英语听力精选进阶版 7530

Three bombs have gone off in India's main commercial city Mumbai, killing¹ at least 20 people and injuring more than 100. From Mumbai, here's Rajini Vaidyanathan.

The bombs went off at a busy time of day - 7:00pm in the evening rush hour - at three very busy locations here in Mumbai. One was a car bomb in the Dadar area. Witnesses there described seeing bus-stops, shop fronts and vehicles blown apart by the force. Another explosion was in the busy jewellery district in the south of the city, which is usually crammed² with shoppers and traders. India's Home Minister P Chidambaram described the explosions as "a coordinated³ attack by terrorists". The entire city has been put on a state of high alert.

Mumbai has seen a number of bombings in recent years, including coordinated attacks by Islamic extremists in 2008, in which more than 150 people died.

Rupert Murdoch's media group News Corp has withdrawn⁴ its controversial bid for a full takeover of the British broadcaster BSkyB. The company said the present mood was not conducive⁵ to the bid. In a parliamentary debate after the announcement, MPs vied with each other to denounce Mr Murdoch. Allegations of phone hacking⁶ have enraged⁷ public opinion and led to the closure of the most compromised Murdoch newspaper, the News of the World. Here's Tom Esslemont.

With the phone hacking scandal engulfing⁸ Rupert Murdoch's media empire, it had become almost inconceivable that the bid would go ahead. In a short statement, News Corp said that it was now clear it had become too difficult to progress in this climate. The news came just two hours after the British Prime Minister David Cameron gave his own damning response to the scandal, calling on Rupert Murdoch to stop thinking about the bid to buy out BSkyB and focus instead on putting his own house in order.

The Egyptian government says more than 600 senior police officers are being removed from their jobs. Their dismissal has been a key demand of protesters, who believe the officers were involved in the killing of hundreds of people during the uprising against Hosni Mubarak earlier this year. From Cairo, Jon Leyne reports.

With protests in Tahrir Square being stepped up daily, the interior ministry⁹ has announced a major purge¹⁰ of officers. Five hundred and five generals and 160 other officers are to end their service. According to the interior minister, 18 of the generals are accused of having a role in the killing of protesters during the revolution earlier this year. It's not been specified¹¹ whether the officers are being sacked or just retired¹² early.

A woman in Bahrain who was jailed for reciting poems criticising the king and prime minister during anti-government demonstrations¹³ has been released from prison. Ayat al-Qurmezi was sentenced last month to a year in jail for anti-state crimes. At least 32 people have died during five months of protests demanding government reform in Bahrain.

World News from the BBC

The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has acknowledged that he'll need further treatment for cancer. In his most frank comment so far, Mr Chavez said he may need to undergo radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Mr Chavez is expected to run for re-election for a fourth term next year. But correspondents say the prospect¹⁴ of long-term medical treatment could undermine his ability to govern Venezuela.

Meanwhile, police in Venezuela have regained¹⁵ control of a prison east of the capital Caracas after a 27-day-long uprising, in which at least 25 people were killed. The Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami said that more than 800 inmates¹⁶ of the El Rodeo prison had given up their weapons. He said the prisoners surrendered after being given guarantees that their human rights would be respected.

The United Nations Security Council has formally recommended that South Sudan should join the United Nations. However, there are still major concerns over the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei and the simmering conflict in South Kordofan. From New York, here's Barbara Plett.

There is a sense in the Security Council that a milestone¹⁷ has been reached. Since 2005, the UN has monitored the agreement that ended the civil war between north and south, and it oversaw¹⁸ the referendum that led to the south's secession. Bestowing¹⁹ UN membership on the new nation should be a formality, starting with the council's recommendation and ending the next day with the endorsement²⁰ of the 192 UN member states. But many look to the future with apprehension²¹ because in the past few weeks, the two sides have come closer to war than at any time in the past five years over the disputed region of Abyei.

The international ratings agency Fitch has downgraded Greece's credit status, saying the country lacks a fully-funded and credible²² financial programme. The agency gave Greek bonds a CCC rating, or junk status, which implies a higher risk of a default on its debts. The development came as the International Monetary²³ Fund urged Greece to move faster on reforms and to control spending.

1 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。

2 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

3 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

5 conducive   

adj.有益的，有助的

参考例句：

• This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
• Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。

6 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

7 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

8 engulfing   

adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house darkness. 一位摄影师把电灯的保险丝烧断了，使整栋房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A professional photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house in darkness. 一位职业摄影师把保险丝烧断了使整所房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

11 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

13 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。

14 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

15 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

16 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

18 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

19 bestowing   

砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖

参考例句：

• Apollo, you see, is bestowing the razor on the Triptolemus of our craft. 你瞧，阿波罗正在把剃刀赠给我们这项手艺的特里泼托勒默斯。
• What thanks do we not owe to Heaven for thus bestowing tranquillity, health and competence! 我们要谢谢上苍，赐我们的安乐、健康和饱暖。

20 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

21 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

22 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？

23 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。