英语听力精选进阶版 7605

The man accused of trying to blow up an airliner¹ over the American city of Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009 has dramatically changed all his pleas to guilty. Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is facing charges of trying to kill the 300 people on board the Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam. Jonny Dymond reports.

2009年圣诞节，一名男子因试图炸毁飞行在底特律上空的飞机被指控，嫌疑人奥马尔·法鲁克·阿卜杜勒－穆塔拉布目前令人意外地对起诉他的全部罪名供认不讳。他因试图杀害300名乘坐西北航空公司航班从阿姆斯特丹起飞的乘客被起诉。Jonny Dymond报道。

After a 45-minute recess² at the start of proceedings³, US District Judge Nancy Edmunds asked Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab if he wanted to plead guilty and waive⁴ his right to a trial. "That's right," he replied. Then each charge was read out to him. Standing⁵ in front of the judge, flanked by the defence and prosecution⁶ lawyers, he replied to each one "I plead guilty." In a statement to the court, Abdulmutallab said his attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was a religious obligation driven by what he called US attacks upon Muslims.

审讯开始后休庭了45分钟，美国地区法官南希·埃德蒙审问奥马尔·法鲁克·阿卜杜勒－穆塔拉布是否服罪，放弃审判，奥马尔说“好吧”，然后法官公布对他的全部指控。奥马尔站在法官面前，两边分别是辩护律师和控方律师，他对每项指控都回答“我服罪”。阿卜杜勒－穆塔拉布在法庭陈词中说，轰炸西北航空253航班是一项宗教使命，是被所谓美国对穆斯林的打击所逼的。

The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described an alleged⁷ Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US as a dangerous escalation⁸ of Iran's sponsorship of terrorism. Speaking earlier at a conference in London, Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former Saudi ambassador to the US, said the plot was criminal.

美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿认为伊朗杀害美国驻沙特大使的阴谋是伊朗对恐怖主义支持的危险升级。沙特王子Turki al-Faisal曾是沙特驻美国大使，他早些时候在伦敦的一次会议上表示，这个阴谋是犯罪行为。

"This has been a case that has been followed from the very beginning by authorities in various countries. The amount of evidence on the case is overwhelming and clearly shows official Iranian responsibility for it. This is unacceptable."

“这起事件一发生就受到各国当局的持续关注，案件有关证据确凿清楚，伊朗官方对此负有责任，这是难以接受的。”

Earlier, Iran's foreign minister warned the US against confrontation⁹ over the accusations¹⁰. The US has charged two Iranians and imposed sanctions against senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and an Iranian airline.

早些时候，伊朗外长就指控对美国进行警告。美国已对两名伊朗人进行指控，对伊朗革命卫队高级官员和一架伊朗飞机采取制裁。

A UK-based oil company has strenuously¹¹ denied allegations made in Ugandan parliament that it had offered financial inducements to government ministers there to facilitate contracts. The chief executive of Tullow Oil, Aidan Heavey, told the BBC that forged documents, which he said had been investigated a year ago and proved to be false, have been presented in Uganda's parliament to taint¹² a firm that had invested billions of dollars in the country. Earlier, Ugandan MPs voted unanimously to call on three senior government ministers, including the prime minister, to be suspended.

在乌干达国会，英国一家石油公司极力否认对自己的指控，指控声称该公司贿赂政府部长，以获取合同便利。图洛石油公司总裁艾丹·希维告诉BBC，一年前调查的伪造文件已经证明为假，是给这个对该国投资了数亿美国的公司泼脏水，文件已递交至乌干达国会。早些时候，乌干达国会一致同意将包括总理在内的三名政府高级部长停职。

Lawyers representing Michael Jackson's doctor say they are dropping their claim that the singer caused his own death. From Los Angeles, Peter Bowes.

迈克尔·杰克逊医生的律师表示，将收回杰克逊自己服下致命剂量麻醉药物的说法。Peter Bowes在洛杉矶报道。

According to the defence, a study they commissioned has shown that any effect from swallowing the anaesthetic propofol would be trivial. Doctor Murray's legal team had previously¹³ claimed that Michael Jackson killed himself by ingesting the drug while his doctor was out of the room. A latest witness, a cardiologist who reviewed Doctor Murray's care of Michael Jackson, has told the court the physician made six extreme deviations¹⁴ from the expected standard of care. Doctor Murray denies a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

据辩护律师说，他们的研究表明，吞服异丙酚几乎没有什么影响。默里医生的律师团队之前声称迈克尔·杰克逊是自行吞下药物而死，当时医生不在房间。最后的见证者是一名心脏病医生，他回忆了默里对杰克逊的治疗，他在法庭上说，相较于通常采用的护理标准，默里存在6项严重“偏差”。默里医生否认犯有过失杀人罪。

BBC News

A Syrian-born American man has been charged in the United States with spying for Syria. The US Justice Department said Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid had gathered information on people protesting in America against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. He was allegedly directed by Syrian intelligence agencies to collect video and audio recordings¹⁵, phone numbers and emails. Many Syrians abroad have complained of systematic¹⁶ harassment¹⁷ by agents of the Syrian government.

一名叙利亚出生的美国人在美国因涉嫌为叙利亚刺探情报被指控，美国司法部声称，Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid收集了有关美国人抗议总统巴沙尔·阿萨德统治的情报。他被指控直接受叙利亚情报部门指示，收集视频和音频资料，电话号码和电子邮件。许多在国外的叙利亚人都抱怨不断受到叙利亚政府机构的骚扰。

The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has set out a plan for tackling the crisis in the eurozone. He said it was time to remove doubts about whether the EU could cope. Part of the plan will be to strengthen banks against losses on loans to Greece, which is at risk of default. Mr Barroso said struggling banks must improve their capital reserves, or he said they should face a ban on paying dividends¹⁸ or bonuses.

欧盟委员会主席约瑟·曼纽尔·巴罗索已制定计划解决欧元区危机，他说此时应摈弃欧盟是否能对付的疑问，计划中的一项，便是减少银行因希腊债务造成的损失，这些债务面临违约的危险。巴罗索说，处于困境的银行必须提高资本储备能力，或许将被取缔支付股息或红利的权力。

Scientists have reconstructed the entire genetic¹⁹ map of the germ that caused the Black Death, the bubonic plague that has killed millions in the 14th century. Matt McGrath has the details.

科学家复原出黑死病菌的全部基因图谱，14世纪，数以百万的人死于这种腺鼠疫。Matt McGrath报道。

Humans have rarely encountered an enemy as devastating²⁰ as the bacterium²¹ Yersinia pestis. Between 1347 and 1351, it sparked the Black Death, an infection carried by fleas²² that spread rapidly across Europe, killing²³ around 50 million people. Now scientists have uncovered some of the genetic secrets of the plague thanks to DNA²⁴ fragments drilled from the teeth of victims buried in a graveyard²⁵ in east London. The researchers say that all current strains circulating in the world are directly related to the medieval bacterium.

除了鼠疫耶尔森氏杆菌，人们还几乎没遭遇更具毁灭性的敌人。1347到1351年，这种病菌引发了黑死病，跳蚤携带这种病菌很快传遍了欧洲，5000人死亡。如今，在英国东部黑死病死者墓穴中，科学家从死者牙齿中发现DNA破片。研究人员说，现代世界上所有瘟疫病菌都直接与中世纪黑死病菌有直接关系。

Masked thieves have stolen an invaluable²⁶ Christian²⁷ relic²⁸ from an ancient monastery²⁹ in the south of the Irish Republic. The relic, said to be part of the cross on which Jesus died, was kept in a gold and bronze case in the shape of a cross. A local priest appealed to the thieves to return the relic, which he said had an immeasurable religious and emotional value.

蒙面盗贼进入爱尔兰共和国南部的一个古老修道院，盗取价值连城的基督教文物一件，据说这是耶稣死时所用十字架的一部分，被保存在一个金铜铸造的十字架型盒子里，一位当地牧师要求盗贼返还文物，他说此物具有极重要的宗教和情感价值。

1 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

2 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

3 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

4 waive   

vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等)

参考例句：

• I'll record to our habitat office waive our claim immediately.我立即写信给咱们的总公司提出放弃索赔。
• In view of the unusual circumstances,they agree to waive their requirement.鉴于特殊情况，他们同意放弃他们的要求。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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

8 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

11 strenuously   

adv.奋发地，费力地

参考例句：

• The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. 公司竭力为其裁员的决定辩护。
• She denied the accusation with some warmth, ie strenuously, forcefully. 她有些激动，竭力否认这一指责。

12 taint   

n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染

参考例句：

• Everything possible should be done to free them from the economic taint.应尽可能把他们从经济的腐蚀中解脱出来。
• Moral taint has spread among young people.道德的败坏在年轻人之间蔓延。

13 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

14 deviations   

背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为

参考例句：

• Local deviations depend strongly on the local geometry of the solid matrix. 局部偏离严格地依赖于固体矩阵的局部几何形状。
• They were a series of tactical day-to-day deviations from White House policy. 它们是一系列策略上一天天摆脱白宫政策的偏向。

15 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

16 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

17 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

18 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

19 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

20 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

21 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

22 fleas   

n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求）

参考例句：

• The dog has fleas. 这条狗有跳蚤。
• Nothing must be done hastily but killing of fleas. 除非要捉跳蚤，做事不可匆忙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 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。

24 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

25 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

26 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

27 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

28 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

29 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。