英语听力精选进阶版 7518

The former head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been released from house arrest in New York, where he's been facing allegations of attempting to rape¹ a hotel maid. The judge said the case against him was not closed, but he released him without bail². Mr Strauss-Kahn's release follows reports that the prosecution³ had new doubts about the maid's credibility as a witness. But the alleged⁴ victim's lawyer Kenneth Thompson said his client stood by her account.

IMF前总裁卡恩从纽约的软禁中获释。他面临试图强奸酒店一名女服务员的指控。法官表示，该案件并没有结束，但是在不需保释的情况下将其释放。卡恩获释是由于检方对女服务员的可信性提出了新的疑点。但是受害人的律师Kenneth Thompson表示，他的当事人坚持自己的陈述。

"We believe that the district attorney is laying a foundation to dismiss this case. Anyone can see that. They agreed to let Dominique Strauss-Kahn freely roam the streets of New York City or any other city in the United States, knowing full well that the victim to this very day maintains that he sexually assaulted her in that room, knowing very well to this very day that the forensic⁵ evidence shows that."

“我们相信地区律师试图提出证据将该案件驳回。任何人都能看到这一点。在知道受害人坚持称卡恩对他实施了性侵犯行为，在了解所有法医证据支持这一点的情况下，他们仍然赞同卡恩在纽约或者美国任何一个城市的街头自由活动。”

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Syria in some of the biggest demonstrations⁶ yet against President Bashar al-Assad. Activists⁷ say at least 10 people were shot dead by the security forces across the country. Owen Bennett-Jones reports from neighbouring Lebanon.

叙利亚全国各地数万人走向街头，发起反对总统阿萨德的最大规模的示威活动。活动积极分子表示，全国至少有10人被安全力量击毙。Owen Bennett-Jones在邻国黎巴嫩报道。

The stalemate in Syria continues. Reports from the country say there were large protests after Friday prayers with a particularly big gathering⁸ in the city of Hama, where the authorities were reported to have reduced their security presence in recent days. But in some other places, the Syrian state is still using force to impose its writ⁹. Opposition¹⁰ activists say that in just two days, at least 14 people have been killed in the northwest of the country.

叙利亚的僵局仍然持续着。来自叙利亚的报道称，周五的祈祷过后发生了大规模的抗议活动，哈马市举行了大型集会，据报道，最近几天官方减少了安全力量的人数。但是在其他一些地方，叙利亚仍然在使用武力强行执行命令。反对派活动积极分子表示，仅仅在两天之内，国家西北部至少14人被杀害。

Russia says it's planning to create two specialist army brigades to be stationed in the Arctic, where large oil and gas reserves are thought to be lying under the ocean. The defence ministry¹¹ announcement came a day after the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia would strongly defend its interests in the region.

俄罗斯称计划组建两个专家军团进驻北极。据称，北极海底含有丰富的石油和天然气储备。国防部宣布该决定一天之前，总理普京表示，俄罗斯将强力保卫自己在该地区的利益。

"I would like to emphasise¹² that Russia certainly intends to expand its presence in the Arctic. We're open for dialogue with our foreign partners, with all our neighbours in the Arctic region. But of course we shall protect our own geopolitical interests firmly and consistently."

“我要强调的是，俄罗斯计划增加驻北极的人数。我们将与国外合作者，与北极地区所有盟国展开对话。但是当然，我们将坚定地保护我们的地理政治利益。”

The authorities in Cuba have released more details of their plans to allow people to buy and sell their cars and homes for the first time in 50 years. The new laws will open up a private property market and enable Cubans to buy any car they can afford. Private property has been severely¹³ restricted since the communist revolution in 1959.

古巴当局更详细地披露了允许民众购买和出售汽车和房屋的计划。这在50年来还是首次。新的法律将开创一个私有财产交易市场，允许古巴人购买任何可以支付的起的汽车。自1959年古巴共产主义革命以来，私有财产是受到严厉禁止的。

Officials in Colombia say one of the main witnesses in a court case investigating politicians' links to right-wing paramilitaries has been killed. Luis Eduardo Gomez, a journalist, was shot dead by gunmen in his home in Arboletes, in the northwest. He's the second witness in the case to be killed this week.

哥伦比亚官员表示，调查政客与右翼预备役之间关系的案件的主要目击者被杀害。新闻记者Luis Eduardo Gomez在西北部阿沃莱特斯的家中被一名枪手枪杀。他是本周内第二名被杀害的目击者。

World News from the BBC

The new American Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says he'll make sure the United States military remains¹⁴ the "strongest" in the world, despite pressure on its budget. He made the comment shortly after being sworn in. From Washington, Paul Adams.

美国新任国防部长帕内特(Leon Panetta)表示，他将确保美国的军队是世界上最强大的，尽管国防部面临预算压力。就任国防部长之后不久，他发表了这番讲话。Paul Adams在华盛顿报道。

This week has seen a changing of the guard across Washington's security establishment and a rare example of bipartisan agreement. With barely a murmur¹⁵ of dissent¹⁶, Leon Panetta has taken over at the Pentagon, and General David Petraeus has stepped into his shoes at the CIA. The outgoing Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who's served President Obama and his predecessor¹⁷ George Bush, leaves office amid near universal praise.

本周，华盛顿安全机构更换人员，而且两党罕见地达成了一致。在几乎没有任何异议的情况下，帕内特接管了五角大楼，彼得雷乌斯将军接管他的职位，担任中央情报局局长。国防部长罗伯特·盖茨曾经在奥巴马总统和布什总统任期内任职，在普遍的赞誉声中离职。

At least two people have been killed after clashes broke out at a huge camp for Somali refugees in northeastern Kenya. The UN refugee agency says dozens more were injured after police used tear gas and live ammunition¹⁸ to clear some illegal structures at the camp at Dadaab on Thursday.

肯尼亚东北部一个巨大的索马里难民营爆发冲突，造成至少2人死亡。联合国难民机构表示，周四，警方使用催泪弹和实弹拆除达达阿布(Dadaab)的一些非法建筑，造成几十人受伤。

An Italian engineering firm has sacked half of its workforce¹⁹, but all the 13 people made redundant²⁰ were women. The decision has been criticised, as Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome.

意大利一家工程公司解雇了一半的工作人员，但是被解雇的所有13人都是女性。该决定受到了批评。Duncan Kennedy在罗马报道。

Ma-Vib, which is based near Milan, is a family-owned business making electric fans and heating equipment. The company reportedly justified²¹ its decision by saying it was making only women redundant so they can stay at home and look after children and because what they bring in is a second income. One of Italy's biggest unions condemned²² the move, saying it represented what it called the same old thinking about women's role in society. In a statement, the company told the BBC it didn't discriminate²³ against women, but that the firm was going through a bad time, and that the area worst affected²⁴ was where women worked.

位于米兰的Ma-Vib是一家家族式的制造电风扇和加热设备的公司。据报道，该公司称他们解雇这些女员工的理由是可以让他们待在家中照顾孩子，可以赚取第二份收入。意大利最大的工会谴责了该行为，称这代表了对女性在社会中的角色的传统看法。在声明中，该公司告诉BBC，他们并不歧视任何女性，但是公司正面临艰难的境地，而受影响最严重的就是女性工作的领域。

The defending champion Rafael Nadal will play the Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic in the men's final at Wimbledon. Nadal beat Britain's Andy Murray in four sets in his semi-final.

在温布尔登男子单打网球决赛中，卫冕冠军纳达尔将对阵塞尔维亚网球明星德约科维奇。在半决赛中，纳达尔在四局中战胜了英国选手安迪·穆雷。

1 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

2 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

3 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

4 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

5 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

6 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。

7 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》

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 writ   

n.命令状，书面命令

参考例句：

• This is a copy of a writ I received this morning.这是今早我收到的书面命令副本。
• You shouldn't treat the newspapers as if they were Holy Writ. 你不应该把报上说的话奉若神明。

10 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。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 emphasise   

vt.加强...的语气，强调，着重

参考例句：

• What special feature do you think I should emphasise? 你认为我该强调什么呢？
• The exercises heavily emphasise the required readings.练习非常强调必须的阅读。

13 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

14 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。

15 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

16 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

17 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

18 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

19 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

20 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

21 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

22 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

23 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

24 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。