英国新闻听力 巴西国防部长证实碎片来自法航客机

The Brazilian defense¹ minister has said there is no doubt the debris² spotted³ in the Atlantic Ocean is from the missing Air France jet which disappeared on Monday. The minister, Nelson Jobim, said the debris which appeared to include aircraft seats as well as wires and metal stretched over a wide area.

"Here we have an area of around 9,785 square kilometres, and in this region the aircraft KC13O has located and spotted debris over a total length of 5 kilometres. And that debris is confirmed to be from the plane."

Opposition⁴ parties in Britain have renewed their demands for the embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown to call a general election after it emerged that the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and several other Labour figures are to stand down. Jacqui Smith has been embroiled⁵ in a scandal over MP’s expenses. She is to step down in the cabinet reshuffle expected next week, following local and European elections. Norman Smith reports.

"If Jacqui Smith's departure was widely predicted at Westminster, the manner of her leaving could scarcely have been more chaotic⁶. Two days before crucial elections in the middle of a firestorm over expenses, it left Downing Street in seeming disarray⁷, gasping⁸ for air as they struggled to stay on top of the events. The expected reshuffle was meant to be an occasion for Mr. Brown to re-launch after the feared battering⁹ in the local and European elections. Much of the impact of that would now appear to have been preempted¹⁰ and squandered¹¹. Worse, Jacqui Smith's planned departure has left an impression of a cabinet slowly crumbling¹²."

The United States military says a Yemeni prisoner at Guantanamo detention¹³ camp has died in what’s described as an apparent suicide. James Coomarasamy reports from Washington.

"According to the US military, prison guards found the detainee unresponsive and not breathing when they entered his cell. He was later pronounced dead after what a statement called “extensive life-saving procedures” had been exhausted¹⁴. It thought that the man known as Al-Hanashi had been taking part in a hunger strike. He's the fifth Guantanamo inmate¹⁵ to have apparently¹⁶ taken his life, but the first since President Obama called for the prison to be shut by next January, a pledge that's encountering considerable political and public opposition here.

The United States is coming under pressure over its Cuba policy at the annual meeting of the Organization of American States being held in Honduras. The US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said Cuba should only be allowed to rejoin the regional grouping after it released political prisoners and accepted democratic reforms. But the Honduras President Manuel Zelaya who's hosting the meeting described the expulsion of Cuba in 1962 as a day of infamy¹⁷.

BBC News.

For the first time in 30 years, the United States government has authorized¹⁸ its embassies to invite Iranian diplomats¹⁹ to celebrations in July to mark the Independence Day holiday. The move was seen as part of the Obama administration's new policy to engage the Iranian government in dialogue. Previously²⁰, Iran had been on a list of nations such as North Korea and Burma that were excluded from attending official American events.

Several American banks which were bailed²¹ out by taxpayers²²' money have issued shares in an attempt to extricate²³ themselves from government oversight²⁴. The banks, including Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanly raised nearly 8 billion dollars of capital today, so that they can repay loans made under the Treasury²⁵ Department's "Troubled Asset Relief Program" or "TARP".

The British Defense Minister John Hutton says the killing²⁶ of a senior rebel commander in Afghanistan is a significant blow to the Taliban. British forces said they killed Mullah Mansur and other Taliban leaders in Helmand province. More from our security correspondent Rob Watson.

"British forces described Mullah Mansur as a prominent local leader of the Taliban insurgency²⁷ in Helmand province. The spokesman for British Forces in Helmand claimed Mullah Mansur helped plan and execute attacks that had probably killed or wounded hundreds of people, most of them Afghan police and civilians²⁸. The British military claimed he was killed along with a number of other prominent insurgents²⁹ in a helicopter strike on Monday."

The heir to the British throne Prince Charles has accepted an invitation from France to attend ceremonies commemorating³⁰ the 65th anniversary of D-day, the landing of allied³¹ forces in Normandy during World War II. The French government had previously denied accusations³² that it snubbed the queen by inviting³³ only the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The failure to invite a member of the royal family had caused an outcry.

巴西国防部长称，毫无疑问，在大西洋上观察到的碎片来自周一失踪的法航客机。国防部长尼尔森·若宾说，观察到的碎片包括在相隔较远的飞机座椅，电线和金属。

“我们现在锁定了9,785平方千米的区域，在该区域，KC13O飞机发现了长达5千米范围的碎片。现在已确定，这些碎片属于失踪的法航飞机。”

雅基?史密斯和其他几名工党人物决定退出下届选举之后，反对党再次要求被围困的首相戈登?布朗举行大选。雅基?史密斯此前卷入议员报销丑闻事件中。在预期下周继地方选举和欧洲选举之后举行的内阁改组中，雅基?史密斯将辞职。Norman Smith报道。

“如果在威斯敏斯特大家广泛预期到雅基?史密斯的离职，那么她离开的方式将会非常混乱。在选举之前的两天，英国政府正处于报销丑闻的水深火热之中，这是的唐宁街看上去非常混乱，努力挣扎着置身事外。由于担忧即将举行的当地和欧洲选举，预期中的内阁改组是首相布朗注定要进行的活动。更糟糕的是，雅基?史密斯的离职给人们的印象是，内阁在逐渐堕落。

美国军方称，关塔纳摩监狱一名也门囚犯死亡，死因很明显是自杀。James Coomarasamy在华盛顿报道。

“据美国军方所说，当预警进入其单人牢房时，发现他已经没有反应，停止呼吸。”声明所称的“延长寿命程序”失效以后，官方宣布其死亡。据称，这名名叫Al-Hanashi的男子曾经参与绝食抗议。他是关塔纳摩监狱第五个自杀的人，但是是奥巴马呼吁明年1月份之前关闭关塔纳摩监狱以来的第一个。但是，奥巴马的提议遭遇了相当激烈的政治和公众反对。

在宏都拉斯举行的美国组织年度会议上，美国对待古巴的政策遭受了压力。美国国务卿希拉里说，古巴只有释放了政治囚犯，接受民主改革之后，才能重新加入该区域性组织。但是，主持会议的宏都拉斯总统塞拉亚则称1962年驱逐古巴时是声名狼藉的一天。

三十年来，美国政府首次授权大使馆邀请伊朗外交官出席7月份的独立日庆典。此举被视为奥巴马政府试图与伊朗政府对话的新政策的一部分。此前，伊朗曾与朝鲜，缅甸一起被列在不允许参加美国盛事的名单上。

接受纳税人的资金援助的几家美国银行发行股票，试图摆脱政府监控。这些银行包括美国银行，J.P.摩根公司和摩根士丹利，至今，这些银行总共筹集了80亿美元资金，可以偿还财政部“问题资产救助计划”提供的贷款。

英国国防部长约翰·赫顿称，阿富汗反对党一名高级指挥官的被杀对塔利班分子是一个惨重的打击。英国军队称，他们在赫尔曼德击毙了穆拉?曼苏尔和塔利班其他领袖。我们的安全记者Rob Watson带来更详细的报道。

“英国军队称，穆拉?曼苏尔是赫尔曼德地区塔利班叛乱分子的主要领导。英国军队驻赫尔曼德地区发言人称，穆拉?曼苏尔帮助策划和实施的袭击活动造成数百人死伤，其中大部分为阿富汗警察和平民。英国军队称，他和其他几名叛乱分子在周一的空中袭击中死亡。”

英国王位继承人查尔斯王子受法国邀请，参加纪念二战诺曼底登陆65周年庆典活动。法国政府此前曾否认只邀请英国首相戈登·布朗使英国女皇受到冷落。不邀请皇室成员的举动导致了强烈抗议。

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 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

7 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

8 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”

9 battering   

n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。
• He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 preempted   

v.先占( preempt的过去式和过去分词 )；取代；先取；先发制人

参考例句：

• A special news program preempted the scheduled shows. 特别的新节目取代预定计划的表演。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The armymen have preempted the powers of the local government. 军人已夺取了地方政府的权力。 来自互联网

11 squandered   

v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squandered all his money on gambling. 他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌博上了。
• She felt as indignant as if her own money had been squandered. 她心里十分生气，好像是她自己的钱给浪费掉了似的。 来自飘（部分）

12 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

13 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

14 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

15 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

16 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

17 infamy   

n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行

参考例句：

• They may grant you power,honour,and riches but afflict you with servitude,infamy,and poverty.他们可以给你权力、荣誉和财富，但却用奴役、耻辱和贫穷来折磨你。
• Traitors are held in infamy.叛徒为人所不齿。

18 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

19 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

21 bailed   

保释，帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Fortunately the pilot bailed out before the plane crashed. 飞机坠毁之前，驾驶员幸运地跳伞了。
• Some water had been shipped and the cook bailed it out. 船里进了些水，厨师把水舀了出去。

22 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

23 extricate   

v.拯救，救出；解脱

参考例句：

• How can we extricate the firm from this trouble?我们该如何承救公司脱离困境呢？
• She found it impossible to extricate herself from the relationship.她发现不可能把自己从这种关系中解脱出来。

24 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

25 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。

26 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。

27 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

28 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。

29 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

30 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

31 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

32 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

33 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。