英语听力精选进阶版 9627

Hi there, I'm Ricky from the BBC World News for Schools. It's Wednesday the 25th of May. 

Coming up: 

?Ash cloud causes travel chaos¹ in Germany. 

?New York bans smoking in parks. 

?And Facebook calls for the age limit to be lowered. 

First, Germany has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights because of that volcanic² ash cloud. All planes in and out of two of the country's main airports - Bremen and Hamburg airports have been grounded and two Berlin airports are set to close too. It's because of worries that the ash could make it into the planes engines and damage them. 

European flight officials are warning that Denmark, Norway and Sweden could also be affected³. 

Next - kids in Libya have been telling the BBC what it's like living with a war going on around them. A rebel army has been trying to remove the country's leader since February and that's led to a lot of violence. It's made going to school in some areas very difficult and some children have even lost family members. Some of these children are now going to special day centres where they can play... 

CLIP: "Because there's no school it was kind of boring, but now when the people opened this school we have a lot of fun here. We hope this dictatorship will go away and then we will have a better time, like it was before." 

Now to New York where smoking has been banned in loads of parks, beaches and even in Times Square. City officials say the ban is meant to make it safer for people who don't want to breathe in other people's smoke... 

CLIP: "Fifty-seven percent of non smoking New Yorkers have evidence in their blood that they've been exposed to second-hand⁴ smoke. We can't protect people from second-hand smoke everywhere, but we think we should atleast protect them from second-hand smoke in parks - which are places we set aside for people to enjoy in a healthy way." 

And for today's question we want to know what the tallest building in New York is? Yesterday we asked you for the name of the American President's personal jet - and the answer is...Air Force One! 

Now, Facebook founder⁵ Mark Zuckerberg says kids under 13 years old should be allowed on the social networking site. He wants to fight a law in America that stops anyone younger than 13 from logging on. He reckons using Facebook can be educational and it would be good for kids to start using at a young age. But some people worry that this could lead to more online bullying⁶ and think the current rules are there to help protect children. 

Finally, President Obama was guest of honour at a star-studded banquet hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace last night. Loads of VIPs were there, including Harry⁷ Potter actress Helena Bonham Carter. But there was a bit of a slip up when the band accidentally started playing the national anthem⁸ while Mr Obama was still toasting the Queen. Check it out... 

CLIP: "Raise your glasses as I propose a toast to the vitality⁹ of the special relationship between our peoples." 

Yikes - a bit embarrassing! 

OK, that's all from the World News for Schools team. We're back tomorrow.

1 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

2 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

3 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。

4 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

5 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。

6 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

8 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

9 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。