英语听力精选进阶版 7686

The Syrian government has continued major assaults against opposition¹ strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus and other cities like Homs and Hama with at least 40 people reported to have been killed today. Meanwhile, the White House said discussions were continuing with Russia since Moscow still says it will veto any United Nations Security Council resolution calling on President Assad to step down. From Washington, Paul Adams.

叙利亚政府继续在大马士革郊区和诸如胡姆斯和哈马等市对反对派据点发起总攻，据悉今天就有至少40人丧生。同时，白宫称，由于莫斯科仍表示否决联合国安理会任何要求阿萨德总统下台的决议，因此与俄罗斯的谈判仍在进行中。Paul Adams在华盛顿报道。

Hillary Clinton said the UN Security Council must make it clear to the Syrian government that the world regards its actions as a threat to peace and security. The international community, she said, should send a clear message to the Syrian people: "We stand with you." At the White House, meanwhile, the president's spokesman Jay Carney said Bashar al-Assad's fall was inevitable³ and governments needed to bear this in mind when deciding where they stood. He didn't point the finger directly at Moscow, but he said that those who prop⁴ up what he called a brutal⁵ regime would find themselves in a small minority.

The United States has confirmed that several US citizens have taken refuge in the American embassy in Cairo following moves by Egypt against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. A White House spokesman said the US had made clear its disappointment over the issue to Egypt's governing military council. Jon Leyne reports from Cairo.

美国已确认，因为埃及反对由外国财政支持的亲民主组织，几名美国公民已在美国驻开罗使馆寻求避难。一名白宫发言人说，美国表示，在这件事上对埃及执政的军事委员会很失望。Jon Leyne在开罗报道。

This is the latest twist in a growing row between the United States and Egypt. It follows raids in December on organisations in Egypt that support human rights. Two of those organisations are American-funded institutes. As part of the ongoing⁷ investigation⁸, 10 American and European citizens who work for the organisations have been banned from leaving Egypt. Washington has already threatened to withhold⁹ more than $1bn a year it pays to the Egyptian military because of the row.

美国和埃及的不和一直在升级，最近的这件事是个转折。此前的去年12月，驻埃及支持人权的组织遭受过袭击。其中的两个组织是由美国提供资金赞助的机构。为了调查此事，埃及禁止在这两个组织做事的10名美国和欧洲公民离开本国。这场争端发生后，华盛顿曾威胁暂停向埃及军方提供的每年10多亿资金。

At a summit in Brussels, 25 out of the 27 countries in the European Union have agreed to sign a fiscal¹⁰ pact¹¹. The Czech Republic has joined Britain in refusing to enter the agreement which sets up stricter budgetary rules to prevent future debt crises. EU leaders discussed ways to stimulate¹² economic growth despite the imposition of austerity budgets in many member countries.

在布鲁塞尔峰会上，欧盟27国中的25国已同意签署一份财政协议。捷克共和国和英国立场一致，拒绝加入该协议，因为协议将设置更严格的预算制度以预防未来债务危机的发生。尽管许多盟国都实施了紧缩的预算政策，欧盟领导人们还是探讨了刺激经济增长的办法。

The governor of Warrap state in South Sudan says she's seen the bodies of 74 people who were killed in a cattle raid on Saturday. James Copnall reports.

南苏丹Warrap州州长称，她看到在周四的牧牛袭击中，有74具被杀者的尸体。James Copnall报道。

Among the dead were 45 women and children, according to the Warrap state governor Nyangdeng Malek. They had travelled to two cattle camps to find water, which at this time of the year is scarce. The governor told the BBC 72 wounded people were being treated in hospital and nine people were still missing. She and others say the attackers came from neighbouring Unity² state. They apparently¹³ stole thousands of heads of cattle. Ms Malek wasn't sure whether the attackers were armed civilians¹⁴ or members of a militia¹⁵ group.

据Warrap州州长Nyangdeng Malek称，死者中有45名妇女和儿童。他们当时正走向两处牧牛营地，以寻找水源，而今年这个时候水很匮乏。州长告诉BBC，72名伤者正在医院治疗，仍有9人下落不明。她和其他人都说，袭击者来自邻近的团结州。他们显然偷走了数千头牛，Malek不清楚这些袭击者是否是持枪平民，还是民兵组织成员。

World News from the BBC

A major United Nations report says current economic strategies are unsustainable for the long-term well-being¹⁶ of humanity and the environment. The report says the quest for economic growth is leading to increased social inequality , environmental degradation¹⁷ and economic decline. The report recommends the reform of financial markets.

联合国一份重要报告称，当前的经济策略不是可持续性的，难以保障人类长远的福祉和环境的维护。报告称，对经济增长的追求导致社会越来越不公平，以及环境恶化和经济下滑。报告建议对金融市场进行改革。

A judge in Haiti has said he'll recommend that the former President Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as "Baby Doc", should face trial on corruption¹⁸ charges but not for human rights abuses during his 15-year rule. Mr Duvalier returned to Haiti a year ago after 25 years in exile . Here's our Americas editor James Read.

海地一名法官称，他将向人称“医生宝贝”的前总统杜瓦利埃进言，建议他接受对他执政15年间的腐败指控，但不接受侵犯人权的指控。经过25年的流放后，杜瓦利埃一年前返回海地。BBC驻美洲编辑James Read报道。

The news that "Baby Doc" Duvalier is likely to be prosecuted¹⁹ for alleged²⁰ corruption will give some succour to his many critics who feared he might never face justice. But any joy will be overshadowed by the recommendation that he be spared prosecution²¹ for the many atrocities²² committed during his rule. Human rights groups argue that under international law there can be no statute²³ of limitations for crimes against humanity. Mr Duvalier's lawyers have already said they'll appeal against any decision to put him on trial.

“医生宝贝”杜瓦利埃可能要被以腐败罪起诉的消息传来，给那些担心永远无法制裁他的人一些安慰。但欣喜之余，令人郁闷的是，法官建议对他执政期间犯下的诸多暴行既往不咎。人权组织称，根据国际法，不存在对侵犯人权罪法令的限制。杜瓦利埃的律师已表示，他们将对任何审判杜瓦利埃的决定进行上诉。

The campaign organisation⁶ Human Rights Watch says 35 Ethiopian Christians²⁴ are facing deportation²⁵ from Saudi Arabia after police arrested them for "illicit²⁶ mingling²⁷" of the sexes at a private prayer gathering²⁸ before Christmas. Human Rights Watch said 29 of the Christians were women who, according to three of them, were subjected to arbitrary body cavity searches while in prison.

A new study has recommended that doctors take blood pressure readings from both arms rather than just one. In a detailed²⁹ review of medical literature, researchers in Britain found that measuring a significant difference between the readings from each arm could help doctors more readily detect the possibility of strokes and a range of frequently fatal conditions.

一份最新研究建议医生以后测量血压时，应两条胳膊都测，而不是只测一条胳膊。在一份详尽的医学文献中，英国研究人员称，他们发现，测量出两条胳膊血压读数的显著差异，可以帮助医生更快确诊病人患中风等一系列致命疾病的可能性。

1 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。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

4 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

5 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 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。

9 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

10 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

11 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

12 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

13 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

14 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

16 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

17 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

18 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

19 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

20 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

21 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。

22 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

24 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

25 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

26 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

27 mingling   

adj.混合的

参考例句：

• There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。
• The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。

28 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。

29 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。