英语听力精选进阶版 14242

Edward Snowden still in transit¹

Summary

12 July 2013

Edward Snowden, the man who leaked information about US intelligence, is expected to meet with human rights groups in Moscow today. The former CIA contractor² is wanted by the US on charges of giving away secrets about US spying schemes. 

Reporter:

Steven Rosenberg

Report

He's been stuck in the transit zone of Moscow airport for nearly three weeks - unable to enter Russia or to fly out. Now it appears that Edward Snowden has called a meeting at the airport to discuss his predicament. 

Among those he has reportedly emailed invitations to are representatives of human rights organisations and prominent³ Russian lawyers. In one email, allegedly from Mr Snowden, which has been made public by the group Human Rights Watch, the 30-year-old American complained that the US government was waging an "unlawful campaign" to prevent him from securing⁴ asylum⁵.

The head of the press office at Sheremetevo airport confirmed a meeting would take place in the transit area. It's scheduled for 5 o'clock this afternoon Moscow time.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

3 prominent   

adj.突出的；显著的；杰出的；重要的

参考例句：

• He is prominent in science.他是科学界杰出的人物。
• That school is prominent in baseball.那个学校以棒球著称。

4 securing   

保护( secure的现在分词 )； （使）获得； 使安全； 担保

参考例句：

• She did not take into account how much liberty she was securing. 她并不考虑自己已获得了多少自由。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Longfellow was lucky in securing a professorship of modern languages at Harvard. 朗费罗能够在哈佛大学当上现代语言教授是出于幸运。

5 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。