英语听力精选进阶版 7691（在线收听）

Syrian state media say a senior army officer has been shot dead in Damascus as violence continues around the country. The killing of Brigadier-General Issa al-Khouli is thought to be the first such assassination since the uprising against President Assad began last March. From neighbouring Lebanon, Jim Muir reports.

Syrian state television announced that General Issa al-Khouli was shot dead by gunmen lying in wait for him outside his house in north Damascus. The authorities blamed his death squarely on what it called armed terrorist groups, but activist organisations said the style of his killing had all the hallmarks of the regime on it and accused it of carrying out the murder. However, there are reports of Islamic militants crossing into Syria from Iraq, where just such killings still take place frequently. For the regime, all armed opponents are terrorists, so actions like the car bombs in Aleppo and the murder of General Khouli clearly play into its hands.

Police in Britain investigating allegations of bribery by journalists working for the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch have arrested eight people.

英国警方目前正调查为媒体大亨默多克做事涉嫌受贿罪的记者，现已逮捕8人。

They include five senior staff at Britain's best-selling newspaper, The Sun. The inquiry follows a scandal over phone hacking by journalists working for Mr Murdoch's News International. Matt Prodger reports.

其中有英国最畅销报纸《太阳报》的5名资深记者。此前，为默多克新闻国际做事的记者惹上电话窃听丑闻。Matt Prodger报道。

A total of nine Sun journalists have now been arrested in the space of a fortnight. A journalist at News International said there was a feeling of intense anger and betrayal among staff there. The paper's editor Dominic Mohan issued a written statement.

在两周时间里，已有9名《太阳报》记者被捕，新闻国际一名记者说，员工们对此非常生气，感到被出卖了。该报编辑Dominic Mohan发表了书面声明。

"I'm as shocked as anyone by today's arrests but am determined to lead The Sun through these difficult times. We have a duty to serve our readers and will continue to do that."

“对于今天记者被捕一事，我和大家一样都感到震惊，但我决心领导《太阳报》度过这个艰难时刻。我们有责任服务读者，并将继续努力。”

Today's arrests are significant not just because of the sheer number, but also because for the first time they include people who are neither journalists nor police officers. A Ministry of Defence employee and a member of the armed forces were arrested in Wiltshire.

今天的逮捕事件意义重大，并不仅仅是逮捕的人数，还因为被捕者中首次有既非记者也非警员的人，国防部一名雇员和一名军队成员也在威尔特郡被捕。

Thousands of people in the Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki have staged protests against further government austerity measures. The protests coincided with the second day of a 48-hour strike which brought transport to a standstill. Parliament is due to vote on Sunday on extra budget cuts demanded by Greece's eurozone partners in return for another multi-billion dollar bailout. The former Prime Minister George Papandreou urged MPs to approve the measures.

在希腊城市雅典和萨罗尼加，成千上万民众抗议政府新的紧缩计划。同时，一场48小时的罢工也恰好进入了第二天，这次罢工已使交通陷入停滞。周日国会将就额外的预算削减方案进行表决，该方案是希腊的欧元区伙伴国要求实施的，作为增加另外数十亿美元救助资金的回报。前总理帕潘德里欧呼吁议员们支持这项措施。

"The new programme is difficult; it's harsh, but it's a sure road and our only hope not to live in even worse and more difficult conditions. This is a time for responsibilities."

“新措施确实很艰难，非常难，但为了不再更难更糟糕，这就是必经之路，是我们唯一的希望。这时候我们要负起责任来！”

Tens of thousands of people in Portugal have been holding a rally to protest against spending cuts and employment reforms introduced there under a eurozone bailout deal. The Portuguese economy has moved deeper into recession.

葡萄牙上万民众举行集会，抗议依据欧元区救助协议而实施的开支削减和雇用改革。葡萄牙经济已经陷入更严重的倒退。

You're listening to the World News from the BBC.

Officials in the American state of Maine are expected to announce the result of caucuses to help decide who should be the Republican Party candidate in November's presidential election. Party officials say they anticipate a close contest between the former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and the Texas congressman Ron Paul. Mr Romney has been considered a front-runner in the race, but he's hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat after losing contests in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. The other two candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum haven't actively campaigned in Maine.

美国缅因州官方将宣布政党会议结果，以决定参加11月总统竞选的共和党候选人。该党官员预测，前马萨诸塞州州长罗姆尼和德州国会议员罗恩·保罗势均力敌。罗姆尼曾被视为竞选的领先者，但接连在明尼苏达州、密苏里州和科罗拉多州失利后，他希望不要再次失势。两外两名候选人金里奇和桑托勒姆在缅因州的竞选中表现不甚出众。

Three soldiers have been killed in a rebel ambush in Colombia. Officials say the soldiers were on patrol in the mountains of Valle del Cauca province when members of Colombia's largest rebel group, the Farc, threw grenades. The attack took place a week after two police stations were bombed in the west of Colombia, killing 18 people. The Farc have stepped up their offensive against the security forces since their leader was killed in a military raid in November.

哥伦比亚叛军埋伏袭击，导致三名士兵丧生。官方称，当时这些士兵正在考卡山谷省山间巡逻，突然，哥伦比亚最大叛军组织Farc投掷了三枚手榴弹。一周前，哥伦比亚西部两处警站被炸，18人死亡。自从去年11月其领导人在军事突袭中丧生后，Farc组织就加快对安全部队的进攻。

The Liverpool footballer Luis Suarez has been criticised for refusing to shake hands with Manchester United's Patrice Evra before their Premier League match today. It was the first time the players had met since Suarez served an eight-match ban for racially abusing Evra in October. The black defender offered his hand before the match, but Suarez ignored him. The manager of Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, condemned the Liverpool player's behaviour.

今天的英超联赛上，利物浦足球运动员Luis Suarez因拒绝与曼联队的Patrice Evra握手而备受指责。去年10月Suarez因种族歧视Evra而被禁参加8场比赛，此后这是两位球员首次见面。赛前这位黑人防守伸出手来握手，但Suarez却对他不理不睬。曼联经理Alex Ferguson谴责了这名利物浦球员的行为。

"The history that club's got and he does that and an atmosphere like today, an atmosphere and all the build-up to the game, all the profiles, you know, I'm actually desired. It's a disgrace to that football club."

“俱乐部过去的历史，以及今天比赛的气氛、成就，所有这些形象，都是我所喜欢的。但这件事却令足球俱乐部颜面无光。”

In the latest football match in the Africa Cup of Nations, Mali have beaten Ghana in the play-off for third place. The score was 2-0. The final on Sunday will be between Zambia and Ivory Coast.

在非洲国家杯最新的足球比赛的决赛中，马里以2:0的成绩打败加纳进入第三名。周日的决赛将由赞比亚和科特迪瓦对垒。