英语听力精选进阶版 7686（在线收听）

The Syrian government has continued major assaults against opposition strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus and other cities like Homs and Hama with at least 40 people reported to have been killed today. Meanwhile, the White House said discussions were continuing with Russia since Moscow still says it will veto any United Nations Security Council resolution calling on President Assad to step down. From Washington, Paul Adams.

叙利亚政府继续在大马士革郊区和诸如胡姆斯和哈马等市对反对派据点发起总攻，据悉今天就有至少40人丧生。同时，白宫称，由于莫斯科仍表示否决联合国安理会任何要求阿萨德总统下台的决议，因此与俄罗斯的谈判仍在进行中。Paul Adams在华盛顿报道。

Hillary Clinton said the UN Security Council must make it clear to the Syrian government that the world regards its actions as a threat to peace and security. The international community, she said, should send a clear message to the Syrian people: "We stand with you." At the White House, meanwhile, the president's spokesman Jay Carney said Bashar al-Assad's fall was inevitable and governments needed to bear this in mind when deciding where they stood. He didn't point the finger directly at Moscow, but he said that those who prop up what he called a brutal regime would find themselves in a small minority.

The United States has confirmed that several US citizens have taken refuge in the American embassy in Cairo following moves by Egypt against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. A White House spokesman said the US had made clear its disappointment over the issue to Egypt's governing military council. Jon Leyne reports from Cairo.

美国已确认，因为埃及反对由外国财政支持的亲民主组织，几名美国公民已在美国驻开罗使馆寻求避难。一名白宫发言人说，美国表示，在这件事上对埃及执政的军事委员会很失望。Jon Leyne在开罗报道。

This is the latest twist in a growing row between the United States and Egypt. It follows raids in December on organisations in Egypt that support human rights. Two of those organisations are American-funded institutes. As part of the ongoing investigation, 10 American and European citizens who work for the organisations have been banned from leaving Egypt. Washington has already threatened to withhold more than $1bn a year it pays to the Egyptian military because of the row.

美国和埃及的不和一直在升级，最近的这件事是个转折。此前的去年12月，驻埃及支持人权的组织遭受过袭击。其中的两个组织是由美国提供资金赞助的机构。为了调查此事，埃及禁止在这两个组织做事的10名美国和欧洲公民离开本国。这场争端发生后，华盛顿曾威胁暂停向埃及军方提供的每年10多亿资金。

At a summit in Brussels, 25 out of the 27 countries in the European Union have agreed to sign a fiscal pact. The Czech Republic has joined Britain in refusing to enter the agreement which sets up stricter budgetary rules to prevent future debt crises. EU leaders discussed ways to stimulate economic growth despite the imposition of austerity budgets in many member countries.

在布鲁塞尔峰会上，欧盟27国中的25国已同意签署一份财政协议。捷克共和国和英国立场一致，拒绝加入该协议，因为协议将设置更严格的预算制度以预防未来债务危机的发生。尽管许多盟国都实施了紧缩的预算政策，欧盟领导人们还是探讨了刺激经济增长的办法。

The governor of Warrap state in South Sudan says she's seen the bodies of 74 people who were killed in a cattle raid on Saturday. James Copnall reports.

南苏丹Warrap州州长称，她看到在周四的牧牛袭击中，有74具被杀者的尸体。James Copnall报道。

Among the dead were 45 women and children, according to the Warrap state governor Nyangdeng Malek. They had travelled to two cattle camps to find water, which at this time of the year is scarce. The governor told the BBC 72 wounded people were being treated in hospital and nine people were still missing. She and others say the attackers came from neighbouring Unity state. They apparently stole thousands of heads of cattle. Ms Malek wasn't sure whether the attackers were armed civilians or members of a militia group.

据Warrap州州长Nyangdeng Malek称，死者中有45名妇女和儿童。他们当时正走向两处牧牛营地，以寻找水源，而今年这个时候水很匮乏。州长告诉BBC，72名伤者正在医院治疗，仍有9人下落不明。她和其他人都说，袭击者来自邻近的团结州。他们显然偷走了数千头牛，Malek不清楚这些袭击者是否是持枪平民，还是民兵组织成员。

World News from the BBC

A major United Nations report says current economic strategies are unsustainable for the long-term well-being of humanity and the environment. The report says the quest for economic growth is leading to increased social inequality , environmental degradation and economic decline. The report recommends the reform of financial markets.

联合国一份重要报告称，当前的经济策略不是可持续性的，难以保障人类长远的福祉和环境的维护。报告称，对经济增长的追求导致社会越来越不公平，以及环境恶化和经济下滑。报告建议对金融市场进行改革。

A judge in Haiti has said he'll recommend that the former President Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as "Baby Doc", should face trial on corruption charges but not for human rights abuses during his 15-year rule. Mr Duvalier returned to Haiti a year ago after 25 years in exile . Here's our Americas editor James Read.

海地一名法官称，他将向人称“医生宝贝”的前总统杜瓦利埃进言，建议他接受对他执政15年间的腐败指控，但不接受侵犯人权的指控。经过25年的流放后，杜瓦利埃一年前返回海地。BBC驻美洲编辑James Read报道。

The news that "Baby Doc" Duvalier is likely to be prosecuted for alleged corruption will give some succour to his many critics who feared he might never face justice. But any joy will be overshadowed by the recommendation that he be spared prosecution for the many atrocities committed during his rule. Human rights groups argue that under international law there can be no statute of limitations for crimes against humanity. Mr Duvalier's lawyers have already said they'll appeal against any decision to put him on trial.

“医生宝贝”杜瓦利埃可能要被以腐败罪起诉的消息传来，给那些担心永远无法制裁他的人一些安慰。但欣喜之余，令人郁闷的是，法官建议对他执政期间犯下的诸多暴行既往不咎。人权组织称，根据国际法，不存在对侵犯人权罪法令的限制。杜瓦利埃的律师已表示，他们将对任何审判杜瓦利埃的决定进行上诉。

The campaign organisation Human Rights Watch says 35 Ethiopian Christians are facing deportation from Saudi Arabia after police arrested them for "illicit mingling" of the sexes at a private prayer gathering before Christmas. Human Rights Watch said 29 of the Christians were women who, according to three of them, were subjected to arbitrary body cavity searches while in prison.

A new study has recommended that doctors take blood pressure readings from both arms rather than just one. In a detailed review of medical literature, researchers in Britain found that measuring a significant difference between the readings from each arm could help doctors more readily detect the possibility of strokes and a range of frequently fatal conditions.

一份最新研究建议医生以后测量血压时，应两条胳膊都测，而不是只测一条胳膊。在一份详尽的医学文献中，英国研究人员称，他们发现，测量出两条胳膊血压读数的显著差异，可以帮助医生更快确诊病人患中风等一系列致命疾病的可能性。