VOA慢速英语2015 President Obama Speaks at Anti-Extremism Meeting

President Obama Speaks at Anti-Extremism Meeting

President Barack Obama spoke¹ Wednesday at a White House conference on fighting and preventing violent extremism.

Officials from 60 countries, as well as spiritual leaders and police from across the United States, are attending the three-day meeting in Washington.

In his speech, Mr. Obama urged the United States and other Western countries to confront Islamist groups’ “lie” that the West is at war with Islam.  

“We are not at war with Isalm. We are at war with people who have perverted² Islam,” Mr. Obama said.  

Vice³ President Joe Biden opened the conference Tuesday. He discussed the success of the United States’ youth programs in cities with large immigrant populations. The vice president said he believes the United States has more experience in integrating minority youths into society than European nations. 

Pro-Russian rebels gain control of Ukrainian town

Pro-Russian separatists took control of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces withdrew.

The rebels raised their flag Wednesday to claim victory of the city. A railroad runs through Debaltseve connecting Luhansk and Donetsk, two other rebel-held areas.

Rebels reportedly seized hundreds of government forces in Debaltseve. The remaining soldiers were said to be short of food and water. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered several thousand troops to leave Debaltseve.  

Mr. Poroshenko said 80 percent of the Ukrainian troops in the city had left by early Wednesday. The rest were leaving in what he described as a planned and orderly withdrawal⁴.

Officials raid Swiss office of HSBC bank

Prosecutors⁶ searched the Swiss office of the British banking⁷ company HSBC Wednesday. They also announced a criminal investigation⁸ against HSBC. The bank is charged with laundering⁹ money.

The raid took place at the offices of HSBC Private Bank Switzerland in Geneva.

HSBC is Europe’s largest bank. Media groups say the bank has helped clients in more than 200 countries avoid taxes and hide hundreds of millions of dollars. The clients reportedly include illegal drug sellers, arms traders and famous people.

Beagle wins at Westminster Kennel¹⁰ Club Dog Show

A four-year-old dog named Miss P received the top award at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City Tuesday night.

Miss P, a beagle, won Best in Show over six other competitors. Miss P is only the second beagle to ever win the top award.

One of Miss P’s competitors, Portuguese¹¹ water dog Matisse, is a cousin of President Obama’s dog Sunny.

Nearly 200 breeds of dogs from across the United States and several other countries took part in this year's show.

Words in the News

integrate – v.  to make (a person or group) part of a larger group or organization

orderly – adj. arranged or organized in a logical or regular way

money laundering – n. the hiding of the origins of illegally obtained money

client – n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services

prosecutor⁵ – n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty

breed – n. a particular kind of dog, cat, horse, etc.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 perverted   

adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落

参考例句：

• Some scientific discoveries have been perverted to create weapons of destruction. 某些科学发明被滥用来生产毁灭性武器。
• sexual acts, normal and perverted 正常的和变态的性行为

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

6 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

7 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

11 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。