英语听力精选进阶版 7396（在线收听）

The United States government is giving $25 million this year to help political dissidents get around repression of the internet in autocratic countries. The American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, gave voice to people’s aspirations, and there was no turning back from an increasingly networked society.

今年，美国政府向政治异见分子提供2500万美元，帮助他们规避独裁国家对互联网的限制。美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿表示，Twitter和Facebook等社交网络能够表达民众的渴望，这是越来越网络化的社会不能否认的。

“The United States continues to help people in oppressive internet environments get around filters, stay one step ahead of the censors, the hackers and the thugs who beat them up or imprison them for what they say online. While the rights we seek to protect and support are clear, the various ways that these rights are violated are increasingly complex.”

“美国将继续帮助那些处于网络抑制环境中的人们规避过滤器，躲避检查，逃过黑客和暗杀团伙。尽管我们努力想要保护和支持的权利非常明显，然而这些权利被践踏的方式也越来越复杂。”

In the past few weeks, anti-government protests organised via the Internet and mobile phones have swept the Middle East and forced the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt from power.

过去几周，通过网络和手机组织的反政府抗议活动席卷中东地区，突尼斯和埃及总统被迫下台。

President Obama has sharply criticised Iran, saying that while the authorities there celebrated the fall of the Mubarak government in Egypt, they’d attacked and beaten their own citizens who’d held peaceful demonstrations. Mr Obama said he hoped protesters there would have the courage to continue expressing their yearning for greater freedom. From Washington, here’s Kim Ghattas.

奥巴马总统对伊朗提出严厉批评，称伊朗当局在庆祝埃及穆巴拉克政府垮台的同时却在袭击和殴打举行和平示威活动的本国公民。奥巴马总统表示，他希望伊朗抗议者有勇气继续表达自己对更大限度自由的渴望。华盛顿，Kim Ghattas报道。

President Barrack Obama came out in strong support of anti-government protesters in Tehran. Mr Obama also issued a direct appeal to autocratic rulers in the Arab world to look at Egypt’s example and listen to the needs of their people. “The world is changing”, said the American president, and leaders have to “get out ahead of the change”. They can’t be “behind the curve”. It was a warning to Arab rulers that if they don’t bring about credible reforms fast, they might meet the same fate as the former presidents of Egypt and Tunisia.

奥巴马总统对德黑兰的反政府抗议者表示强烈支持。奥巴马还直接呼吁阿拉伯世界的独裁统治者吸取埃及的教训，体谅民众的需求。“世界正在发生变化，”奥巴马说，各国领导人必须“在变化发生前及时规避”，而不是“落后于时代或潮流”。奥巴马警告阿拉伯统治者，如果他们不尽快进行可信的变革，他们将遭遇与埃及和突尼斯总统同样的命运。

Security forces in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, have used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters calling for the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down. It was the fifth consecutive day of demonstrations inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. President Saleh who’s been in power for almost 32 years has said he does not intend to continue beyond 2013, but his critics have demanded immediate political change.

也门首都萨那数千名反政府抗议者要求总统阿里·阿卜杜拉·萨利赫(Ali Abdullah Saleh)辞职，安全力量使用催泪弹和警棍来驱散抗议人群。这是由突尼斯和埃及的起义引发的示威活动的连续第五天。执政接近32年的萨利赫总统表示，他在2013年后无意继续执政，但是他的批评者要求立即进行政治变革。

The World Bank says rising food prices have pushed an extra 44 million people into poverty since last June. The Bank’s food price index has shot up by 15% in the last four months alone. Mark Doyle reports.

世界银行表示，不断上涨的粮食价格造成自去年6月份以来又有4400万人进入贫困状态。世界银行粮食价格指数仅在过去四个月就上涨了15%。Mark Doyle报道。

The World Bank figures show sharp price increases in wheat, maize, sugar, and edible oils over the past six months, with prices almost reaching the peaks of the year 2008 when there were food riots in a number of countries in the developing world. Wheat and maize are the basis of many poorer people’s diets. But the poor suffer a double whammy because they also spend a larger proportion of their income on food than those in richer countries.

世界银行的数字显示，过去六个月，小麦，玉米，食糖和食用油的价格大幅上涨，价格几乎达到2008年的最高峰。当时，几个发展中国家因为粮食引发了暴动。小麦和玉米是许多较贫困人口饮食的基础。但是贫困人口受到的影响是双重的，因为他们比较发达国家的人们花费收入中更大的份额来购买食物。

World News from the BBC.

The authorities in South Sudan say about 200 people were killed during clashes last week with rebels, doubling the previous estimate. Officials and aid workers said most of those who died were civilians, including women, children and priests. Many of them drowned as they tried to cross a river.

南苏丹当局表示，大约200人在上周与反叛分子的冲突中遇难，是此前估计数字的两倍。官员和救助人员表示，大部分遇难者为平民，包括妇女，儿童和牧师。许多人在试图渡河时溺亡。

A group of six Nigerian men and one Zambian have appeared in court in South Africa, accused of impersonating doctors and also charged with fraud, corruption and indecent assault. A local healthcare group said it’s concerned that thousands of patients may have been misdiagnosed. The men did not enter a plea.

六名尼日利亚人和一名赞比亚人在南非出庭受审，被指控假扮医生，被控有诈骗，腐败和猥亵罪。当地一家医疗组织表示，他们担心有数千名病人被误诊。被告还没有进入抗辩阶段。

A judge in the Italian city of Milan has ordered the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial on charges that he paid an underage girl for sex. Mr Berlusconi is alleged to have paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl. In Italian law that’s underage to be a prostitute. Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome.

A judge in Milan says there’s enough evidence to indict Silvio Berlusconi on two counts. The first is that he paid a 17-year-old prostitute for sex. The second is that he used the power of his office to get her release from police custody after she was picked up on an unrelated theft charge. Both Mr Berlusconi and the teenager, known as Ruby, denied they had sex. Mr Berlusconi admits he did call the police on her behalf, but only because he was told Ruby was the niece of the then president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and that he was helping a fellow leader. The head of Italy’s main opposition party has tonight called for Mr Berlusconi to resign.

The Spanish Cycling Federation has cleared the reigning Tour de France champion, Alberto Contador, of using performance-enhancing drugs and reversed its one-year ban. It means the Spaniard can compete again immediately. He’s expected to start the Tour of Algarve in Portugal on Wednesday. Contador who’s won the Tour de France three times has insisted he’d taken the prohibited drug, clenbuterol, accidentally by eating a contaminated steak.

西班牙自行车联盟澄清，环法自行车赛冠军康塔多(Alberto Contador)并没有服用增强表现的药物，取消了一年的参赛禁令。这意味着这名西班牙选手可以立即参加比赛。预期他将在下周三参加葡萄牙的环阿尔加维自行车比赛。曾经三次夺得环法自行车赛冠军的Contador坚持称他食用受污染的猪排时意外食用了禁用药物双氯醇胺。