英语听力精选进阶版 8349

The founder¹ of Virgin² Sir Richard Branson said lessons will be learned following the explosion of a Virgin Galactic rocket during a test flight in California. Sir Richard joined US Federal investigators³ at the crash site, looking at why Spaceship II broke up in midair. Our correspondent David Willies reports from the Mojave Desert.

维珍公司创始人Richard Branson表示在加利福尼亚州的银河火箭首次试飞失败事件中应该吸取教训。Richard Branson加入到了美国联邦对爆炸现场的调查，试图发现飞船在起飞之后发生爆炸的原因。下面是本台记者David Willies从莫哈维沙漠发回的报道。

A visibly shaken Sir Richard Branson said yesterday's disaster was a considerable setback⁴ to his mission and in the light of what had happened, he wouldn't be pushing on blindly. He indicated that Virgin Galactic's future would ultimately depend on the outcome of the crash investigators' inquiry⁵. Spaceship II broke apart a couple of minutes after separating from the mother ship during a test flight here. One of the pilots ejected and seriously ill in hospital. The other didn't survive.

Richard Branson感到震惊，并说昨天的爆炸对他的工作是相当大的打击，关于事故的原因他不能就这样被无辜指责。他表示维珍银河公司的未来取决于事故调查的结果。飞船二号在离开母体后两分钟后开始试飞随后发生爆炸。其中一名飞行员被强行弹出受重伤在医院接受治疗。其他飞行人员无一生还。

The opposition⁷ in Burkina Faso says it won't accept a military takeover of the country and is going to take to the streets on Sunday in protest. President Blaise Compaore stepped down on Friday after a popular uprising. The army has named lieutenant-colonel Issac Zida as the country's new leader. The African Union has called for a civilian-led transition leading to free and fair elections as soon as possible. Here is our West Africa correspondent T. F.

布基纳法索反对党表示不会接受该国家的军事接管事宜，并在周日举行游行示威。总统布莱斯孔波雷在周五人民起义之后辞职下台。军队已任命中校Issac Zida为国家的新任领导人。非洲联盟呼吁群众领导的过渡运动将会尽快推动展开自由公平的选举。下面是本台非洲记者发回的报道。

After 24 hours of a power struggle within the army to decide who should lead the country, opposition parties and civil groups are claiming the victory from the popular uprising that forced President Compaore to resign. They say the management of the transition belongs to the people and shouldn't be confiscated⁸ by the army. They've called for a mass rally in the morning. There is growing concern among the population that this week's events may now be hijacked⁹ by a military coup⁶.

在与军队内部权力就谁将领导国家为主题争夺讨论进行了24小时之后，反对党和民间团体共同声称人民起义胜利，总统孔波雷辞职下台。他们称过渡管理属于人民所有，并不应该受到军队阻止。他们在早晨召集起来集合。在人群中有一个说法认为本周此事件已经受到军事政变的影响。

Tens of thousands of people have been protesting through the Republic of Ireland over the introduction of charges for tap water. The average household will have to pay about 300 dollars a year. Chris Pay reports.

成千上万的人就爱尔兰自来水费的收取展开抗议。平均每户家庭水费将达到300美元一年。Chris Pay发回报道。

Campaigners have held almost 100 demonstrations¹⁰ across the Republic of Ireland. Some protesters burned registration¹¹ forms for the water charges scheme. In January of next year, people will have to pay for a domestic water supply for the first time. It's a consequence of the international financial bailout which Ireland accepted in 2010. The multi-billion Euro package rescued the country's economy, but the condition was that Ireland had to reduce its national debts.

活动人士在爱尔兰境内举行了近乎100此游行。一些抗议者烧毁了水费登记表。在明年的一月份，人们不得不为该国首次供水缴纳费用。这是2010年爱尔兰接受国际金融紧急援助的后果。多亿欧元统一拯救了爱尔兰经济，但条件是爱尔兰需要减少其国家债务。

Police in Hong Kong have arrested a British man over the murders of two women. The victims were found in a luxury flat in the Wan¹² Chai District. Police said one of the bodies had been stuffed into a suitcase and left out on a balcony. Media in Hong Kong are reporting that the man arrested at the scene was a 29-year old banker with a top global firm and that the women were sex workers.

香港警方逮捕了一名涉嫌谋杀两名妇女的英国人。受害者在湾仔区一套豪华公寓内被发现。警方表示其中一具尸体被装进了箱子并搁在了阳台。香港媒体称现场抓获的犯罪嫌疑人29岁，是一个全球顶级公司银行家，受害者为性工作者。

World News from the BBC.

下面为您播报BBC世界新闻。

Iraqi officials say Islamic State militants¹³ have carried out a new mass killing¹⁴ of members of a tribe in Anbar Province. The officials say the Jihadists lined up and shot at least 50 men and women of the al-Bulimia Tribe in retaliation¹⁵ for their resistance to IS. The al-Bulimia had fought the militants for several weeks.

伊拉克官员称伊斯兰武装分子在安巴尔省进行了大规模屠杀。警方表示圣战分子排队枪杀了至少50名对抗IS组织的al-Bulimia Tribe男人女人。al-Bulimia Tribe与武装分子之间已经进行了数周的激烈交火。

Rights activists¹⁶ in Saudi Arabia said the pioneering female lawyer Suad al-Shamery has been arrested for comment she made on twitter which had been portrayed¹⁷ by her opponents as insulting Islam. Our Arab Affairs editor Sebastian Usher¹⁸ reports.

沙特阿拉伯人权活动家称创业女律师Suad al-Shamery因在推特上对其对手伊斯兰教使进行诋毁被逮捕。下面是本台阿拉伯记者Sebastian Usher发回报道。

Suad Shamery has long been a thorn in the sight of religious establishment in Saudi Arabia. She's persistently¹⁹ questioned the good faith of some Islamic clerics whom she sees as one of the main obstacles preventing Saudi women from obtaining more rights. She received threats earlier this year for suggesting that the adoption²⁰ of long beards as a sign of being a devout²¹ Muslim was silly. She is now facing police interrogation over the similar twits. The signs are not good. She had set up a group called Saudi de Libros. Her co-founder R. B. is currently serving a 10-year sentence for insulting Islam.

Suad Shamery一直是沙特阿拉伯宗教机构中的眼中刺。她一直对一些伊斯兰神职人员保持怀疑态度，因为她认为这是阻碍沙特妇女获得更多权利的障碍。在今年早些时候她受到了威胁，因为她称选择留长胡子作为虔诚的穆斯林表示是非常愚蠢的行为。她现在正面临着相似指控的审问。但是迹象表明并不良好。她创建了一个叫Saudi de Libros的组织。她的共同创始人R.B.目前正因为诋毁伊斯兰教进行10年服刑。

An Argentine judge has asked Spain to arrest and extradite two Spanish former ministers accused of involvement in murder during the military rule of General Franco. They can not be tried in Spain because of an amnesty law. But the officials could be prosecuted²² in Argentina. The families of alleged²³ victims have asked Argentina for help because it has an extradition²⁴ treaty with Spain.

阿根廷法官要求西班牙逮捕并引渡两名西班牙前任部长，两任部长在将军弗朗哥统治期间参与谋杀被指控。在西班牙他们不受法律控制，因为有大赦法的存在，但是阿根廷可以起诉他们。受害者的家人已经向阿根廷寻求帮助，因为其与西班牙有印度条约。

The authorities in Bangladesh say they are struggling to restore electricity supplies after the whole country was hit by a power blackout. The first time this has happened in seven years. A director of state-run power development board acknowledged that the national grid²⁵ had collapsed²⁶. He said efforts to bring power back had failed repeatedly. Officials say there is a glitch²⁷ in the transitional line to India opened last year.

孟加拉当局表示他们正在努力恢复电力。这是自七年以来第一次发生这么大规模停电事件。一位国家电力发展局董事称国家电网已经崩溃。他说恢复电力工作曾几次失败。政府官员表示去年其与印度曾有输电线路故障问题。

1 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

2 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

3 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

5 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

6 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。

7 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。

8 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

9 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

11 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

12 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。

13 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。

14 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。

15 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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》

17 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

19 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

20 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

21 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

22 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》。

23 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

24 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

25 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

26 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。

27 glitch   

n.干扰；误操作，小故障

参考例句：

• There is a glitch in the computer program somewhere.这个计算机程序中的某个部分有点小问题。
• It could just be a random glitch that can be solved by restarting the machine.可能只是一个小故障，重新启动主机就能解决了。