英语听力精选进阶版 10001

The American billionaire and world’s first space tourist Dennis Tito has announced he will fund a manned mission to Mars in 2018. Mr. Tito said he was looking for a middle-aged¹ man and woman for the journey that would last about 500 days. He said the mission wouldn’t land but rather fly within 100miles of Mars and then use its gravitational pull to return to earth. Mr. Tito said the mission was needed to advance human knowledge and experience.

美国亿万富翁丹尼斯·蒂托是首位太空游客，日前他宣布赞助2018年载人登火星计划。蒂托说他正在寻找一名中年男子和一名中年女子来完成任务，这项旅程将需至少500天。他说这项任务不会在火星着陆，而是在距离火星100英里处飞行，然后使用其重力返回地球。蒂托说这项任务将扩展人类的知识和体验。

“We have not sent humans beyond the moon in 40 years. I’ve been waiting myself, and a lot of other people my age have been waiting and waiting. And I think it’s time to put an end to that lapse².”

“40年来我们一直没有将人类送入月球之外的太空，我一直在等待，我的很多同龄人也在等待，我想是时候开始了。”

The leader of Italy’s Five Star Protest Movement Beppe Grillo has told the BBC he will not support any new government and he expects fresh elections to be held within a year. Mr. Grillo said he believed the center-right would enter an unprecedented³ coalition⁴ with the center-left and his movement would be left in opposition⁵ but will triumph again in the longer term.

意大利“五星运动党”领袖贝佩·格里洛告诉BBC，他不会支持任何新政府，他希望年内能再次举行选举。格里说，他相信中间右派和中间左派将加入一个前所未有的联盟，而他的运动党将成为反对党，但从长远来看会胜利。

“Today in Italy what will happen is what happened before. The right, the left will get together and they will govern a country of rubble⁶ that they are responsible for. It will last one year. A year, maximum, then there will be elections again. And once again in the elections, the Five Star Movement will change the world.”

“今天意大利发生的事过去也发生过，右派、左派将联合起来组建一个废墟般的政府，而这样的政府正是他们打造的。这样的政府顶多一年就倒台，然后会再次选举，而五星运动党将在选举中再次改变世界。”

The political deadlock⁷ has raised Italy’s borrowing costs. The interest rate charged by investors⁸ buying government bonds has risen by 0.5%.

目前的政治僵局使得意大利的借贷成本上升，购买政府债券的投资者收取的利息上涨到0.5%。

The president of Italy Giorgio Napolitano has cancelled a dinner engagement in Berlin with the German opposition leader Peer Steinbruck after the latter said he was shocked that the Italian election had been won by two clowns. Mr. Steinbruck was referring to Beppe Grillo who was a professional comedian⁹ before entering politics and the scandal tainted¹⁰ former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

意大利反对派领袖佩尔·施泰因布吕克说，两个小丑在意大利的选举中胜出，他对此感到震惊。听闻此消息，原定与他在柏林举行餐会的意大利总统乔治·纳波利塔诺取消了这次会面。施泰因布吕克指的是前职业喜剧演员贝佩·格里洛，以及丑闻不断的前总理西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼。

A coalition of civil society groups in Kenya is warning about the threat of further violence ahead of Monday’s elections. The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights released a statement citing voter intimidation¹¹, hates speech and threats expulsion. Richard Hamilton reports.

肯尼亚民间组织联盟警告说，周一选举之前会有更严重的暴力活动。肯尼亚人权委员会发表声明称将会发生选民恐吓、憎恨演讲和威胁驱逐。理查德·汉密尔顿报道。

The coalition said that there had been a massive acquisition of pangas or machetes either for defensive¹² or offensive purposes. It said the chances of the same perpetrators carrying out similar atrocities¹³ as they had done five years ago were very high. It went on to say that in some parts of the country ethnic¹⁴ minorities had received leaflets telling them to leave. Politicians have publicly denounced tribalism and the police are promising¹⁵ that law and order will be maintained but nevertheless these are worrying signs for Kenya.

该联盟称有人弄到大批砍刀，或用来防御，或用来袭击。联盟称同样一批犯事者很可能再次重演五年前的类似暴行，称该国一些地方的少数民族收到让他们离开的传单。政客们公开谴责部落主义，警方承诺将维护法律和秩序，但对肯尼亚来说这一切都是值得担忧的信号。

More than 1,000 people were killed in clashes that followed the last election in 2007.

上次2007年选举后的暴力活动导致1000多人丧生。

World News from the BBC

The president of Chad Idriss Deby has urged West African countries to speed up the deployment¹⁶ of troops to northern Mali. Speaking at a regional summit, Mr. Deby said it was no longer the time for talk but for action. Chad sent more than 2,000 soldiers to northern Mali to help French and Malian forces oust¹⁷ Islamist and Tuareg insurgents¹⁸ but West African nations have been slow to fulfill¹⁹ a promise of sending about 8,000 troops there. More than 20 Chadian soldiers have been killed so far.

乍得总统伊德里斯·代比敦促西非国家加速向马里北部部署兵力。代比在地区峰会上发表讲话，他说时间紧迫，不能空谈只得行动。乍得向马里北部派出2000多名士兵来帮助法国和马里部队驱逐伊斯兰和图阿雷格叛军，但西非国家迟迟未能履行派出8000兵力的承诺。目前已有20多名乍得士兵牺牲。

The head of Mexico’s teachers union Elba Esther Gordillo has been formally charged with the use of illicit²⁰ funds and conspiracy²¹ at a court in Mexico City. Mrs. Gordillo, one of the most powerful people in the country was denied bail²². From Mexico City, here is Will Grant.

墨西哥城法院指控墨西哥教师联盟主席莫拉莱斯被控非法挪用资金和阴谋罪。莫拉莱斯是该国最有权势的人，法院不许对他进行保释。威尔·格兰特报道。

The image of the woman known as Elba Esther Gordillo behind bars is one which many people in Mexico never thought they would see. Flanked on either side by her co-accused, they heard the list of charges against them. Widely considered the most powerful woman in Mexico,she is accused of embezzling²³ more than 200 million dollars in funds destining for the coffers of the teaching union to her personal accounts and those of her associates. The attorney general accuses the union leader of having used the money to fund her lavish²⁴ lifestyle including on plastic surgery, a private jet and two homes in Santiago.

许多墨西哥人从未想到莫拉莱斯坐监这样的画面，她和同案被告站在一起，听着对他们的系列指控。一般认为莫拉莱斯是墨西哥最有权势的女人，如今她却被指控从教师联盟金库中挪用两亿多美元到自己和同伙账户中。首席检察官指控她使用这些资金满足自己奢侈的生活方式，包括整容、私人飞机和在圣地亚哥的两处房屋。

The American civil rights leader Rosa Parks has been honored with a commemorative statue in the capital building in Washington. Mrs. Parks who died in 2005 is widely regarded as the mother of the civil rights movement in the U.S. In 1955 she defiantly²⁵ refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in the racially segregated²⁶ city of Montgomery, Alabama. Unveiling the nine-foot bronze statue, President Obama said Rosa Parks had taken her rightful place among those who shaped American history.

华盛顿国会大厦内竖起美国民权领袖罗莎·帕克斯的铜像雕塑。2005年去世的帕克斯一向被视为美国民权运动之母，1955年，在阿拉巴马州蒙哥马利这个严重种族隔离城市的公车上，她断然拒绝为一名白人男子让座。总统奥巴马为这尊9英尺高的铜像揭幕，他说帕克斯以恰当的方式塑造了美国历史。

 

1 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

2 lapse   

n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效

参考例句：

• The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
• I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。

3 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

10 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

12 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

13 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

15 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

16 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

17 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

18 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

19 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

20 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

21 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

22 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。

23 embezzling   

v.贪污，盗用（公款）( embezzle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Accordingly, object embezzling waste to be carried temporarily the schedule of administration. 因此，反对贪污浪费就提上了临时中央政府的议事日程。 来自互联网
• Some were sentenced for taking bribes, others executed for embezzling funds. 有的因受贿而被判刑，有的因侵吞公款而被判处死刑。 来自互联网

24 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

25 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。