英语听力精选进阶版 7518（在线收听）

The former head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been released from house arrest in New York, where he's been facing allegations of attempting to rape a hotel maid. The judge said the case against him was not closed, but he released him without bail. Mr Strauss-Kahn's release follows reports that the prosecution had new doubts about the maid's credibility as a witness. But the alleged victim's lawyer Kenneth Thompson said his client stood by her account.

IMF前总裁卡恩从纽约的软禁中获释。他面临试图强奸酒店一名女服务员的指控。法官表示，该案件并没有结束，但是在不需保释的情况下将其释放。卡恩获释是由于检方对女服务员的可信性提出了新的疑点。但是受害人的律师Kenneth Thompson表示，他的当事人坚持自己的陈述。

"We believe that the district attorney is laying a foundation to dismiss this case. Anyone can see that. They agreed to let Dominique Strauss-Kahn freely roam the streets of New York City or any other city in the United States, knowing full well that the victim to this very day maintains that he sexually assaulted her in that room, knowing very well to this very day that the forensic evidence shows that."

“我们相信地区律师试图提出证据将该案件驳回。任何人都能看到这一点。在知道受害人坚持称卡恩对他实施了性侵犯行为，在了解所有法医证据支持这一点的情况下，他们仍然赞同卡恩在纽约或者美国任何一个城市的街头自由活动。”

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Syria in some of the biggest demonstrations yet against President Bashar al-Assad. Activists say at least 10 people were shot dead by the security forces across the country. Owen Bennett-Jones reports from neighbouring Lebanon.

叙利亚全国各地数万人走向街头，发起反对总统阿萨德的最大规模的示威活动。活动积极分子表示，全国至少有10人被安全力量击毙。Owen Bennett-Jones在邻国黎巴嫩报道。

The stalemate in Syria continues. Reports from the country say there were large protests after Friday prayers with a particularly big gathering in the city of Hama, where the authorities were reported to have reduced their security presence in recent days. But in some other places, the Syrian state is still using force to impose its writ. Opposition activists say that in just two days, at least 14 people have been killed in the northwest of the country.

叙利亚的僵局仍然持续着。来自叙利亚的报道称，周五的祈祷过后发生了大规模的抗议活动，哈马市举行了大型集会，据报道，最近几天官方减少了安全力量的人数。但是在其他一些地方，叙利亚仍然在使用武力强行执行命令。反对派活动积极分子表示，仅仅在两天之内，国家西北部至少14人被杀害。

Russia says it's planning to create two specialist army brigades to be stationed in the Arctic, where large oil and gas reserves are thought to be lying under the ocean. The defence ministry announcement came a day after the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia would strongly defend its interests in the region.

俄罗斯称计划组建两个专家军团进驻北极。据称，北极海底含有丰富的石油和天然气储备。国防部宣布该决定一天之前，总理普京表示，俄罗斯将强力保卫自己在该地区的利益。

"I would like to emphasise that Russia certainly intends to expand its presence in the Arctic. We're open for dialogue with our foreign partners, with all our neighbours in the Arctic region. But of course we shall protect our own geopolitical interests firmly and consistently."

“我要强调的是，俄罗斯计划增加驻北极的人数。我们将与国外合作者，与北极地区所有盟国展开对话。但是当然，我们将坚定地保护我们的地理政治利益。”

The authorities in Cuba have released more details of their plans to allow people to buy and sell their cars and homes for the first time in 50 years. The new laws will open up a private property market and enable Cubans to buy any car they can afford. Private property has been severely restricted since the communist revolution in 1959.

古巴当局更详细地披露了允许民众购买和出售汽车和房屋的计划。这在50年来还是首次。新的法律将开创一个私有财产交易市场，允许古巴人购买任何可以支付的起的汽车。自1959年古巴共产主义革命以来，私有财产是受到严厉禁止的。

Officials in Colombia say one of the main witnesses in a court case investigating politicians' links to right-wing paramilitaries has been killed. Luis Eduardo Gomez, a journalist, was shot dead by gunmen in his home in Arboletes, in the northwest. He's the second witness in the case to be killed this week.

哥伦比亚官员表示，调查政客与右翼预备役之间关系的案件的主要目击者被杀害。新闻记者Luis Eduardo Gomez在西北部阿沃莱特斯的家中被一名枪手枪杀。他是本周内第二名被杀害的目击者。

World News from the BBC

The new American Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says he'll make sure the United States military remains the "strongest" in the world, despite pressure on its budget. He made the comment shortly after being sworn in. From Washington, Paul Adams.

美国新任国防部长帕内特(Leon Panetta)表示，他将确保美国的军队是世界上最强大的，尽管国防部面临预算压力。就任国防部长之后不久，他发表了这番讲话。Paul Adams在华盛顿报道。

This week has seen a changing of the guard across Washington's security establishment and a rare example of bipartisan agreement. With barely a murmur of dissent, Leon Panetta has taken over at the Pentagon, and General David Petraeus has stepped into his shoes at the CIA. The outgoing Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who's served President Obama and his predecessor George Bush, leaves office amid near universal praise.

本周，华盛顿安全机构更换人员，而且两党罕见地达成了一致。在几乎没有任何异议的情况下，帕内特接管了五角大楼，彼得雷乌斯将军接管他的职位，担任中央情报局局长。国防部长罗伯特·盖茨曾经在奥巴马总统和布什总统任期内任职，在普遍的赞誉声中离职。

At least two people have been killed after clashes broke out at a huge camp for Somali refugees in northeastern Kenya. The UN refugee agency says dozens more were injured after police used tear gas and live ammunition to clear some illegal structures at the camp at Dadaab on Thursday.

肯尼亚东北部一个巨大的索马里难民营爆发冲突，造成至少2人死亡。联合国难民机构表示，周四，警方使用催泪弹和实弹拆除达达阿布(Dadaab)的一些非法建筑，造成几十人受伤。

An Italian engineering firm has sacked half of its workforce, but all the 13 people made redundant were women. The decision has been criticised, as Duncan Kennedy reports from Rome.

意大利一家工程公司解雇了一半的工作人员，但是被解雇的所有13人都是女性。该决定受到了批评。Duncan Kennedy在罗马报道。

Ma-Vib, which is based near Milan, is a family-owned business making electric fans and heating equipment. The company reportedly justified its decision by saying it was making only women redundant so they can stay at home and look after children and because what they bring in is a second income. One of Italy's biggest unions condemned the move, saying it represented what it called the same old thinking about women's role in society. In a statement, the company told the BBC it didn't discriminate against women, but that the firm was going through a bad time, and that the area worst affected was where women worked.

位于米兰的Ma-Vib是一家家族式的制造电风扇和加热设备的公司。据报道，该公司称他们解雇这些女员工的理由是可以让他们待在家中照顾孩子，可以赚取第二份收入。意大利最大的工会谴责了该行为，称这代表了对女性在社会中的角色的传统看法。在声明中，该公司告诉BBC，他们并不歧视任何女性，但是公司正面临艰难的境地，而受影响最严重的就是女性工作的领域。

The defending champion Rafael Nadal will play the Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic in the men's final at Wimbledon. Nadal beat Britain's Andy Murray in four sets in his semi-final.

在温布尔登男子单打网球决赛中，卫冕冠军纳达尔将对阵塞尔维亚网球明星德约科维奇。在半决赛中，纳达尔在四局中战胜了英国选手安迪·穆雷。