英国新闻听力 巴西海军发现法航失事飞机尾翼

Brazilian navy divers¹ have found the tail fin² of the Air France plane that disappeared over the Atlantic a week ago. Search teams have so far recovered 16 bodies as well as other debris³. 228 people died when the plane disappeared on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Gary Duffy reports from Sao Paulo.

At the latest news conference, the Brazilian authorities presented a photograph of what appeared to be a large tail section of the missing Airbus floating in the Atlantic. And the distinctive⁴ red and blue stripes of Air France could clearly be seen on its side. The image showed four divers in the water with a half-submerged wreckage⁵, while four of their colleagues offered assistance from an inflatable boat. It's certainly what seemed to be the most significant piece of wreckage retrieved⁶ so far. But the priority for the investigators⁷ is still to find the plane’s flight data recorders.

The United States Supreme⁸ Court has delayed the proposed sale of most of the assets of the bankrupt American carmaker Chrysler to a group led by the Italian firm Fiat⁹. An earlier court ruling had approved the sale but justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed to a delay after the administrators¹⁰ of Indiana Pension Funds and consumer groups ask for one. It’s not clear how long the delay will be. Earlier, the Obama administration had urged the Supreme Court to allow the sale.

There are reports from New York that the giant oil producer Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to pay 15.5 million dollars to settle a lawsuit¹¹ accusing the company of complicity in human rights abuses by the former military government in Nigeria. A lawyer representing families who suffered as a result of the alleged¹² abuses said that under the settlement Royal Dutch Shell would neither admit nor deny any wrongdoing.

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has survived the latest attempt to force him to resign. Correspondents say most members of Parliament from the governing Labour Party backed Mr. Brown at a private meeting at the House of Commons. He was cheered when he arrived and one supporter said the prime minister had delivered a very impressive and forthright¹³ speech. However, several other members repeated calls for Mr. Brown to stand down, following Labour’s heavy losses in the European elections and local polls in Britain. The Justice Secretary Jack¹⁴ Strew¹⁵ denied accusations¹⁶ that Mr. Brown was a “lame¹⁷ duck”.

“No, he’s not, and the condition is externally to this government, above all in terms of the economy, demand an active and engaged prime minister, this is not a man who remotely is a lame duck, he continues to have extraordinary energy and focus.”

A civil court in Northern Ireland has ruled that four dissident republicans were responsible for a bomb attack in 1998, although no one has been convicted in a criminal court. The bombing in the market town of Omagh killed 29 people. The judge ordered relatives compensation of two and a half million dollars.

World news from the BBC

Africa’s longest-serving leader President Omar Bongo of Gabon has died after more than 40 years in power. Mr. Bongo took office in November 1967, and run Gabon as a one-party state for his first two decades as president, until strikes and demonstrations¹⁸ forced him to legalize opposition¹⁹ parties. He was reputedly one of the world richest men who used his country’s oil wealth to buy properties in France. He died in hospital in Spain from where Steve Kingston reports.

The death of President Omar Bongo was announced in a written statement from Gabon’s Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong released by the Quiron hospital in Barcelona. It said the 73-year-old leader had passed away following a heart attack, announcing 30 days of national mourning. The prime minister called for unity²⁰ and solidarity²¹ from the people of Gabon, stressing the need to preserve respect for the country’s political institutions. He said this was essential to preserve the peace and cohesion²² fostered by the deceased president.

Labour’s poor European election performance was mirrored by center-left parties in other countries, including France, Germany and Spain. Mainstream²³ center-right parties were the main beneficiaries. A BBC correspondent says voters appear to have entrusted²⁴ the center-right with alleviating²⁵ the impact to the world economic crisis and preferences center-left parties which traditionally support the interests of workers. Far right and nationalist parties also won seats.

The leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah has acknowledged his party’s defeat in Sunday’s parliamentary election in Lebanon. In a televised address he said Hezbollah congratulated the winners, a coalition²⁶ by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Earlier, President Obama welcomed the result; He said Lebanon was now on the path towards independence and stability. The result has led US fears that Hezbollah which Washington considers a terrorist organization would assume more...

巴西海军发现一周前在大西洋失事的法航客机尾翼。搜救小组目前已发现16具遗体和其他飞机残骸。飞机从里约热内卢飞往巴黎途中失踪，机上228人遇难。 Gary Duffy在圣保罗报道。

在最近的新闻发布会中，巴西官方发布了一张疑似失踪的法航客机尾翼的照片。其侧面有特色的红蓝相间的法航条文清晰可见。照片显示，四名海军在水中抬着一个半浸在水中的残骸，另外四人在橡皮艇上提供帮助。这显然是目前为止取回的最重要的碎片。但是调查人员的首要工作仍然是寻找飞机上的黑匣子。

美国高级法院推迟将破产的美国汽车制造商克莱斯勒的财产出售给意大利菲亚特集团的提议。此前，法庭裁决已同意出售，但是，印地安纳养老基金管理者和消费者群体提出要求后，大法官Ruth Bader Ginsburg同意进行延迟。延迟的具体时间尚不清楚。此前，奥巴马政府曾敦促高级法院尽快同意出售。

纽约有报告称，皇家荷兰壳牌石油公司同意支付1550万美元，解决对其联合尼日利亚高压政权打压人权的法律诉讼。代表受害家庭的律师称，在这种解决方案下，皇家荷兰壳牌石油公司既不承认，也不否认其不道德行为。

英国首相戈登·布朗战胜了最近要求其辞职的呼声。记者称，执政党工党在议会下院举行会议，所有工党议员均支持布朗。布朗到达会议时全场一片欢呼声，一名支持者称，首相发表了让人印象深刻，直接坦率的讲话。然而，由于工党在欧洲议会选举和英国当地民意调查中损失惨重，仍有几名议员要求布朗下台。英国司法大臣Jack Strew 否认有人指控布朗是“无用的人”。

“不，他不是没用的人，现在的环境只是表面上的，最重要的是从经济方面考虑，我们需要一个积极主动的首相，他不是没用的人，他仍然拥有非比寻常的精力和能力。”

北爱尔兰民事法庭做出判决，四名政见不同的共和党人应为1998年的炸弹袭击承担责任，虽然在刑事法庭上他们未被判刑。在奥马镇发生的炸弹爆炸事件造成29人死亡。法官判决四人做出250万美元的赔偿。

BBC世界新闻。

非洲任期最长的领袖，加蓬总统奥马尔·邦戈·翁丁巴在执政40多年后去世。邦戈1967年上任，在执政党前二十年对加蓬实行一党制政府，后来，罢工和示威游行逼迫其使反对党派的存在合法化。据说，他是世界上最富有的人之一，利用国家的石油财富在法国购买资产。他在一家西班牙医院去世，Steve Kingston报道。

加蓬总理恩东在由巴塞罗那一家医院发表的书面声明中宣布了总统奥马尔·邦戈的死讯。声明称，这位73岁的领袖因心脏病发去世，举国哀悼30天。加蓬总理要求加蓬人民团结起来，并强调了对国家政治机构表示尊重的必要性。他说，保持已逝总统创造的和平和团结是非常必要的。

英国工党在欧洲议会选举中表现不佳，同样，其他国家的左翼党派也是如此，包括法国，德国和西班牙。主流的右翼党派是主要的受益者。一名BBC记者称，投票者似乎信赖右翼党派可以减轻全球经济危机的影响，而在传统地支持工人的利益方面更喜欢左翼党派。极右派和民族主义党派均赢得了席位。

黎巴嫩真主党领袖Hassan Nasrallah承认其党派在周日的议会选举中失败。在电视讲话中，Hassan Nasrallah称，真主党祝贺由美国和沙特阿拉伯支持的获胜者。此前，奥巴马对选举结果表示欢迎。他说，黎巴嫩现在正走在通向独立和稳定的道路。选举结果令美国担心，被认为是恐怖分子组织的真主党会采取更多……

1 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

2 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

3 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。

4 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

5 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

6 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

7 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

10 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

11 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

12 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

13 forthright   

adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank

参考例句：

• It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人，这有时很难办到。
• He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。

14 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

15 strew   

vt.撒；使散落；撒在…上，散布于

参考例句：

• Their custom is to strew flowers over the graves.他们的风俗是在坟墓上撒花。
• Shells of all shapes and sizes strew the long narrow beach.各种各样的贝壳点缀着狭长的海滩。

16 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。

17 lame   

adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的

参考例句：

• The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
• I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。

18 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

19 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。

20 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。

21 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

22 cohesion   

n.团结，凝结力

参考例句：

• I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
• The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量，深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。

23 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

24 entrusted   

v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
• She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 alleviating   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• If it's alleviating pain,who knows what else it's doing? 如果它减轻了疼痛，天知道还影响什么？
• Measuring poverty is not the same as alleviating it, of course. 当然，衡量贫困和减轻贫困是截然不同的。

26 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。