英语听力精选进阶版 8186

A nationwide curfew is enforced across Thailand after the army staged a coup¹ and suspended the constitution. The new military government has ordered the former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra along with several of her relatives and other senior political figures to report the authorities in the next few hours. The coup came as talks were being held to try to end months of political crisis. Jonathan Head reports.

“After a second round of talks between the rival factions², suddenly soldiers and trucks blocked off all exits from the army club where the meeting was taking place. The leaders of the factions, including those of the anti-government protest movement and the pro-government Red Shirts, were detained and driven away. The army, then, announced it was taking over the administration of the country to restore stability. The monumental task of resolving the deep political divisions here now falls to the generals, but these bound to be opposition³, perhaps even armed resistance, in particular from the Red Shirts, who always said they would accept only a democratic solution.”

There's been widespread condemnation⁴ of the military take-over in Thailand. The US Secretary of State John Kerry said there was no justification⁵ for it. He said he was worried by reports that senior political leaders have been detained, and called for their release. Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia have also expressed concern. Japan called for a swift restoration of democracy.

Ukraine's interim⁶ Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has accused Russia of worsening the conflict in his country after several Ukrainian soldiers were killed by pro-Russian separatists. They attacked a military checkpoint in the eastern region of Donetsk. From there, Mark Lowen reports.

“The attack came before dawn with a devastating⁷ effect. At least 14 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and around 30 injured when armed separatists opened fire. It was a devastating blow for Ukraine's army as it pursues, what it calls, an anti-terror operation to rest back control from pro-Russia groups. They vowed⁸ to block the presidential election here on Sunday though Kiev says it will take place. Both sides are attempting to show their strength. Ukrainian forces have secured the scene tonight, but the volatile⁹ east is slipping further from their grasp.”

The US House of Representatives has passed by a large majority a bill limiting the powers of America's spy agencies. The US say Freedom Act comes in a wake of revelations by the former intelligence analyst¹⁰ Edward Snowden about practices within the National Security Agency. Beth Mcleod reports.

“President Obama promised to curb¹¹ the powers of American spies in January, the first bill to attempt this. The US say Freedom Act restricts the bulk collection of phone records by the National Security Agency, the practice that caused most outrage¹² among the American public. It requires the NSA to leave records in the hands of telephone companies for 18 months rather than storing them in bulk for years and spies will need court approval to make specific searches. Many activists¹³ say the bill doesn't go nearly far enough.”

World News from the BBC.

A man has appeared in court in California after being charged with kidnapping his former girlfriend's 15 year old daughter and holding her captive for ten years. Isidro Garcia was also charged with rape¹⁴ and committing lewd¹⁵ acts against child. Alastair Leithead reports from Santa Ana.

"Isidro Medrano Garcia appeared only briefly¹⁶ in court. The 25 year old woman, who has not been identified, said she was kidnapped ten years ago, physically¹⁷ in sexually abused, threatened and told her family had abandoned her. Only when she contacted her sister on Facebook did she realize her family was still looking for her. She had not been locked up or restrained. The young woman married Garcia and had a child with him. The question is why she waited until now to go into a police station and tell her story. Garcia's lawyer said he denied the charges."

The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on the Nigerian Islamist militant¹⁸ group Boko Haram five weeks after it kidnapped more than 200 school girls in the north of the country. The sanctions include travel bans, the freezing of assets and arms embargo¹⁹. None of the Security Council members opposed the move.

The President of Malawi Joyce Banda has complained of massive fraud in this week's presidential and parliamentary elections. She said the rigging was so blatant²⁰ that even a small child could see it. Mrs. Banda who is running for reelection said partial result showed that some candidates have won with more votes from the number of people registered at polling stations. The electoral commission acknowledged there had been problems, but the chairman, Judge Maxon Mbendera, said he was surprised to her allegations.

“Wherever the polling was taking place, there were monitors. As the close of the polling, the counting took place in the polling centers. As us pushed it right at the polling station and monitors of all parties were required to sign and everyday in fact they’ve approved the results.”

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

3 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。

4 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。

5 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 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。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

12 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

13 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》

14 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

15 lewd   

adj.淫荡的

参考例句：

• Drew spends all day eyeing up the women and making lewd comments.德鲁整天就盯着女人看，说些下流话。
• I'm not that mean,despicable,cowardly,lewd creature that horrible little man sees. 我可不是那个令人恶心的小人所见到的下流、可耻、懦弱、淫秽的家伙。

16 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

17 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

18 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

19 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

20 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。