英语听力精选进阶版 8481

European Union leaders have agreed to triple?the?funding of their search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean¹ to help deal with the large numbers of migrants trying to cross to Europe from North Africa. After emergency talks in Brussels, the leaders have also approved measures to capture and destroy the vessels² likely to be used by human traffickers. The meeting was called after more than eight hundred people died last week when their boat sank. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk³, said saving lives was about more than just rescuing people at sea.

"Saving the lives of innocent people is the No.1 priority for us. But saving lives is not just about rescuing people at sea. It's also about stopping the smugglers and addressing illegal migration⁴. That may be clear Europe did not cause this tragedy, but that doesn't mean we can be indifferent."

The White House has reviewed that 2 western hostages were killed in a U.S. counter-terrorism operation on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in January. President Obama said he deeply regretted the accidental deaths of the 2 aid workers. Warren Weinstein, who was American, and Giovanni Lo Porto from Italy, are believed to have been killed in a drone strike. Jon Sopel?reports.

"This was a deeply uncomfortable statement for the President to make. A U.N. counter-terror operation in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan had targeted what was thought to be an al-Qaeda compound. Hundreds of hours of surveillance material had been gathered before the strike was ordered back in January. But inside was an American aid worker, Warren Weinstein, who'd been taken hostage in 2011, and an Italian captive, Giovanni Lo Porto. The U.S. has promised a full inquiry⁵ into the operation on what went wrong."

The former Director of the CIA, General David Petraeus, has been sentenced to 2 years probation⁶ and ordered to pay a fine of one hundred thousand dollars for sharing military secrets with his mistress. Aleem Maqbool has the details.

"David Petraeus resigned as CIA Director in late 2012, citing the affair he'd been having with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, for which he publicly apologized. He testified at the time he'd not kept A-classified information and haven't told any Agency secrets to Ms. Broadwell. He now admits both things were untrue. But the admissions came only after an FBI search of the former General's home led to the recovery of binders⁷ containing information about war strategy, the names of spies and even notes of discussions he'd had with President Obama."

A ceremony has been held at Armenia's main cathedral near Yerevan to canonise all the people killed by forces of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The Armenian Church said the aim of the ceremony was to proclaim the martyrdom of the one point five million people it says died for their faith and homeland. Turkey disputes the number of people killed and says there were deaths on both sides of the conflict. 

You are listening to the latest world news from the BBC.

Police in Britain have charged a 14-year-old boy in connection with an alleged⁸ terror plot on the other side of the world. He's accused of encouraging someone in Australia to kill or seriously injure people at the Anzac Day Parade in Melbourne, which commemorates⁹ the role of soldiers from Australia and New Zealand in the First World War.

The American Senate has confirmed Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. Attorney-General. She'll be the first black woman to hold the post. Ms. Lynch, a New York federal prosecutor¹⁰, was approved by 56 votes to 43. Ms. Lynch will replace Eric Holder¹¹, who was the first African-American to head the U.S. Justice Department.

Tens of thousands of South Africans have been marching in protests of the recent wave of violence against foreigners. Rallies were held in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. The security forces have been conducting raids Durban and the town of Alexander in Johannesburg, where attacks on migrants have taken place in recent weeks.

Scientists have deciphered the complete genetic¹² code of wolly mammoth¹³, the first time DNA¹⁴ of a creature extinct for thousands of years has been reconstructed. The work raises the possibility of recreating the animals. Pallab Ghosh has the details.

"This is the first time that the DNA of a creature that's been extinct for thousands of years has been reconstructed. The question now is whether it could be used to bring back the wolly mammoth. Researchers at Harvard University believe that it might and adding mammoth genes¹⁵ to elephant DNA. But the team who decoded¹⁶ the mammoth DNA don't want their research to be used in this end. Pallab Ghosh reporting."

The video-sharing website, Youtube, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It has now billions of users every day and hundreds of hours uploaded every minute. Its first video, our day of the zoo, was shot by one of the owners who became a multi-millionaire when Google bought the company. A decade later, some Youtube channels have a bigger audience than many television networks. 

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

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 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

7 binders   

n.（司机行话）刹车器；（书籍的）装订机( binder的名词复数 )；（购买不动产时包括预付订金在内的）保证书；割捆机；活页封面

参考例句：

• Propellant binders based on these materials have excellent mechanical properties and good performance. 用这些材料制成的推进粘结剂的工作性能很好，而机械性能则更为突出。 来自辞典例句
• The and inferior binders fabrication process has become much more important. 黏合剂制作工艺优劣显得更加重要。 来自互联网

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 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

11 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

12 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

13 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

14 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

15 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

16 decoded   

v.译（码），解（码）( decode的过去式和过去分词 )；分析及译解电子信号

参考例句：

• The control unit decoded the 18 bits. 控制器对这18位字进行了译码。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Scientists have decoded the dog genome. 科学家已经译解了狗的基因组。 来自辞典例句