英国新闻听力 北极冰持续融化

New research from United States suggested that the melting of Arctic sea ice is speeding up. And during the coming month the ice cap may shrink to levels never seen before. More details from Richard Black.

The colder then average winter in the northern hemisphere had led to suggestions that Arctic sea ice might recover after its record melts last summer. But the latest data indicates the opposite is happening. Over the last months it has been melting even faster and the area of remaining is now almost exactly the same as at this time last year. Scientists from the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre say that much of the ice remaining is so thin that even a normal summer may see last year's record broken.

The authorities in Unites States have warned the residents of 6 Midwestern states of the possibilities of further flood defense¹ is being breaching² along the Mississippi river. More than 20 people have been killed and thousands driven from their homes since the flooding began over a week ago.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 breaching   

攻破( breach的过去式 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。
• Third, an agency can abuse its discretion by breaching certain principles of judge-made law. 第三，行政机关会因违反某些法官制定的法律原则而构成滥用自由裁量权。