英语听力精选进阶版 14038

Greece suspends foreign airmail

Summary

3 November 2010

Greece has suspended all foreign airmail for two days after a number of parcel bombs were sent to people across Europe. A plane made an emergency landing when a bomb addressed to the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was discovered.

Reporter:

Malcolm Brabant

Report

The cargo¹ plane was en route from Athens to Paris, when officials at a courier company realised it was carrying a parcel for Mr Berlusconi and ordered the pilot to land at Bologna.

The package caught fire when it was examined by Italian authorities. The booby-trapped parcel was one of five that were intended for targets across Europe. One reached the office of the German Chancellor², Angela Merkel, and was neutralised by police. Two others, bound for the Europol headquarters and the European Court of Justice, were destroyed in controlled explosions by the Greek bomb squad³ at Athens airport. A fifth, intended for the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was carried by one of two suspects arrested on Monday.

In all, the left-wing group responsible for the attacks, believed to be the Conspiracy⁴ of the Cells of Fire, has despatched more than 13 devices and the Greek authorities fear that some have not yet reached their targets.

The Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou, says he will be "merciless" to those who are trying to rock social peace and hurt the country's image during a very difficult period.

Malcolm Brabant, BBC News, Athens

1 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

2 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

3 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

4 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。