英语听力精选进阶版 9987

 

One of the biggest names in world athletics¹, the South African runner Oscar Pistorius, is facing a murder charge after his girlfriend was shot dead at his home in Pretoria. His girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a high-profile model, was shot four times in the head and the hand in the early hours of the morning. A nine-millimetre pistol was recovered from the scene. Nick Ericsson has the latest.

 

世界最著名的运动员南非短跑选手奥斯卡·皮斯托利斯的女友在他在比勒陀利亚的家中中弹身亡，皮斯托利斯目前面临谋杀指控。案发当日凌晨，他的女友名模瑞瓦·史蒂恩卡姆帕头部和手部共中弹四次。现场发现一把九毫米手枪。尼克·爱立信为你报道。

 

He’s going to be spending the night in a police cell in Pretoria. He was first taken to one undisclosed this morning. He was then transported to have medical tests done and forensics. The police have said—they’ve acknowledged they don’t want to rush the process because they don’t want to risk this case being thrown out of court because of bad procedures followed. So Oscar Pistorius originally wanted to appear in court today-- looks like it’s going to happen tomorrow. He may be charged with murder. He’s going to apply for bail², we believe, and we understand that the state is going to oppose that application.

 

皮斯托利斯这个晚上将要在比勒陀利亚的警署拘留室度过了，他先是早上被带到一秘密地，然后被带去做医学检测和法医鉴证。警方承认不想匆忙侦破，因为不希望因为随后的不当程序而冒着让这件案子被抛出法庭的危险。奥斯卡·皮斯托利斯今天原本想出庭，看来只能到明天了。他有可能被控以谋杀罪，我们认为他会申请保释，我们也明白政府将不接受这个申请。

 

The South African President Jacob Zuma has used his annual state-of-the-nation address to call for unity³ to end the scourge⁴ of rape⁵. Commenting on the gang rape and brutal⁶ murder of a 17-year-old girl earlier this month, he said that cruelty to women was unacceptable and had no place in South Africa. Mr Zuma also referred to the killing⁷ of 44 striking miners last year, but said that measures had been taken to deal with the strikers’ grievances⁸.

 

南非总统雅各布·祖玛在年度国情咨文中呼吁团结一致结束强奸现象。本月初一名17岁少女被轮奸后遭残害致死，对此，祖玛说对妇女施暴是无法接受的，南非不应存在这种现象。祖玛还提到去年44名罢工矿工被杀事件，他说已经采取措施来解决罢工者的冤屈。

 

“In particular we agreed to work together to strengthen collective bargaining, to address the housing problems in the mining towns, to support the national infrastructure⁹ programme, to address youth unemployment and to identify measures to reduce inequalities.”

 

“特别的是，我们同意联合起来加强集体谈判，解决矿镇的住房问题，支持全国基础设施项目，解决青年人失业问题，制定减少不公平现象的措施。”

 

New official figures show that the eurozone economy went deeper into recession in the final three months of last year. The European Union statistics office said that output in the zone shrank by 0.6 per cent, a sharp deterioration¹⁰ compared to the previous quarter. The three largest economies, Germany, France and Italy, all contracted by more than had been expected.

 

新的官方数据显示，去年最后三个月期间，欧元区经济进一步陷入衰退。欧盟统计办公室称欧元区的经济产值下降了0.6%，与前一季度相比严重恶化。三个最大经济体—德国、法国和意大利的经济缩水都比预料的要严重。

 

Police in Britain have arrested three men in connection with the horsemeat scandal engulfing¹¹ many European countries. The men were detained at two meat plants on suspicion of fraud. Earlier a company in France accused of selling more than 700 tonnes of horsemeat as beef had its licence suspended by the French authorities. Here’s Hugh Schofield.

 

英国警方逮捕三名与蔓延欧洲许多国家的马肉丑闻有关联的三名男子，他们是在两家肉食工厂因诈骗嫌疑被捕的。早些时候，法国一家公司被控将700多吨马肉当做牛肉出售，目前这家公司的执照已被法国当局暂停。休·斯科菲尔德报道。

 

The results of a week of investigations¹² remove all suspicion from the Romanian abattoir¹³ where the horsemeat originated. The meat left Romania clearly and correctly labelled as horse. It was afterwards that the labels were changed to beef and the Consumer Affairs Minister Benoit Hamon said the fault lay with the French company Spanghero. Spanghero has issued a statement saying it only ever dealt in meat it believed to be beef.

 

为期一周的调查消除了马肉最终来源地—罗马尼亚屠宰场的所有嫌疑。这些马肉离开罗马尼亚时，确切标明的是马肉。随后标签就改为牛肉了，消费事务部部长阿蒙说，这里的问题要归到法国Spanghero公司头上。Spanghero已发表声明，称只卖过自己认为是牛肉的肉食。

 

World News from the BBC

A business consortium including the billionaire American investor¹⁴ Warren Buffett says it’s buying Heinz, the company best-known for making tomato ketchup¹⁵ and baked beans. Mr Buffett made his fortune investing in mature companies with strong brands. The chief executive of Heinz, William Johnson, said it was a big moment for the company.

 

一个包括亿万富翁美国投资者沃伦·巴菲特在内的商业财团称将购买亨氏食品公司，该公司以制造番茄酱和烘豆而出名。巴菲特通过投资成熟的大品牌而积累财富，亨氏总裁威廉姆·约翰逊说，这对公司来说是个好机会。

 

“At $28bn this will be the largest acquisition of any company in the history of the food business. Our shareholders¹⁶ have been well rewarded as this transaction is occurring from a position of strength after 30 consecutive¹⁷ quarters of organic top-line growth. It’s a great complement¹⁸ to all who have contributed to the success of this company.”

 

“280亿美元的开价将是食品公司历史上最大规模的收购案例，亨氏连续30个季度以来实现收入的高速增长，这样的强势地位就为股东带来了很好的回报。这对所有那些帮助亨氏成就今天的人来说是锦上添花。”

 

The confirmation¹⁹ of Chuck Hagel as the next American defence secretary has run into trouble with senior Republicans in the Senate threatening to block it. They are unhappy with Mr Hagel’s past statements on Israel, Iraq and Iran and could delay a vote. The Republicans are also demanding more information on what President Obama was doing during the deadly attack on the US mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi last September. The White House has described the Republicans’ tactic²⁰ as a bad signal to American allies.

 

任命查克·哈格尔担任美国下一届国防部长一事要遇麻烦了，因为参议院的资深共和党们威胁要进行阻扰。哈格尔过去对以色列、伊拉克和伊朗的言论令他们不满，他们可能会推迟投票。在去年9月美国驻利比亚班加西使团遭遇致命袭击一事上，共和党还要求提供更多有关总统奥巴马当时所做事情的信息。白宫称共和党的策略是对美国盟军的糟糕信号。

 

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has called for the release of three soldiers arrested in Chile. They were detained in January after crossing the Chilean border carrying an assault rifle. Mr Morales made the call in a speech marking the anniversary of a war in the 19th century in which the landlocked country lost access to the Pacific. It was the first time in decades that a Bolivian leader has marked the anniversary.

 

玻利维亚总统埃沃·莫拉莱斯呼吁释放三名在智利被捕的士兵，这些士兵1月份因携带冲锋步枪越过智利边境而被捕。在纪念19世纪一场战争的仪式上，莫拉莱斯发表讲话并呼吁释放他们，那场战争期间，这个内陆国家失去了进入太平洋的通道。这是几十年来玻利维亚领导人首次纪念这个节日。

 

A Roman sarcophagus which has been used as a garden flower pot in the north of England has been sold at auction²¹ for more than $60,000. A pensioner²² had owned it for decades unaware²³ of its origins. He decided²⁴ to call in experts after reading about the discovery of a similar sarcophagus last year. It’s believed the intricately carved marble coffin²⁵ was made for a wealthy Roman aristocrat²⁶ in the 1st century AD.

在英格兰北部，一个一直被当做园艺花盆的罗马石棺被拍卖到6万多美元。这个石棺在一位退休老人手中几十年了，但他根本不知道它的来历。去年，当他得知一个类似石棺被发现时，就找专家来鉴定。据悉这个雕刻精美的大理石石棺是为公元1世纪一位富有的罗马贵族而制作的。

 

1 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

2 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

5 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

6 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

7 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。

8 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

11 engulfing   

adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house darkness. 一位摄影师把电灯的保险丝烧断了，使整栋房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A professional photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house in darkness. 一位职业摄影师把保险丝烧断了使整所房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自辞典例句

12 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

13 abattoir   

n.屠宰场，角斗场

参考例句：

• The sheep were driven to the local abattoir.羊被赶到当地的屠宰场。
• It was surreal meeting her at the abattoir.竟然会在屠宰场里遇见她，真离奇。

14 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

15 ketchup   

n.蕃茄酱，蕃茄沙司

参考例句：

• There's a spot of ketchup on the tablecloth.桌布上有一点番茄酱的渍斑。
• Could I have some ketchup and napkins,please?请给我一些番茄酱和纸手巾？

16 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

17 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

18 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

19 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

20 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

21 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

22 pensioner   

n.领养老金的人

参考例句：

• The tax threshold for a single pensioner is$ 445.单身领退休年金者的纳税起点为445英镑。
• It was the pensioner's vote late in the day that influenced the election of Mr.Sweet.最后是领取养老金者的选票影响了斯威特先生的当选。

23 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

24 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

25 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

26 aristocrat   

n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物

参考例句：

• He was the quintessential english aristocrat.他是典型的英国贵族。
• He is an aristocrat to the very marrow of his bones.他是一个道道地地的贵族。