英语听力精选进阶版 9635

Hi there, I'm Ore from the BBC World News for Schools. It's Tuesday the 7th of June. 

Coming up: 

?Raging floods in south-west China 

?Cuckoos being fitted with tracking devices 

?And how Rafael Nadal has been celebrating his French Open victory 

First to south-west China where floods have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes. The huge rivers of mud have been caused by days of heavy rain. So far it's thought at least 14 people have died. Emergency workers have been using small boats and ropes to rescue those who've been trapped by the flooding. 

In Syria, 120 security personnel are reported to have died in battles with gunmen in the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour. The government's promised action to restore control, but residents there say they fear more violence if the army moves in. It's been difficult to know exactly what's happening as communications were cut to the area on Monday and Syria doesn't allow foreign journalists to report on events. The Middle Eastern country has experienced protests and violence during recent months because people are unhappy with the country's president, Bashar al-Assad. 

Now to the animal world - check out this sound: 

CLIP: Cuckoo 

It's the sound of cuckoos - some of them are being fitted with satellite trackers for the first time in the UK. It's not because they need help finding their way home - in fact the satellites are being attached to the birds' backs to help scientists work out why their numbers are falling. The cuckoo population in Britain has more than halved¹ in the past 25 years. The tracking devices will send the birds' location to the research team once every two days. 

In Europe, ministers are meeting today to discuss the current E. coli food poisoning outbreak, that began in northern Germany. The source of the infection is still not clear - indications that it may have been from bean sprouts² have not been proven. John Dalli, who is the health commissioner³ for the EU - that's the European Union - says it's important not to spread worries... 

CLIP: "...It is crucial that national authorities do not rush to give information on the source of infection which is not proven by bacteriological analysis, as this spreads unjustified fears in the population all over Europe and creates problems for our food producers selling products in the EU and outside of the EU." 

Now how do you think tennis ace⁴ Rafael Nadal has been celebrating his sixth French Open win? By heading to Disneyland! The Spanish star met up with Mickey Mouse and his friends in France, but he'll be back to work soon getting ready to defend his title at Wimbledon which starts later this month. 

Yesterday we asked you which other tennis star has won six French Open titles just like Nadal. 

And the answer is... 

Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg, who won his six French Opens during the 1970's and 80's 

For today's question we want to know where cuckoos lay their eggs? 

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

1 halved   

v.把…分成两半( halve的过去式和过去分词 )；把…减半；对分；平摊

参考例句：

• The shares have halved in value . 股价已经跌了一半。
• Overall operating profits halved to $24 million. 总的营业利润减少了一半，降至2，400 万元。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 ace   

n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的

参考例句：

• A good negotiator always has more than one ace in the hole.谈判高手总有数张王牌在手。
• He is an ace mechanic.He can repair any cars.他是一流的机械师,什么车都会修。