape than had been imagined. Coral reef specialist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg was one of the experts involved in the report.

关于世界海洋状况的新的报告警告称，海洋生命可能正在以人类历史上前所未有的速度灭绝。国际海洋状态研究项目的出结论，世界水域的状况比想象的更加糟糕。 珊瑚礁专家Ove Hoegh-Guldberg是撰写该报告的其中一位专家。

"The rate of change is vastly exceeding what we were expecting even a couple of years ago. So if you look at almost everything, whether it's fisheries in temperate²⁷ zones or coral reefs or Arctic sea ice, all of this is undergoing changes, but at a much faster rate than we had thought."

“海洋生命发生变化的速度远远超过几年前的预期。所以，你看一下，几乎所有的生命，无论是暖温带的鱼类还是极地的珊瑚礁，这一切都在发生变化，而且变化的速度远远超出我们的想象。”

1 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》

2 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。

3 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

6 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

7 confession   

n.自白，供认，承认

参考例句：

• Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
• The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。

8 confessions   

n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔

参考例句：

• It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 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。

11 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 retailing   

n.零售业v.零售(retail的现在分词)

参考例句：

• career opportunities in retailing 零售业的职业机会
• He is fond of retailing the news. 他喜欢传播消息。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 promotions   

促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传

参考例句：

• All services or promotions must have an appeal and wide application. 所有服务或促销工作都必须具有吸引力和广泛的适用性。
• He promptly directed the highest promotions and decorations for General MacArthur. 他授予麦克阿瑟将军以最高的官阶和勋奖。

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

16 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

17 perpetuates   

n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续

参考例句：

• Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem. 媒体大量地报道这些事件只会使问题持续下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Lack of water perpetuates poverty, increases the risk of political instability, and affects global prosperity. 水资源短缺导致贫穷，使政局不稳，且影响全球的繁荣。 来自互联网

18 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

19 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

21 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

22 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

23 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 volition   

n.意志；决意

参考例句：

• We like to think that everything we do and everything we think is a product of our volition.我们常常认为我们所做和所想的一切都出自自己的意愿。
• Makin said Mr Coombes had gone to the police of his own volition.梅金说库姆斯先生是主动去投案的。

25 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

26 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。

27 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。