英语听力精选进阶版 7529

After days of unprecedented¹ pressure on Rupert Murdoch over alleged² malpractices by some of his journalists, the British parliament is to discuss a call for him to withdraw his News Corporation's bid for the major satellite broadcaster BSkyB. The British government has already said it'll back a motion demanding an end to Mr Murdoch's bid. The motion has been put forward by the opposition³ Labour Party, whose leader is Ed Miliband.

由于一些记者的不良行为导致默多克连续几天遭遇前所未有的压力之后，英国议会将讨论要求默多克的新闻集团撤回收购主要卫星广播BSkyB的投标。英国政府已经表示，他们将支持要求默多克终止竞标的提议。该提议由米利班德领导的反对派工党提出。

"The public would not think it credible⁴ that Rupert Murdoch's bid for BSkyB could go ahead while a criminal investigation⁵ is going on. That's why we are tabling a motion to call on Mr Murdoch to withdraw his bid for BSkyB."

“公众认为，在进行刑事调查的时候，默多克的新闻集团不应该竞标收购BSkyB。这就是我们提议默多克撤回收购BSkyB的投标的原因。”

A BBC political correspondent says government support for the motion will make it very hard for Mr Murdoch to continue with his plan to take over BSkyB, which is Britain's richest broadcaster.

BBC一名政治新闻记者表示，政府对该提议的支持将会使默多克继续收购英国最富有的广播BSkyB的计划举步维艰。

It's been a volatile⁶ day on Europe's financial markets. They were reacting to fears that the economic problems in Greece could spread to larger economies. From Brussels, Chris Morris reports.

对欧洲的金融市场来说，这是不稳定的一天。由于担忧希腊的经济问题会蔓延到更大的经济体，他们作出了反应。布鲁塞尔，Chris Morris报道。

The risk of contagion⁷ - the eurozone debt crisis spreading to a large economy like Italy - was described by one official here as the doomsday scenario⁸. Italy is too big to bail⁹ out. So as Italian borrowing costs have risen and Italian stocks have fallen over the last few days, pressure for decisive action on a second financial bailout for Greece has increased dramatically. And that means ideas which had been rejected as politically untenable are now up for discussion again. One of them is a selective default in Greece, meaning some bond holders¹⁰, including banks and other private institutions, wouldn't get all their money back.

欧元区债务危机蔓延到意大利等更大经济体的风险被一名官员描述为世界末日。意大利整个经济体非常庞大，根本不可能进行救助。所以，过去几天，随着意大利的借款成本上升，意大利股市开始下跌，要求采取果断措施对希腊进行第二次救助的压力急剧上涨。所以，这意味着过去曾经因为政治方面不能维持而被拒绝的提议现在重新被考虑。其中一个可能性就是希腊选择性的拖欠债务，这意味着其中一些债券所有者，包括银行和其他私人机构不可能将自己借出的钱收回。

The Nigerian authorities have closed a university in the northern city of Maiduguri because of continued attacks in the region by the Islamist sect¹¹ Boko Haram. There are reports that the sect, which is opposed to Western education, threatened to attack the university, but the sect has denied this. Students are packing up and joining thousands of other people fleeing the area, as Jonah Fisher reports.

由于伊斯兰宗派组织Boko Haram连续发动袭击，尼日利亚当局关闭了北部城市迈杜古里一所大学。有报道称，该组织反对西方教育，威胁将袭击这所大学。但是该组织对此予以否认。学生们已经收拾行李，加入其他千百万人的行列，逃离该地区。Jonah Fisher报道。

Motorbikes have been banned; the university has closed, and each day in Maiduguri brings reports of new clashes between the military and Islamists from Boko Haram. Tuesday was no different; at least three people died after an improvised¹² bomb targeted a patrol and a shoot-out followed. But there's no need to panic, the military force sent to restore order says. In a statement, they assured people of their security, told them to stay and said there would be no hiding place for Boko Haram militants¹³.

摩托车被禁止，大学被关闭，迈杜古里每一天都报道军方和Boko Haram伊斯兰分子之间发生新的冲突。周二也完全一样，一枚简易炸弹袭击了一支巡逻队，后来又发生了枪击事件，造成至少3人死亡。但是派往该地区重建秩序的军队表示没有必要恐慌。在一份声明中，他们保证确保民众的安全，告诉他们留下来，称Boko Haram分子将没有藏身之处。

The United States has promised to work with the authorities in Afghanistan as they investigate the murder of a half-brother of President Hamid Karzai. A White House spokesman said Washington condemned¹⁴ the killing¹⁵ of Ahmad Wali Karzai, who was shot dead by his long-serving head of security. He was regarded as one of the country's most powerful men.

美国承诺将与阿富汗当局一起调查总统卡尔扎伊同父异母的弟弟被谋杀一案。白宫一名发言人表示，华盛顿对艾哈迈德·瓦利·卡尔扎伊被杀提出谴责。他是在家中被服务时间很长的安全力量领导人枪杀的。艾哈迈德·瓦利·卡尔扎伊被认为是阿富汗最有权势的人之一。

World News from the BBC

The United Nations Security Council has condemned in the strongest terms Monday's attacks by Syrian government supporters on the French and American embassies in Damascus. The council said Syria was under an obligation to protect diplomatic property and staff. The attacks followed visits last Friday by the two countries' ambassadors to the city of Hama, a major centre of protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

联合国安理会以最强烈的言辞谴责叙利亚政府支持者对法国和美国驻大马士革大使馆发动的袭击。安理会表示，叙利亚有义务保护外交财产和外交人员。这几次袭击是由于上周五，美国和法国大使访问了哈马市，这里是反对阿萨德总统的抗议活动的中心。

Thousands of people have held further protests in Cairo despite a warning from Egypt's governing military council against harming public interests. Activists¹⁶ are demanding faster political reform, but the military has said parliamentary elections may have to be postponed¹⁷. More from Jon Leyne in Cairo.

数千人仍然在开罗举行抗议活动，尽管埃及执政的军方委员会警告大家不要危害公共利益。活动积极分子要求加快政治变革的速度，但是军方表示，议会选举可能会被推迟。Jon Leyne在开罗报道更详细内容。

The situation in Egypt appears to be building towards a new confrontation¹⁸, this time between protesters and the military. During the day, demonstrators in Tahrir Square fought off an attack by plain-clothes thugs, an ominous¹⁹ echo of events during the revolution earlier this year. The military have conceded for the first time that parliamentary elections due to be held in September might be delayed. They now say only that the election procedures will begin in September without explaining further. That in turn means the timetable for the presidential election and full handover to civilian²⁰ rule could also be delayed.

埃及的形势似乎即将导致新的对抗，这次是在抗议者和军方之间。当天，解放广场的示威者击退了身穿便装的杀手的袭击，这是今年年初革命期间发生的不幸再次上演的前兆。军方首次承认原定于九月份举行的议会选举可能会被推迟。他们现在只是说选举程序将于九月份开始，但是没有进一步作出说明。这意味着总统选举和将执政权利重新移交给平民的时间表也被推迟。

Thousands of Greek Cypriots have marched on the presidential palace in Nicosia to protest over the deaths of 12 people in an explosion at a munitions²¹ dump. Police fired tear gas to disperse²² the demonstrators. They blame government negligence²³ for the blast at a naval²⁴ base in southern Cyprus on Monday.

数千名塞浦路斯的希腊族人在尼科西亚总统府前游行，对一个弹药堆放场所爆炸引发12人死亡的事故提出抗议。警方施放催泪弹来驱散示威者。他们谴责政府漠视周一塞浦路斯南部一个海军基地发生的爆炸事件。

Police in Guatemala have arrested two men in connection with the killing of the Argentine singer Facundo Cabral on Saturday. Facundo Cabral, one of Latin America's most respected folk singers, was being driven to the airport in Guatemala City when his car was ambushed²⁵.

周六，危地马拉警方逮捕了与阿根廷歌手法昆多·卡布拉(Facundo Cabral)被杀有关的两名男子。法昆多·卡布拉(Facundo Cabral)是阿根廷最受尊敬的民谣歌手之一，在乘车前往危地马拉城机场的途中遭遇伏击。

1 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。

2 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

3 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。

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 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。

6 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

7 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

8 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

9 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。

10 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

11 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

12 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

13 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

14 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。

15 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

16 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》

17 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

18 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

19 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

20 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

21 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

22 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

23 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

24 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

25 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》