英语听力精选进阶版 10008

The coffin¹ of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is inching its way through a huge crowd of his supporters in the streets of the capital Caracas. The vice² president, Nicolas Maduro, who was chosen by Mr Chavez as his successor, is heading the procession in a tracksuit in the colours of the Venezuelan flag. The president’s body will lie in state at a military academy before his funeral on Friday. Will Grant reports.

委内瑞拉已故总统乌戈·查韦斯的灵柩缓缓驶过首都加拉加斯的大街，周围是他的众多支持者。副总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗是查韦斯选的接班人，他身穿国旗色的运动装，走在送丧的人群前面。周五举行葬礼之前，总统的遗体将陈放在一所军校里。威尔·格兰特报道。

For his most devoted³ supporters, it was a chance to bid their leader, their commandant, goodbye. For many the death of Hugo Chavez has been a moment of visceral raw grief as though they’d lost a family member.

对查韦斯最热忱的支持者来说，这是一个向其领袖和指挥官告别的机会。对很多人来说，乌戈·查韦斯去世像失去家人一般令人悲痛。

“Chavez lives. Chavez lives because I am Chavez and because most of us are Chavez. Long live Chavez!”

“查韦斯永在，我就是查韦斯，我们大多数人都是查韦斯，因此查韦斯永在，查韦斯万岁！”

“Chavez hasn’t died. The revolution goes on.”

“查韦斯没有去世，革命还将继续。”

Hero or authoritarian⁴, champion of the poor or autocrat⁵, Chavez represented many things to many people.

无论是被视为英雄还是独裁者，穷人的后盾还是专断者，查韦斯对很多人来说意味着很多。

Armed rebel fighters in Syria have seized about 20 United Nations peacekeepers in the Golan Heights. Reports say all the captives are from the Philippines. The UN Security Council has demanded their release. Here’s James Reynolds.

叙利亚武装叛军在戈兰高地逮捕了20多名联合国维和人员，报道称所有俘虏都是菲律宾人。联合国安理会要求释放全部俘虏，詹姆斯·雷诺兹报道。

A video posted online shows a group of Syrian rebels standing⁶ on a road next to three white UN vehicles. The cars’ engines are still running. The pictures briefly⁷ show two men wearing the UN observer uniform of blue flak jacket and helmet sitting in their trunk at the back of the small convoy⁸. In a statement, the UN confirms that around 20 of its peacekeepers have been detained. It says that the observers were stopped on a regular supply mission near a post that had recently been abandoned because of heavy fighting in the area.

发布在网络上的视频显示一群叙利亚叛军站在路上，旁边是三辆白色的联合国车辆，车的引擎仍在运转。画面还瞬时显示小车队后面有两名身穿联合国观察员制服—蓝色防弹衣和头盔—的男子坐在卡车上。联合国在声明中确认约20名维和人员被捕，称这些观察员是在一个哨卡履行常规供给任务时被阻拦的，此地最近因激烈的战斗被抛弃不管。

A row has broken out in Kenya over whether spoiled ballots⁹ should be included in the presidential vote. The coalition¹⁰ led by Uhuru Kenyatta says rejected ballots should not be included in the final tally¹¹, something which would help his chances of winning the presidency¹². Correspondents say Kenyans are becoming anxious about the delay in finalising the results.

肯尼亚目前就是否将废票记入总统选票展开争论，乌呼鲁·肯雅塔的联盟称废票不该记入最终点票，这样做的话他赢得总统的几率就大了。记者称肯尼亚人延误会影响最终结果。

The UN has agreed to lift temporarily the embargo¹³ on light weapons in Somalia, the world’s oldest weapons blockade. The new government had been lobbying to have the sanctions lifted. Barbara Plett reports.

联合国同意暂时取消对索马里轻型武器禁运令，该国是全世界实施武器禁运最久的国家。新政府一直游说希望取消禁令，Barbara Plett报道。

The resolution eases a UN arms embargo imposed in 1992 as warlords battling for control of Somalia began a long civil war. Now Somalia is trying to establish its first functioning government after two decades of chaos¹⁴ and says that security forces need more weapons to consolidate¹⁵ gains in the fight against Islamist militants¹⁶. So the Security Council has partially¹⁷ lifted the arms embargo for one year, allowing the authorities to buy light weapons. But recognising that the country is still very fragile, it kept a ban on heavy weapons and added new measures to monitor arms purchases.

1992年军阀为争夺对索马里的控制展开混战，并导致内战，联合国当时就实施了武器禁运，目前联合国的决议取消了该禁令。经过20年的困乱，现在索马里试图建立首个健全的政府，称安全部队需要更多武器来强化与伊斯兰武装分子战斗的成果。因此安理会就部分取消了武器禁运措施，有效期为一年，允许当局购买轻型武器。但联合国也承认该国仍不稳定，于是禁止购买重型武器，并采取新措施来监督武器购买情况。

BBC News

The US House of Representatives has passed a stop-gap bill that will keep the government operating as the White House grapples with spending cuts due to come into force automatically at the end of the month. The bill approved by the Republican-controlled House is designed to ease deep cuts across the defence department that came into effect last week. But Democrats¹⁸ hope to expand it to cover other departments when the bill goes to the Senate.

美国众议院通过一项权益法案，使得政府能保持运作，目前白宫因即将于本月底自动生效的开支削减措施而争论不休。共和党控制的众议院通过此法案，目的是缓和上周在国防部实施的大幅度削减措施。但民主党希望在法案进入参议院时能扩展到其他部门。

The Supreme¹⁹ Administrative²⁰ Court in Ukraine has ordered that the lawyer defending the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko should be stripped of the seat he has in parliament. It means Serhiy Vlasenko loses his parliamentary immunity²¹ and can himself be prosecuted²². Mr Vlasenko leads the legal team representing Ms Tymoshenko who is in prison for exceeding her authority while in office and is facing further charges of tax evasion²³ and a contract murder. She said her lawyer had highlighted the absurdity²⁴ of her judicial²⁵ harassment²⁶.

乌克兰最高行政法院下令剥夺前总理尤利娅·季莫申科的辩护律师在议院的席位，这意味着谢尔盖·瓦拉森科要失去他在议会豁免权，并可以被起诉。季莫申科因任职期间越权而入狱，还面临逃税和协约谋杀罪，她的案子由瓦拉森科负责的律师团代理。她说她的律师指出了其司法骚扰的荒谬。

French scientists believe they have come a step closer to understanding how the Vikings were able to navigate²⁷ across the sea well before the invention of the magnetic compass. A crystal found in the wreckage²⁸ of a British ship in the English Channel is believed to be what was referred as a “sunstone” in ancient Norse literature. It’s thought the crystal was used to pinpoint²⁹ the sun’s position. Here’s Hugh Schofield.

法国科学家认为进一步了解为何维京人能在指南针发明之前航行大海之谜。据悉，在英吉利海峡一艘英国船只废墟中发现的一颗水晶就是古挪威文学中所指的“太阳石”。据悉这种水晶可用来确定太阳的位置，休·斯科菲尔德报道。

An oblong crystal the size of a cigarette packet was found on a ship next to a pair of dividers, suggesting that it was part of the navigational equipment. It’s now been shown that the crystal is of Iceland spar, a form of calcite, which is known for its property of diffracting light into two separate rays. Testing a similar crystal, the team of scientists from Rennes University in France shows that by rotating it you can find the point where the two beams converge³⁰ and that indicates the direction of the sun. It works on cloudy days and when the sun has set.

科学家在船只废墟中一对圆规旁边发现一块香烟盒大小的长方形水晶，表明这是航行设备的一部分。据信这种水晶是冰洲石，是方解石的一种，这种石头可以将光衍射称各种光线。法国雷恩大学的科学家小组通过测试类似的水晶发现，转动这种水晶可以发现两个光柱的汇合点，这样就能指明太阳的方向。这种石头在阴天和太阳落山时仍然有用。

 

1 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。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

4 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

5 autocrat   

n.独裁者；专横的人

参考例句：

• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。
• The nobles tried to limit the powers of the autocrat without success.贵族企图限制专制君主的权力,但没有成功。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

8 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

9 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

12 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

13 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

14 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。

15 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

16 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

17 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

18 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

20 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

21 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

22 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

23 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

24 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

25 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

26 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

27 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

28 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

29 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

30 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。