英语听力精选进阶版 8159

Ukrainian police say more than 30 people have been killed in a fire that broke out after clashes between pro-Russian militants¹ and government supporters in the southwestern city of Odessa. It's unclear what caused the fire at the trade union's building but reports say both sides have been throwing petrol bombs. From Kiev, here is David Stern.

The fire broke out in Odessa's trade union's building where the pro-Russian protesters headquarters. Police said many of those who died were killed by smoke inhalation, or when they tried to jump from the building's upper stories. It is so far unknown what caused the fire or whether those who died were from the pro-Russian movement. Pro-Ukrainian protesters said pro-Russian activists² attacked them during a demonstration³ which resulted in the death before the fire. Officials in Kiev and western leaders say Russia is behind the unrest in Ukraine, an accusation⁴ Moscow flatly denies.

Russia and western countries have accused each other of hypocrisy⁵ at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York. Nick Bryant is the BBC's UN correspondent.

Russia called this emergency meeting at the Security Council to complain about what it called the criminal adventures of the Ukrainian government, and warned of catastrophic consequences if its offensive in the eastern part of the country continues. But Moscow came in for an onslaught of criticism from other nations, which claimed it had sponsored the rebels, and armed them with weapons capable of bringing down 2 Ukrainian helicopters. Russia was urged strongly to abide⁶ by the Geneva agreement reached last month to de-escalate the crisis but its ambassador blamed Ukraine for failing to implement⁷ it.

Earlier on Friday, President Obama said the actions of the Ukrainian government were alegitimate attempt to restore order.

The United Nations in Afghanistan says at least 350 people have been killed in a landslide⁸ in the northeast of the country. Hundreds more are missing after a mountainside collapsed⁹ in a village following a torrential rain in Badakhshan province. From Kabul, David Loyn.

Television pictures from the area show really that the bottom of the valley is now just covered in mud where there were houses before. Three hundred houses completely disappeared. The governor of the province tells us that 2,000 people are still missing. Rescue workers say they don't have enough shovels¹⁰, they don't have the right sort of machinery¹¹. It's an area that's very remote, inaccessible¹² in a very poor country, the most remote and inaccessible part of the country and a disaster of really epic¹³ proportions in that place is something that is going to be very difficult to cope with.

Health officials in the United States say they've recorded the first case of the respiratory all known as MERS. The disease from the same family of viruses as SARS has claimed more than100 lives in the Middle East, mainly in Saudi Arabia.

World News from the BBC.

The United Nations says delayed rains and continued instability in Somalia are likely to worsen food security in the country. The UN food agency the FAO said the worst affected¹⁴ areas were the main maize¹⁵ producing southern regions and the northeast. The rainy season has started a month later in some areas and is yet to begin in others.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry says the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has agreed to hold face-to-face peace talks with Riek Machar, the man who's led a rebellion against his rule.

I told President Kiir that the choices that both he and the opposition¹⁶ face are stark¹⁷ and clear. And the unspeakable human costs that we have seen over the course of the last months, and which could even grow if they fail to sit down are unacceptable to the global community.

A State Department official said Mr. Kerry had also spoken to Mr. Machar by telephone urging him to bring an end to the violence. Peace talks could get underway next week though Mr.Machar the former vice¹⁸ president has not yet given a firm commitment to attend.

President Obama says he will ask the Attorney General to carry out a review of this week's botched execution in the state of Oklahoma that left a convict convulsing for 20 minutes before he died of a heart attack. He described the case of Clayton Lockett as deeply troubling. He added there were serious questions about how the death penalty was applied¹⁹ in the US including racial bias²⁰.

The US sprinter²¹ Tyson Gay has been banned for a year after testing positive for a banned substance. The former world champion tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid last year. He could have been banned for up to 2 years but received a lighter²² penalty as he cooperated with the US anti-doping agency.

1 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。

2 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》

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

5 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

6 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

11 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

12 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

13 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

15 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

16 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。

17 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

18 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

19 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

20 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

21 sprinter   

n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者

参考例句：

• He is more a sprinter than a swimmer. 他是短跑健将，而不是游泳选手。 来自辞典例句
• The sprinter himself thinks he can run the race at 9.4 seconds. 这位短跑运动员自认为可以用9.4秒跑完比赛。 来自互联网

22 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。