英国新闻听力 奥巴马宣布汽车排放新标准

President Obama has announced tough new measures on vehicle pollution and fuel efficiency to cut greenhouse gas emissions¹ and reduce American dependence² on oil. Mr. Obama said a national standard would be introduced for the first time to cut emissions from cars and trucks by 2016. Richard Lister has this report.

These new standards are the most stringent³ ever implemented⁴ by a US government. By 2016, any manufacturers selling vehicles in America will have to ensure that its fleet of cars averages almost 17 kilometers per liter while SUVs and pickups must do around 13 kilometers per liter averaged across the range. For the first time, a nationwide standard for exhaust emissions is also being established, cutting the amount of carbon dioxide produced by new passenger vehicles by 34%.

The Speaker of Britain’s lower house of parliament has announced his resignation following intense criticism of his handling of a major scandal over MPs’ expenses. The Speaker Michael Martin was accused of blocking reforms to the expenses system under which many MPs were revealed to have made excessive claims. He's the first speaker to be forced from office in more than 300 years. And this is how he announces his departure.

"Since I came to this house 30 years ago, I’ve always felt that the house is at its best when it is united. In order that unity⁵ can be maintained, I have decided⁶ that I will relinquish⁷ the office of speaker on Sunday, June 21."

Following a meeting with British party leaders in Parliament, the Speaker has outlined interim⁸ measures to tighten⁹ the rules on expenses. With immediate¹⁰ effect, MPs will be banned from claiming money for furniture, household goods and home improvements, and there will be new restrictions¹¹ on the mortgage payments they can claim for second homes. The speaker said a more fundamental reform of the expenses system would follow leading to regulation by an independent body.

The United States says it’s giving Pakistan millions of dollars to help people displaced by fighting in the Swat Valley. An estimated 1.5 million people have been displaced in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province as Pakistani forces wage a big offensive against Taliban militants¹³. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her country would give more aid as necessary.

"The people of the United States are responding to a request for assistance from the government of Pakistan with more than 100 million dollars in humanitarian¹⁴ support. Now this money comes on top of almost 60 million that the United States has provided since last August, to help Pakistanis who’ve been affected¹⁵ by the conflicts, and in addition to the other funding for Pakistan that we are already seeking from the Congress."

Hillary Clinton. This is the latest World News from the BBC.

Sri Lankan television has shown pictures of what appears to be the body of the Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran dressed in camouflage¹⁶ uniform. The Sri Lankan Army Chief said DNA¹⁷ test confirmed his identity, but there is confusion over how the rebel leader and hundreds of his followers¹⁸ died. The military announced his death on Monday, but a former Tamil Tiger commander said he had only been killed today.

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service Yuval Diskin has said there is no security reason for continuing construction of the barrier that Israel is building through the West Bank. Here is Bob Trivalian.

The Shin Bet chief said Israel’s military and intelligence capabilities¹⁹ were already sufficient for preventing attacks from the West Bank and that therefore there was no need on security grounds to finish building the barrier, whether intentionally²⁰ or not, this may be seen as undermining the Israeli government’s position that the barrier is purely²¹ a security measure. Palestinians argue that the project has a strong political dimension and is in effect a land grab. About 60% of the barrier has now been built, the vast majority of it within the West Bank and not on the territory's border with Israel.

Fresh violence is reported to have broken out in the Niger Delta²² region in Nigeria, the scene of fierce gun battles in recent days between the Nigerian military and local militant¹² groups. Eyewitnesses²³ in a village in Delta state in the west of the region say naval²⁴ gunboats attacked their homes, killing²⁵ some people.

Astronauts aboard the space shuttle have released the Hubble Telescope back into its orbit after five days of repairs. NASA says the Hubble Telescope is now more powerful than ever after its extensive final overhaul²⁶ carried out during some of the longest spacewalks in the agency’s history. The astronauts added its 200 million dollars worth of new instruments.

BBC美国总统奥巴马宣布机动车污染和燃料高效方面新的严厉措施，以减少温室气体排放，降低美国对石油依赖。奥巴马称，到2016年，美国将首次引入国家标准来减少小汽车和卡车排放量。Richard Lister报道。

这些标准是美国政府所实施的最严厉的措施。截止到2016年，美国所有生产商销售的汽车都必须确保平均每升汽油行程17千米，SUV和载客车每升汽油行程13千米。这也是首次设立尾气排放国家标准，新生产客车的二氧化碳排放量将减少34…%。

由于处理主要的议员报销丑闻不当，英国下议院发言人收到猛烈抨击，宣布辞职。发言人Michael Martin被指妨碍费用体系改革，导致许多议员被披露过度报销。他是300多年来第一个被迫辞职的发言人。以下是他的离职发言：

“自从我三十年前来到下议院，我一直感觉下议院团结的时候是最好的。为了保持这种团结的状态，我决定，我将于6月21日，星期天辞去下议院发言人一职。”

在于议会党派领导举行会议之后，Michael Martin制定了过度期措施以加强对费用的管理规定。该措施将即时生效，议员将不能报销家具，日常用品和装修费用，同时，针对第二套住房贷款偿付也有新的限制。发言人说，将设立独立的部门来领导更加根本的费用体制改革。

美国称其向巴基斯坦提供数百万美元帮助斯瓦特河谷地区由于战争被迫逃离的人们。由于巴基斯坦政府对塔利班激进分子发动大规模进攻，巴基斯坦西北部边境省份大约有150万人被迫转移。美国国务卿希拉里称，如果需要，美国将提供更多援助。

“美国人民回应了巴基斯坦政府1亿多美元的人道主义支持要求。自从去年八月份以来，美国已提供超过6000万美元，帮助巴基斯坦被战争影响的难民，此外还向国会申请了其他基金来帮助巴基斯坦。”

斯里兰卡电视台公布了疑似塔米尔猛虎组织领袖Velupillai Prabhakaran的尸体照片，照片显示其身着伪装。斯里兰卡军方领袖称DNA检测已证实其身份，但是叛军领导及其随从死亡的原因还是谜团。军方周一宣布了他的死讯，但是塔米尔前指挥官说他今天才被杀害。

以色列国家安全机构“辛贝特”领导 Yuval Diskin称，以色列在约旦河西岸继续建造定居点并没有安全方面的原因。

Yuval Diskin说，以色列的军事和情报能力足以应对来自西岸的攻击，所以没有必要出于安全考虑而完成隔离带的建筑。无论是否有意，此举毁坏了以色列政府所说的这是纯粹的安全措施的立场。巴基斯坦人则称该项目拥有强烈的政治意图，实际上是在抢夺土地。现在项目已有60%完成，大多数在西岸以内，而不是在以色列的国土边境。

据报道，尼日利亚尼日尔三角洲地区爆发了新的暴力冲突，尼日利亚军队和当地好战分子之间爆发了激烈的枪战。该地区西部一个村庄的目击者称，海军战船袭击了他们的家园，造成数人死亡。

经过五天的维修之后，航天飞机上的宇航员将哈勃望远镜放回轨道。NASA（美国国家航空和航天管理局）方面表示，在经历航空航天史上最长时间的太空行走对其进行精细检查以后，哈勃望远镜的功能比以往任何时候都强大。宇航员新增加了价值2亿美元的仪器。

1 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

2 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

3 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

4 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

8 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

9 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

13 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

14 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。

15 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

16 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

17 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

18 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

19 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

20 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

21 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

22 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

23 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

24 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

25 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

26 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。