英语听力精选进阶版 8538

An inquiry¹ into the deaths of 34 striking miners in South Africa three years ago has heavily criticised the police who opened fire and has recommended a criminal investigation². The South African President Jacob Zuma said the inquiry had found that police operation at the Marikana platinum³ mine to be defective⁴. It also blamed rival unions and the mine owners' lawmen, but absolved⁵ government ministers. From Johannesburg, here's N M.

三年前南非发生了震惊的34名矿工死亡事件，调查此案时警方严重批评了当时开火的警察，并建议对其进行刑事调查。南非总统雅各布·祖玛声称此次调查发现调查玛卡瑞纳铂矿的警方办事不力。他同样谴责了敌对联盟和铂矿拥有者个人的执法人员，但是并没有判决政府官员。下面是本台记者从约翰尼斯堡发回的报道：

 "If you look at the 600-paged report, the four guys are the management of lawmen, the police officers who were there at the mine on the day of the shooting, and also the mine workers themselves. But there is deafening⁷ silence regarding the political leadership has included the deputy president, who was in the board of lawmen, and also the mining minister. So there is a lot of anger here in South Africa, regarding why is it that the political leadership has not been held accountable."

600页的报道中有管理层的四位执法人员、在射击现场执行任务的警察和矿工本人。但是却对包括时任董事会法人的副总统在内的政治领导人和矿上官员充耳不闻。因此，这在南非引起了巨大民愤，为什么政治领导人免除罪责。

Nine people in Northern Nigeria have been sentenced to death for blasphemy⁸. The verdict was handed down by an Islamic court in the state of K, which met in secret. The defendants⁹ are thought to include at least one woman.

尼日利亚北部的九名人员因亵渎神明罪被判处死刑。听说被告者中含有一名妇女。

The International Crisis Group has warned that western counter-terrorism policies in the Sahara region of North Africa are failing. The Brussels-based campaign group says the tendency to label non-violent Islamists as potential jihadists was liable to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thomas Fessy has more details.

国际危机组织警告北非沙特地区的西部边疆恐怖政策正在失去作用。国际危机组织总部位于布鲁塞尔，该组织宣称，称非暴力的伊斯兰极端分子为潜在的圣战主义者的趋势有可能成为自我实现的预言。下面是托马斯·费斯为您带来详细报道;

"Regional news, the ICG says, a reckless overall lack of job opportunities, and a narrow political space. Islamist charities provide an attractive alternative to pull the equipped state corps¹⁰. Moreover, state institutions have colluded with criminal networks, which, in some regions, have become a key source of power. The ICG says the greatest responsibility lies with national governments. They must stem rapid population growth and address radicalisation and poverty."

国际危机组织称，地方新闻报道称就业机会大面积缺乏，政治管辖范围狭小。伊斯兰慈善机构向国家军队提供装备帮助。而且，政府机构和犯罪网络勾结，在有些地方，这些构成了权利的主要来源。国际危机组织宣称，国家政府应承担更大的责任。他们必须稳定人口增长，解决种族主义和贫困问题。

The summit of European leaders has ended in Brussels in the past few minutes. They've been discussing ways to tackle the number of migrants attempting to enter the EU illegally. The Greek debt crisis has also been on the agenda. No deal has been reached so far. Chris Morris reports.

在过去的几分钟内欧洲领导人结束了布鲁塞尔峰会。他们讨论非法移民跨入欧洲境内的解决办法。希腊债务危机也在议程之上，到目前为止，尚无任何讨论结果。下面是克丽丝·莫里斯发回的报道;

 "One EU official said there would be no further negotiations¹¹ with the Greek government. The creditors¹² would examine Greek suggestions, the official said, to see if there is anything worth adding to their own proposals, and that would then amount to a final offer to be discussed at a meeting of Euro Zone finance ministers on Saturday. One EU diplomat¹³ said Saturday's finance ministers meeting, just three days before Greece's current bailout expires, would be crucial. They have to decide, he said, yes or no. If it's no, then this is over. The EU leaders are due to resume talks in the morning."

一位欧盟官员称不可能与希腊政府进行下一步的会谈。该官员表示，债权国将会审视希腊的建议，看看是否值得他们提出自己的意见，周六欧元区财政部长会议将会达成最终结果。一个欧盟外交官称周六财政部长会议离希腊紧急援助到期仅有三天，这将是关键性的。他们将决定帮与不帮的最终结果。如果不帮，那么这一切就会结束。欧盟领导人将在上午重新谈话。

World news from the BBC.

BBC环球新闻。

The United States Census¹⁴ Bureau says people under 33 now make up the biggest age group in the country. Known as millennials, they form more than 25% of the population and outnumber of the baby boomers, those who are over 65 years old.

美国人口统计局称33岁以下的人构成了本国主要人口。在千禧年，他们构成本国超过25%的人口，超过了“婴儿潮”出生的现已超过65岁的人。

The first funerals of the nine African-Americans shot dead at a Bible class have taken place in Charleston, South Carolina. Police officers stood guard as thousands of mourners celebrated¹⁵ the lives of two victims, killed by a white gunman last week. From Charleston, here's Nick Bryant. 

南卡莱罗纳州查尔斯顿为在唱诗班死去的九名非裔美国人首次举行葬礼。成千上万的爱到这为上周白人杀死的两位生命哀悼，警察人员在现场维持秩序。下面是尼克·布莱恩特发回的报道：

"Thousands gathered for the funerals of two of the victims at the Charleston killings¹⁶. Ethel Lance,?, who was 17，and Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, the mother of three children. And both were celebrations of their lives. In the eulogy¹⁷ for A L, the preacher said she was a victim of hatred¹⁸, who could be a symbol of love. Hatred is powerful, he said, but love is more powerful."

成千上万的人聚集在查尔斯顿的两名受害者的丧礼上。这两名受害者分别是17岁的埃塞尔·兰斯和三个孩子的母亲沙瑞拉·辛格尔顿。所有的人都在为她们的生命祈祷。在对埃塞尔·兰斯的哀悼词中，牧师讲道，他是仇恨的受害者，他是爱的象征。仇恨的力量是很强大，但是爱更强大。

France's interior minister has said that the low-cost car-booking service UberPop must be shut down, and the vehicles cease if they continue to carry passengers. Bernard Cazeneuve made the announcement after a day of nationwide strikes by taxi drivers, some of which turned violent. UberPop has already been outlawed¹⁹ in France, but continues to operate while it challenges the ban.

法国内政部长称低成本的购车服务UberPop应该关闭，如果他们继续载客，就应该叫停。在此之前，一些出租车司机发动了全国性的动乱，有些演变成了暴乱。UberPop在法国已被视为违法，但是却屡禁不止。

Flash flooding has caused major damage and disruption in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, which hosted the Winter Olympic Games last year. Rail and road transport was severely²⁰ affected²¹ as torrential rains caused river to overflow²².

洪水已对俄罗斯黑海的沿岸城市索契造成了巨大损失和破坏，该城市去年举行奥林匹克冬奥会。巨大洪水导致河水蔓延，严重冲击了铁路和公路。

The English-born actor, Patrick Macnee, has died at his home in California, aged⁶ 93. He was best known for playing John Steed in the 1960s British television series, The Avengers. Steed was a quintessential Englishman. His weapons of choice in his battles with criminal masterminds were his wits and his umbrella, never a gun.

英国出生的演员帕特里克·麦克尼在加利福尼亚州的家中逝世，享年93岁。他以在二十世纪六十年代的英国电视剧《复仇者》中饰演John Steed而出名。John Steed是典型的英国人，他在和罪犯打斗时以他的智慧和伞作为武器，而不是枪。

1 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。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

4 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。

5 absolved   

宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责）

参考例句：

• The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. 法院宣告他对该事故不负任何责任。
• The court absolved him of guilt in her death. 法庭赦免了他在她的死亡中所犯的罪。

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

7 deafening   

adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
• The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。

8 blasphemy   

n.亵渎，渎神

参考例句：

• His writings were branded as obscene and a blasphemy against God.他的著作被定为淫秽作品，是对上帝的亵渎。
• You have just heard his blasphemy!你刚刚听到他那番亵渎上帝的话了！

9 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

10 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

14 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

15 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

16 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。

17 eulogy   

n.颂词；颂扬

参考例句：

• He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. 他不需要我或者任何一个人来称颂。
• Mr.Garth gave a long eulogy about their achievements in the research.加思先生对他们的研究成果大大地颂扬了一番。

18 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

19 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。

20 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

21 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。

22 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。