英国新闻听力 23

BBC News with Mary Small.

The value of shares on the New York Stock Exchange has shot up with the Dow Jones Index closing almost 11% higher, reversing days of successive falls. There are also sharp rises in Brazil, Mexico and Canada. Our North America business correspondent Greg Wood reports.

Two main reasons were given for this dramatic reversal of fortunes on Wall Street. One, that some courageous¹ investors² saw the opportunity to pick up stocks at what they regard as bargain basement prices and secondly³ that the Federal Reserve will almost certainly cut interest rates tomorrow by half a percentage point, easing the debt burden on ordinary Americans. But neither really explains the behaviour of the supremely⁴ volatile⁵ market. The main difference from recent trading days was the absence of force selling of stocks by hedge funds whose investors want their money back.

The French President Nicholas Sarkozy and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown say they'll work together to give Europe a common voice in the face of the world financial crisis. Mr. Sarkozy called for an EU fund to give medium-term help to members in financial trouble to be increased from 15 to 25 billion dollars. Mr. Brown said that the leadership of the European Union would be crucial in overcoming the crisis. Earlier he'd urged China and the oil rich Gulf⁶ states to increase their contributions to the International Monetary⁷ Fund.

The World Cup winning football player Diego Maradona says he will be made coach of the Argentine national team. Maradona confirmed the appointment following a meeting with the head of the Argentine Football Federation⁸. Daniel Schweimler reports from Buenos Aires.

Argentines have talked about little else these past few weeks and the name, Diego Armando Maradona or simply LDS, the number ten as he is known here, has always been one of the most prominent on the list of potential candidates. But what about his shortage of managerial experience, asked some, or his health problems or previous addictions¹⁰ to cocaine¹¹ and alcohol? But despite all that, Maradona, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 is the nearest thing to a living God in this football-mad nation.

Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lankan have dropped bombs from their light aircraft on a power station in the capital Colombo and on a military headquarters in the north of the country. Electron Neil Smith reports.

The air strike hit the north of the capital Colombo, the target, the Kelanitissa power plant. Tamil Tiger aircraft also attacked in northern Sri Lankan. A military spokesman said two bombs were dropped in an army base in Mannar, one of them hitting the military headquarters. This is the second time in as many months that Tamil Tigers have attacked by air. Their force known as the Air Tigers is small but potent⁹. It consists of a handful of light aircraft smuggled¹² into the rebel strongholds, and then reassembled piece by piece.

You are listening to World News from BBC.

Rebel fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo said they've taken control of a town in a crucial strategic area. The rebels, loyal to the renegade General Laurent Nkunda entered the town of Rutshuru on the border with Uganda on Tuesday as they continued to advance on the provincial¹³ capital of Goma. A spokesman for the U.N. Congolese Mission, MONUC, said U.N peacekeepers have been deployed¹⁴ to protect civilians¹⁵ in the Rutshuru.

The BBC has been heavily criticized after two of its highest-paid entertainers made offensive remarks on air. The Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the remarks were inappropriate and unacceptable. Rob Norris reports.

The presenters¹⁶, Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross left messages on the answer phone of a well-known actor Andrew Sachs. They made sexily offensive comments about his twenty-three-year-old granddaughter. They broadcast the tape as part of a comedy radio programme. The BBC’s received more than 10,000 complaints. There have been calls for the BBC’s director general to resign and several politicians, newspapers and thousands of members of the public have urged the BBC to sack the two presenters who since apologized. The British media regulator Ofcom and the BBC, said they'd investigate the incident.

A British trade minister visiting Moscow has signaled an improvement in relations two years after a freeze following the murder in London of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. The British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson told reporters that both sides now wanted to strengthen economic cooperation. Russian reports said there was an agreement to revive a dormant¹⁷ committee set up to enhance economic ties.

An immigrant from Ivory Coast has been found guilty of the murder in Italy of a British exchange student Meredith Kercher. The 21-year-old man Rudy Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The judge also ordered an American student and her former Italian boyfriend to stand trial on charges of murder and sexual violence.

BBC News.

1 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

4 supremely   

adv.无上地，崇高地

参考例句：

• They managed it all supremely well. 这件事他们干得极其出色。
• I consider a supremely beautiful gesture. 我觉得这是非常优雅的姿态。

5 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

8 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

9 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

10 addictions   

瘾( addiction的名词复数 )； 吸毒成瘾； 沉溺； 癖好

参考例句：

• He has removed the stigma of drug addictions. 他已经洗去吸毒的污点了。
• Intelligent people are good at using reason to control excessive addictions. 智慧的人善于用理性来控制过度的嗜欲。

11 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

12 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

13 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

14 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

15 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

16 presenters   

n.节目主持人，演播员( presenter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Each week presenters would put the case for their favourite candidate. 每个星期主持人推出他们最喜欢的候选人。 来自互联网
• Karaoke was set up to allowed presenters to sing on the stage. 宴会设有歌唱舞台，可让出席者大演唱功。 来自互联网

17 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。