英国新闻听力 美财长对经济发表乐观评价

The army in Sri Lanka has announced that the supreme¹ commander of the Tamil Tiger rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran has been killed, ending 26 years of conflict. State television quoted the military as saying the rebel leader died as he tried to flee from the war zone in an ambulance. There’s been no independent confirmation² of Mr. Prabhakaran's death. Sarah Raisford reports.

The death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, supreme commander of the Tamil Tiger rebels, was announced on state’s television, sparking celebrations in the Sri Lankan capital. Crowds have been dancing and singing to welcome an end to almost three decades of conflicts. Listed as a terrorist group by many countries, the Tigers have been fighting for a separate state for Sri Lanka's minority ethnic³ Tamil community. It was a ruthless guerrilla war marked by suicide bombings and assassinations⁴. Sri Lankan military officials say it all ended in a two-hour battle in which they say the Tiger's leader and his most senior deputies were killed.

The Sri Lankan authorities have detained three doctors who've been working inside the Tamil Tiger-held territory and have provided accounts from the war zone that contradicted the government. They'd been some of the only recent accounts to emerge from inside the zone.

President Obama has told the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should stop building settlements in the West Bank. Following talks in Washington, Mr. Netanyahu for his part said he didn't endorse⁵ the creation of a Palestinian state. Here is James Coomarasamy.

President Obama emerged after two hours of talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America's commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East. He called on his guest to seize what he said was an historic opportunity. Addressing the issue which Israeli is keen to emphasize, Iran's nuclear program, Mr. Obama said he would avoid artificial timetables but would reassess Iran's nuclear ambitions by the end of the year. He didn't shy away though from reminding his guest of his obligations, saying that settlement building in the West Bank should stop.

The United Nations Refugee Agency says nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced by this month's fighting in northwestern Pakistan. The agency called for urgent international help for those uprooted⁶ by the battles between the Pakistani military and the Taliban. Imogen Foulkes reports.

The head of the Refugee Agency has warned that such a huge movement of people, all needing food and shelter could cause instability across the region. The UN is expected to launch a multi-million dollar emergency appeal for Pakistan in the next few days. The world may be in the middle of a financial crisis, but the UN says if the international community can find billions to bailout financial institutions, then it ought to be able to find money for humanitarian⁷ operations too.

World News from the BBC.

A senior leader of a radical⁸ Islamic movement Al-Shabab in Somalia has told the BBC his men will continue to fight until they establish control across the country. Speaking from Jowhar, the town they seized on Sunday, Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein said they'd overthrow⁹ the transitional federal government which he said was installed by Somalia's enemies, the United States and the European Union. He said that the ranks of Al-Shabab's insurgents¹⁰ had been boosted by foreign fighters.

The American Treasury¹¹ Secretary Timothy Geithner has said that his most optimistic comments on the state of the US economy since the beginning of the global financial crisis last year. Mr. Geithner said the US economy had clearly stabilized¹², but stressed that a bumpy¹³ road to recovery still lay ahead. John Donthan in Washington reports.

These are the most positive words on the health of the US economy from the Obama administration for sometime. It's not exactly good news, but rather news that's not quite as bad. Timothy Geithner said the pace of decline for most measures of economic activity in America had slowed. He said it marked an important beginning. Nevertheless Mr. Geithner is clearly wary¹⁴ of building up expectations. He said despite some positive signs, millions of Americans were not going to begin to feel better for a long time.

The speaker of the Lower House of the British Parliament Michael Martin says he is profoundly sorry for his part in this scandal surrounding MPs’ claims for expenses. In a statement to a packed House of Commons, he said voters had been badly let down. The speaker said he was calling in an urgent meeting with party leaders to discuss the way forward. But he dismissed calls from several MPs to resign over his handling of this scandal and said it was up to the British government whether parliament should debate a motion of no confidence in him. He urged MPs not to make any further expenses claims for the time being.

斯里兰卡军方称塔米尔猛虎组织高级指挥官Velupillai Prabhakaran已经被杀，二十六年的内战宣告结束。国家电视台引用军队的说法，这位叛军领袖在乘救护车企图逃离战争区域时死亡。目前尚无独立消息证实Prabhakaran的死亡。Sarah Raisford报道。

国家电视台宣布了塔米尔猛虎组织叛军最高指挥官Velupillai Prabhakaran的死亡，斯里兰卡首都民众热烈庆祝。群众载歌载舞，喜迎接近三十年的内战宣告结束。猛虎组织被许多国家列入恐怖分子名单，几十年来一直努力抗争，企图获取独立的州设立斯里兰卡少数民族塔米尔社区。内战是非常残酷无情的，自杀式爆炸和暗杀事件时有发生。斯里兰卡军方官员说，在两小时的战斗中，猛虎组织领袖和和绝大多数副手都被击毙，所有一切都结束了。

斯里兰卡官方拘留了三名医生。三人曾在塔米尔猛虎组织控制区域内部工作，并提供了与政府发表的相冲突的战区报告。这是最近战区内部发出的仅有的报告。

美国总统奥巴马告知以色列总理内塔尼亚胡，意思列应该停止西岸建立居民区。此前在华盛顿举行会谈时，内塔尼亚胡称他不赞同建立独立的巴勒斯坦国家。下面是James Coomarasamy报道。

在于以色列总理内塔尼亚胡进行了两小时的会谈之后，奥巴马总统现身，重申美国在中东实施“两国方案”的承诺。要求内塔尼亚胡明白这是一个历史性的机会。对于以色列一直强调的伊朗核计划，奥巴马说，他将避免武断地出台时间表，但是年底之前会对伊朗核计划的野心进行再评估。然而，他并没有回避提醒内塔尼亚胡他的义务，说，在西岸建筑居民区的活动应该停止。

联合国难民署称，本月在巴基斯坦西北部的战斗中，接近150万人被迫转移。难民署呼吁国际社会对那些在巴基斯坦军队和塔利班的战斗中流离失所的人实行紧急援助。Imogen Foulkes报道。

这位难民署官员警告说，人员流动规模非常巨大，而且所有人都需要食物和住处，这会导致该地区的动乱。联合国预期将在未来几天为巴基斯坦发起数百万美元的紧急求助。世界可能正处在金融危机中，但是，联合国方面表示，如果国际社会能够筹集数十亿美元来救助金融机构，就肯定也能够为人道主义活动筹集资金。

BBC世界新闻。

索马里伊斯兰激进党Al-Shabab一名高级领袖告诉BBC，该党派将会继续战斗，直到他们控制了整个国家。伊斯兰激进党周日占领了Jowhar镇，侯赛因·穆罕默德·艾迪德在那里发表讲话，说他们将推翻由索马里的敌人美国和欧盟设立的过渡联邦政府。他说，伊斯兰激进党的级别由于国外的好战分子而得到提升。

美国财政部长盖特纳对美国经济发表了自足年全球金融危机开始以来最乐观的评论。盖特纳说，美国经济已经明显地稳定下来，但是他强调说，经济复兴的道路仍然崎岖不平。John Donthan，华盛顿报道。

这是奥巴马政府就任以来对美国经济健康状况最积极乐观的评价。这不是完完全全的好消息，而是不那么坏的消息。盖特纳说，衡量经济活动的各项指标下降的速度都已减缓。他说，这标志这一个重要的开始。然而，盖特纳在树立期望方面非常小心。他说，虽然有一些积极的信号，会有相当长的一段时间，数百万的美国人不会感觉到情况的好转。

英国议会众议院发言人Michael Martin称他为自己在议员报销丑闻中扮演的角色感到非常抱歉。在向下议院递交的声明中，他说，他们使选举人非常失望。这位发言人说，他已经召集党派领导人召开紧急会议，商讨以后的方法。他漠视了一些议员要求他因丑闻事件辞职的要求，说，应该由政府决定议会是否应该讨论对他失去信心的问题。他敦促议员暂时不要再进一步报销费用。

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

5 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

6 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

11 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

12 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

14 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。