英语听力精选进阶版 9945（在线收听）

The senior Democrat in Congress Harry Reid says the United State seems to be heading for the financial crisis known as the fiscal cliff unless politicians stop scrambling. Mr Reid, the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, criticize the Republicans for ruling out any taxes rises as a part of a deal. He called for an urgent senate vote.

国会资深民主党人哈里·瑞德说，除非政治家们停止争夺，美国似乎要走上被称作“财政悬崖”的财政危机。瑞德是民主党在参议院的多数派领袖，他批评共和党排除将增税作为协议的部分内容。他呼吁参议院尽快进行表决。

"Come first of this year, Americans will have less income than they have today. If we go over the cliff, and it looks like that’s where we’re headed, the House of Representatives — as we speak with four days left after today before the first year — aren’t here. With the speaker having told them, they'll have, they'll give 48 hours notice. I can’t imagine their consciences - they are out wherever they are, around the country. And we are here tying to get something done".

“美国人今年的收入将首次比目前少，如果我们走向财政悬崖，照目前的情况看确实如此，目前离新年还有四天，但众议院尚未采取行动。发言人已告诉他们只有48小时的时间了，我无法相信他们的诚意，这些人分布在全国各地，我们在这里就是为了有所作为。”

President Obama has returned to Washington after cutting short his Christmas holiday to try to bring the parties together.

总统奥巴马过完简短的圣诞节后已经回到华盛顿，试图将各党团结起来。

Egypt's public prosecutor has ordered an inquiry into the country's top opposition leaders over allegations they tried to incite the overthrow of president Mohammed Morsi. The men were named as the Nobel laureate Mohammed El Baradei, the former Secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, and the former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi. Bethany Bell reports from Cairo.

有指控称埃及反对派最高领导人试图煽动推翻总统穆罕默德·穆尔西，对此检察官已下令进行调查。这些领导人包括诺贝尔奖得主穆罕默德·埃尔-巴拉迪，阿盟前秘书长穆沙和前总统候选人哈姆登·萨巴希。Bethany Bell在开罗报道。

This investigation doesn't mean the charges will be filed against the opposition leaders but it comes at a sensitive time. Egypt has been in the group of political crisis ever since president Morsi temporarily gave himself sweeping new powers last month. The three opposition leaders formed a coalition, the National Salvation Front to lead protests against the president. They organize mass rallies, some of which turned violent when their supporters clashed with the president's Islamist backers.

调查并不意味着指控反对派的这些领导人，但目前正是敏感时期。自从总统穆尔西上月授予自己绝对新权力以来，埃及一直处于接连不断的政治危机中。这三名反对派领袖组成名为救国阵线的联盟，领导反对总统的抗议。他们组织大规模集会，在其中一些集会中，该组织的支持者与总统的伊斯兰支持者发生冲突及暴力事件。

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned of a bloody chaos in Syria unless as a dialogue between the government and the rebels. He said hopes for a political solution were fading and urged the United State to redouble efforts to get a peaceful settlement.

俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫警告说，如果叙利亚政府和叛军之间无法达成对话，就会发生血腥暴乱。他说，通过政治途径解决的希望已经消亡，他敦促美国加大努力达成和平协议。

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sacked his health minister, the only woman in his cabinet. No official reason has been given for the dismissal of Marziyeh Vahid Dastjerdi, the only female cabinet minister since the Islamic revolution of 1979. Kasra Naji reports.

伊朗总统马哈茂德·艾哈迈迪—内贾德解雇卫生部长，这是他的内阁中唯一一名女性。 Marziyeh Vahid Dastjerdi是1979年伊朗革命以来首位女性内阁部长，目前官方并未透露她遭解雇的原因。Kasra Naji报道。

Iran is pressed for hard currencies. Oil exports have been reduced to less than a half in the past six months as a result of European and American sanctions. The health minister Mrs Marzieh Dastjerdi had complained that the government had allocated hard currency to the import of luxury cars and not enough to the import of drugs. This indirect contradiction to president Ahmadinejad who has said the government has allocated the budgets bigger even than the last year's for the purpose.

伊朗货币汇率下降，由于欧洲和美国的制裁，过去6个月期间石油出口减少到原来的不到一半。卫生部长Marzieh Dastjerdi抱怨说政府为进口豪华汽车而推行强势货币政策，而在进口药物上做得不够。总统内贾德曾说政府在这方面的预算比去年的要多，因此她的言论与此间接矛盾。

World News from the BBC

The son of the assassinated Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been setting out his plans for the country at a huge rally of governing party supporters. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was speaking in southern Sindh province on the fifth anniversary of his mother's death. He told the rally his party would fight militancy, work for the poor and try to build a peaceful and democratic Pakistan.

在执政党支持者举行的大型集会上，巴基斯坦被暗杀的总理贝娜齐尔·布托之子为该国制定了自己的方案。在南部信德省，比拉瓦尔·布托· 扎尔达里在母亲去世5周年纪念上讲话，他告诉集会群众，他的党派将打击激进分子，为穷人效力，试图建设民主和平的巴基斯坦。

The President of the Central African Republican Francois Bozize has appealed to France and the United States for help to stop a rebel advance that threatening the capital Bangui. Thomas Fessy has more.

由于叛军直逼首都班基，中非共和国总统弗朗索瓦·博齐泽呼吁法国和美国出兵相救。Thomas Fessy报道。

There's a precarious coming in the capital Bangui, a feeling of anxiety with the people there not knowing what is going to happen next. The rebels have been sending contradictory messages, announcing twice the suspension of their operations on the ground in less than a week. But they have continued to advance and taken over major towns in the center of the country. The government has acknowleged that its troops were not able to face the rebel coalition and it's asked for external help. France, the former colonial power has insisted that it would not intervene to save president Bozize's regime but to secure its nationals only.

首都班基情况危险，人们忧心忡忡，前途未卜。叛军已发布相反的消息，宣称在一周不到的时间内停止两次地面部署。但叛军仍在前进，并夺取该国中部重镇。政府承认其军队无法抵抗叛军联盟，现已请求外援。原殖民宗主国法国表示将不会参与拯救总统博齐泽的政权，只会确保其侨民的安全。

Shares in the troubled Spanish bank, Bankia, have falled by a fifth after a government report said the lender had a negative value because of huge losses on bad loans. The report, valuing the bank at MINUS 5.6b dollars, indicated its losses were worse than expected. Bankia is one of four Spanish banks due to receive financial assistance from the European Union.

困境重重的西班牙Bankia银行的股价下降1/5，此前政府的报告称这家银行因坏账遭受巨额损失，目前股价为负值。这份报告称这家银行的股价为负5.6美元，称其亏损比预料的要糟。Bankia是将从欧盟获取财政援助的四家西班牙银行之一。

The former economy minister in Argentina has been found guilty of concealing and illicit financial transaction after the discovery of a paper bag containing 50,000 dollars in her office bathroom. Felisa Miceli was sentenced to four years in prison.

阿根廷前经济部长被判私下进行非法金融交易，此前她的办公室卫生间被发现有装着5万美元现金的纸袋。 费利萨·米塞利被判四年监禁。