英语听力精选进阶版 7655

Demonstrators across Russia have called for a rerun of last weekend's parliamentary elections, which were officially won by the party of the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The biggest protest was in Moscow, where about 50,000 people gathered on a square. Many waved flags and carried white carnations¹. From Moscow, Steve Rosenberg reports.

Not since the fall of the Soviet² Union have so many Russians taken to the streets to take on their leader. In the middle ages, Bolotnaya Square was a place for executing criminals. Today tens of thousands of Muscovites came here to accuse the authorities of committing a crime: stealing their votes. They demanded a rerun of the parliamentary election and the resignation of Vladimir Putin. It was a diverse crowd: there were communists, ultra-nationalists and Western-leaning Russian liberals. But for today at least, they were united in their condemnation³ of government.

The South Africa[n] government, which is hosting a United Nations climate change conference, says agreement has been reached on many key issues. However, the South African draft text does not specify⁴ a legally binding⁵ deal. From Durban, here's Richard Black.

Ministers spent about four hours locked in a small crowded room, aiming to find common ground. According to the South African host government, they did it. But others are not so sure. The EU and many countries that are vulnerable to climate change have been fighting for a road map leading to a new legally binding global agreement as soon as possible. Sources indicate that the South African draft text does not specify a legally binding deal and envisages⁶ the agreement coming into force only after 2020. That's far too late for small island nations in the Pacific and Caribbean who fear inundation⁷ by rising seas.

There are reports from Peru that the Prime Minister Salomon Lerner has offered his resignation. Mr Lerner had been the campaign manager to the President Ollanta Humala, who took office in July. He was recently involved in a failed attempt to negotiate an end to protests that have stalled Peru's biggest foreign investment - the Conga gold mining project.

Hundreds of supporters of the former leader of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, have staged a protest outside the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Protesters complained about the former president's transfer to the court last month.

"We are here to tell Gbagbo that his people are with him. We are here for him, and we'll be coming here. I'm telling you (as) so far as they (would) maintain him here, we'll be coming here."

Mr Gbagbo faces charges of crimes against humanity in connection with post-election violence.

World News from the BBC

Zimbabwe's 87-year-old President Robert Mugabe says it will be an act of cowardice⁸ for him to retire ahead of elections expected to be held next year. Closing his party's annual conference, Mr Mugabe condemned⁹ the current power-sharing government as a "monster" which should be buried. The conference passed resolutions endorsing¹⁰ Mr Mugabe as its presidential candidate in spite of reports that he is suffering ill health.

Police in the Congolese capital Kinshasa say they've shot dead four people since the disputed results of the presidential election were announced on Friday. The opposition¹¹ leader Etienne Tshisekedi has refused to accept the official results, which gave a clear victory to President Joseph Kabila. From Kinshasa, here's Thomas Hubert.

Sporadic¹² gunfire continued to echo around the capital Kinshasa and in the central city of Mbuji-Mayi on Saturday. In both cities, voting for the opposition was strong, and many people here say they feel the election result has been manipulated. Amid strewn rocks, broken glass and burnt-out tyres, angry residents of a Kinshasa suburb accused the security forces of attacking them, killing¹³ young men and looting homes and shops. The police chief has said the situation in Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi is under control, but he has acknowledged that since the election result was announced, his men have shot four people dead in Kinshasa.

Syrian activists¹⁴ say at least 12 people have been killed by the security forces. France has said the Syrian people must be saved and has voiced concern that government forces are about to attack the city of Homs - a major centre of opposition to President Assad.

A lunar eclipse, which occurs when the Earth casts a shadow over the Moon, has been visible in parts of the world. Sky-watchers in Australia, Asia and North America witnessed the spectacle, which is the last lunar eclipse to take place till 2014. In places, indirect sunlight illuminated¹⁵ the Moon, turning it a dramatic shade of red.

1 carnations   

n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You should also include some carnations to emphasize your underlying meaning.\" 另外要配上石竹花来加重这涵意的力量。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Five men per ha. were required for rose production, 6 or 7 men for carnations. 种植玫瑰每公顷需5个男劳力，香石竹需6、7个男劳力。 来自辞典例句

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

4 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

5 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

6 envisages   

想像，设想( envisage的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The board envisages that there will be a high profit. 董事会预期将会获得高额利润。
• The paper reviews and envisages the development trend of carbon electrode. 本文对炭电极的发展方向做了回顾与展望。

7 inundation   

n.the act or fact of overflowing

参考例句：

• Otherwise, inundation would ensue to our dismay. 若不疏导，只能眼巴巴看着它泛滥。
• Therefore this psychology preceded the inundation of Caudillo politics after independence. 在独立后，这一心态助长了考迪罗主义的泛滥。

8 cowardice   

n.胆小，怯懦

参考例句：

• His cowardice reflects on his character.他的胆怯对他的性格带来不良影响。
• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice.他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。

9 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。

10 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

11 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。

12 sporadic   

adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的

参考例句：

• The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
• You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。

13 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。

14 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》

15 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市