英语听力精选进阶版 8207

Gunmen in Pakistan have attacked the airport in the biggest city Karachi, killing¹ at least five people. The attackers hurled² grenades and opened fire on security guards. Some passengers and staff are reportedly still trapped inside. Flights have been diverted to other airports. From the capital Islamabad, Shahzeb Jillani reports.

“A cloud of thick smoke can be seen above the airport; reports speak of explosions and intense exchange of fire from inside the airport. Initial report say an aircraft may have been damaged. The airport has been shut down until further notice. And all the incoming flights are being diverted to other cities. Pakistani army commandos have arrived to try to regain³ the control of the airport.”

At least 22 people have been killed in a gun and bomb attack on Pakistan's border with Iran. Officials in Baluchistan province said the killings⁴ took place when a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims home from Iran stopped in the town of Taftan. No one has admitted carrying out the attack.

Pope Francis has welcomed the Israeli president Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas to an unprecedented⁵ joint⁶ prayer meeting at the Vatican. The two leaders met the Pope outside his residence before travelling together with him and the spiritual head of the Orthodox Christians⁷ Patriarch Bartholomew to a ceremony in the Vatican gardens. From Rome, Alan Johnston reports.

“The Pope told his guests that it took more courage to make peace than to make war. He said they have to turn to God to find the strength they need. The Israeli president Shimon Peres responded first. He said it is within our power to bring peace to our children. He described this as a holy mission. Then President Abbas called on God to deliver a comprehensive and just peace.”

The prominent critic of Nigerian president Lamido Sanusi has been named as the new emir of Kano, one of the country's most respected traditional figures in the mainly Muslim north. In February, President Goodluck Johnathon suspended him from his job after Mr. Sanusi alleged⁸ that $20 billion of oil revenue had gone missing.

Egypt's new president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said he will be a leader for all Egyptians, but vowed⁹ that there would be no reconciliation¹⁰ with the banned Muslim Brotherhood¹¹. Mr. Sisi said his top priority would be fighting terrorism and restoring security. Orla Guerin reports from Cairo.

“In a televised address, Egypt's new president ruled out any compromise with the Muslim Brotherhood. Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said there would be no leniency¹² towards those who resorted to violence, an accusation¹³ leveled against the outlawed¹⁴ Islamists. Sisi's swearing-in came almost a year after he ousted¹⁵ the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi from the presidency¹⁶ following mass protest. But he said he had never pursued a political position.”

World News from the BBC.

Metro¹⁷ workers in Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo have voted to continue to strike for an indefinite period despite an earlier ruling by a labor¹⁸ court calling them to return to work immediately. The court said the unions had abused their powers by calling the strike last Thursday. With half of all metro stations closed, Sao Paulo experienced some of its worst traffic jams in recent years.

The former UN peace envoy¹⁹ Lakhdar Brahimi has said that Syria is descending²⁰ into a failed state run by warlords, which threatens the future of the wider Middle East. Mr. Brahimi who resigned last month said the Syrian conflict was spreading as a result of diplomatic failure. He said Lebanon was being destabilized while the main jihadist group operating in Syria was now active in Iraq and threatened Jordan and Turkey.

Tens of thousands of people in the Northern Basque region have joined hands in a human chain more than 120 kilometers long to demand the right to hold a vote on independence from Spain. Demonstrators, many draped in red, white and green Basque flags formed a line stretching from the city of Durango to Pamplona in the neighboring Navarra region, which has a significant Basque-speaking population.

The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has won the French Open for a record 9th time. He defeated his great rival Novac Djokovic in four sets. The Serbian Djokovic took the first set but appeared to wilt²¹ visibly on a hot and humid afternoon after Nadal claimed the second set. Nadal paid tributes to his opponents.

“Novac Djokovic always is a big, big challenge for me and I was losing against him the last four times, so every time that I have the chance to beat him is because I played to my limit. Now I think both of us are for the last couple of years we are playing at very, very high level so for him today I think he deserves to win this tournament time, and I’m sure he will in the future.”

1 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。

2 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

7 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。

8 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

9 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。

10 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

11 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

12 leniency   

n.宽大（不严厉）

参考例句：

• udges are advised to show greater leniency towards first-time offenders.建议法官对初犯者宽大处理。
• Police offer leniency to criminals in return for information.警方给罪犯宽大处理以换取情报。

13 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。

14 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

15 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

16 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

17 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

18 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

19 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

20 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

21 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。