英语听力精选进阶版 7583（在线收听）

Official figures released in the United States, the world's largest economy, show that the income of the average household fell last year and that more Americans than ever are living in poverty. Paul Adams reports from Washington.

世界最大的经济体美国发布的官方数据显示，去年，普通家庭的收入下降，生活在贫困中的人数达到历史新高。Paul Adams在华盛顿报道。

Yet again, figures which show that the economic recovery is not being felt by America's less advantaged citizens. African Americans and Hispanic communities are disproportionately affected, as are the less well-educated, the young and people living in the south. It's probably the decline in median income, down 2.3%, that'll worry politicians most since the battle for middle-class votes will be vital in next year's presidential election. The figures come just as President Obama hits the road trying to sell a $450bn jobs package. He faces an uphill struggle.

数据再次显示美国较贫困的公民并未感受到经济复苏。非裔美国人和西班牙裔美国人社区受到的影响更加不成比例，教育水平较低的人，年轻人和居住在南方的居民也是如此。全民收入中间值下降了2.3%，这是让政客们感到最担忧的，因为中产阶级的投票对于明年的总统选举来说是非常关键的。该数据发布之时，奥巴马总统正试图兜售他的价值4500亿美元的就业计划。他面临非常艰难的挑战。

Taliban fighters have carried out a series of attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul, including the district where foreign embassies are located. Quentin Sommerville reports from Kabul.

塔利班战士在阿富汗首都喀布尔发动了一系列袭击，包括外国大使馆所在的地区。Quentin Sommerville在喀布尔报道。

In the heart of Kabul's embassy district, a Taliban rocket lands in one of the city's busiest streets. The target was the US embassy. There staff were told to take cover. On the streets, Afghan police fired at the attackers who'd taken refuge in a high-rise building. In the west of the city, another two suicide attackers detonated explosives outside a police station. A third was killed as he tried to make it into the airport. A jail run by the intelligence service was also a target. The Nato-led mission's headquarters came under attack too. Yet again, the insurgents are demonstrating that they can hit the Afghan government and its allies even in one of the most heavily fortified parts of the city.

在喀布尔使馆区中心，塔利班向这座城市最繁华的街道之一发射了一枚火箭弹，目标是美国大使馆。使馆工作人员已被告知隐蔽起来。在街道上，阿富汗警方向在高层建筑中躲藏的袭击者开火。在这座城市西部，另外两名自杀式爆炸者在一个警察局外引爆了炸药。第三人在试图前往机场时被击毙。情报部门运营的一座监狱也是袭击目标。北约领导的任务总部也遭遇袭击。然而，反叛分子再次表明他们在这座城市防守最严密的地区袭击阿富汗政府及其盟国。

The new director of the CIA, David Petraeus, says al-Qaeda's core operation has been weakened, but the United States faces a long-term threat from the network's supporters around the world. Mr Petraeus said that heavy casualties among the leadership of al-Qaeda had weakened the network in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

中央情报局新任局长大卫·彼得雷乌斯(David Petraeus)表示，基地组织的核心运作已经被削弱，但是美国面临该网络在全世界支持者的长期威胁。彼得雷乌斯表示，基地组织头目的惨重伤亡已经削弱了巴基斯坦和阿富汗的网络。

"The CIA assesses that 10 years after the 9/11 attacks, the United States continues to face a serious threat from al-Qaeda and its worldwide network of affiliates and sympathisers. Of significance though, heavy losses to al-Qaeda's senior leadership appear to have created an important window of vulnerability for the core al-Qaeda organisation in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Exploiting that window will, however, require a sustained focused effort.

“CIA估计，9.11袭击十年之后，美国继续面临基地组织及其在全世界范围内的附属机构和同情者的严重威胁。然而，重要的一点是，基地组织高层遭遇的严重损失似乎已经使基地组织在巴基斯坦和阿富汗的核心运作非常脆弱。然而，要利用这种脆弱性仍然需要持久的努力。”

The International Criminal Court is being asked to investigate Pope Benedict and three senior cardinals over their alleged failure to prevent child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests and punish those responsible. A complaint filed by a New York-based legal charity which represents some of the victims argues that rape and sexual violence constitute crimes against humanity. The court hasn't commented.

国际刑事法庭被要求调查教皇本笃和三名资深红衣主教，他们被控未能防止罗马天主教神父的虐童行为，未能惩罚责任人。代表受害者的纽约一家司法慈善机构递交的投诉辩称，强奸和性暴力已经构成违反人性的罪行。国际刑事法庭未就此发表评论。

World News from the BBC

Algeria has passed wide-ranging reforms of the media, ending a state monopoly on broadcasting. The government said the move was part of a package of reforms announced by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April this year. Algeria has witnessed waves of popular demonstrations in line with other countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Journalists will no longer face imprisonment for libel but will be issued with fines instead.

阿尔及利亚通过了广泛的媒体改革措施，终止了国家对广播的垄断。政府表示，此举是总统布特弗利卡(Abdelaziz Bouteflika)今年四月份宣布的改革措施的一部分。阿尔及利亚目睹了与北非和中东地区其他国家一样大规模的公众示威活动。记者不会再因诽谤而入狱，取而代之的是罚款。

The prosecutor's office in Paris says it has opened an inquiry into allegations that the former French President Jacques Chirac accepted money from African leaders when he was in office. The prosecutor's office said its financial division would question the French lawyer who made the allegations, Robert Bourgi, who has said he was the go-between in the transactions. Mr Chirac has denied the allegations.

巴黎检控官办公室表示，有人指控前总统雅克·希拉克(Jacques Chirac)在位时曾经收受非洲领导人的钱财，目前已经就此展开调查。检控官办公室表示，金融部门将询问作出该指控的法国律师Robert Bourgi。此人声称他是这种交易的中间人。希拉克否认了这些指控。

A rush hour collision involving a bus and two trains in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires has killed at least nine people and left more than 200 injured, some of them seriously. Footage from closed-circuit television cameras show the bus trying to cross a level crossing with the barrier half-closed when a train smashed into it.

阿根廷首都布宜诺斯艾利斯出行高峰期一辆巴士和两辆火车相撞，造成至少9人死亡，200多人受伤，其中一些人伤势严重。闭路电视画面显示，这辆巴士试图在栅栏半关闭时通过平交路口，这时一辆货车冲了过来。

The British artist Richard Hamilton, who was the pioneer of pop art in the 1950s, has died at the age of 89. During his career, he produced paintings, prints and sculptures but will be best remembered for his collages, as Keith Adams reports.

五十年代波普艺术之父，英国艺术家理查德·汉弥尔敦(Richard Hamilton)去世，享年89岁。在他的职业生涯中，他创作了油画，报刊和雕塑，但是最著名的是他的抽象拼贴画。Keith Adams报道。

The work that brought Richard Hamilton to prominence in 1956 was Just What is it That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? The collage shows a scantily clad body builder holding a lollipop bearing the word "pop". His work's elevation of popular culture inspired Andy Warhol and earned him his reputation as the father of pop art. Another well-known piece is his cover of the White Album by the Beatles, simply the band's name embossed on a white square.

1956年使理查德·汉弥尔敦(Richard Hamilton)成名的作品是“到底是什么使今日的家庭如此非凡迷人”。波普这个词写在一个肌肉发达、正在做着健美动作的男人握着的棒棒糖形状的网球拍上。他的作品的文化高度激发了安迪·沃霍尔(Andy Warhol)的灵感，并为他自己赢得了波普之父的美誉。另外一件著名的作品是为披头士乐队的专辑《White Album》设计的封面，和花里胡哨的拼贴画作品不同，这张封面没有一点图像，仅是一片纯白和两行不起眼的字，标注出唱片名和披头士乐队名。