英国新闻听力 迈克尔-杰克逊将于生日当天下葬

Officials in Pakistan say the detained chief spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has confirmed that their leader Baitullah Mehsud is dead. They said the spokesman, Maulvi Omar, acknowledged under interrogation that Mr. Mehsud was killed earlier this month. Maulvi Omar was arrested on Monday. From Islamabad, here's Aleem Maqbool.

The army here is claiming another crucial strike against the Pakistani Taliban. Maulvi Omar was the main spokesman for the organization and a close aide to Baitullah Mehsud, its leader. Pakistani and American officials claimed Baitullah was killed in an air strike earlier this month. Now government sources in Islamabad say Maulvi Omar has confirmed it. Pakistani ministers say they are confident that Taliban is under serious pressure now and its remaining leadership in disarray¹. But the militant² infrastructure³ here has been built up over decades, and the underlying⁴ problems which feed it -- poverty and inequality-- remain.

An international tribunal in The Hague has ruled that Eritrea will have to pay Ethiopia millions of dollars in compensation for damage done during a two-year war between the two countries. Our Africa editor Martin Plaut reports.

After eight years of legal wrangling⁵, the tribunal made an award across a vast range of issues. For example, it gave a monetary⁶ value to the damage suffered by Ethiopians injured during a notorious incident when Eritrean jets dropped cluster bombs on a school in the town of Mekele. But it also awarded Eritreans who lost their homes and properties in Ethiopia when they were seized by the government. In total, Ethiopia was awarded 174 million dollars while Eritrea got 163 million dollars, a net payment to Ethiopia of just over 10 million dollars. The real tragedy is that the money like the rest of the internationally supported peace process will settle very little.

In the latest violence in the run-up to Thursday's presidential election in Afghanistan, the NATO-led forces there say a suicide car bomber⁷ has killed ten people in an attack on one of their convoys⁸ in the capital Kabul. Hugh Sykes is there.

At about one o'clock in the afternoon here, a suicide car bomb exploded on the main road out of Kabul towards Jalalabad. It's also the road to the sprawling⁹ international military base at Bagram. The road's routinely used by Humvee armored cars and other vehicles driven by members of ISAF---International Stabilization¹⁰ and Assistance Force--in Afghanistan. Two suicide bomb attacks in three days demonstrate that determined¹¹ militants¹² can penetrate¹³ Kabul's election security and they are likely to make people nervous about going out to vote on Thursday.

The Uzbek former warlord in Afghanistan, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, has defended his return to the country from exile only days before the presidential election. In a BBC interview, General Dostum said his return was a matter for the Afghan authorities and he'd answer the allegations against him years ago.

The World Health Organization expects a vaccine¹⁴ against swine flu to be available by September or October this year. The organization's Director General Dr. Margaret Chan who's visiting Tanzania said the infected virus necessary for making the vaccine had been developed in the laboratory. She said it had taken five to six months and now the WHO was working with manufacturers to produce the vaccine.

The International Monetary Fund says a global economic recovery has begun, but that sustaining it will not be a simple task. Here’s our economics correspondent Hugh Pym.

Last month, the IMF said the global economy was beginning to pull out of recession. Today, its director of research Olivier Blanchard has stated in an article the recovery has started. He continues with a series of warnings about how difficult that recovery may be. He says there should be positive growth in most countries for the next few quarters, but he warns that unemployment will not peak till next year. Mr. Blanchard notes that higher taxation¹⁵ is inevitable¹⁶ because of the costs of the crisis. So the IMF remains¹⁷ cautious. But its view seems to be that the glass may now be half full rather than half empty.

Nigerian anti-corruption police are questioning chief executives of several banks which had to be bailed¹⁸ out by the government last week to save them from collapse¹⁹. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested three of the chief executives and they are still looking for two others, one is not in the country. Observers say the anti-corruption inquiry²⁰ is a landmark²¹ because the bank heads had been seen as part of untouchable elite²² in Nigerian finance. The banks had taken on billions of dollars in bad debt.

Michael Jackson's family have announced that the singer will be buried on what would have been his 51st birthday, the 29th of August. He will be buried in the suburb of Los Angeles at Glendale Forest-Lawn memorial park. Michael Jackson died nearly two months ago of cardiac arrest in circumstances which remain unclear.

巴基斯坦官员称，被拘留的塔利班分子首席发言人已证实塔利班头目马哈苏德的死亡。他们表示，首席发言人欧玛(Maulvi Omar)在审讯中承认，马哈苏德已于本月初被击毙。欧玛在周一被捕。伊斯兰堡，Aleem Maqbool报道。

巴基斯坦军方称这是对巴基斯坦塔利班分子的又一次关键打击。欧玛是塔利班组织的主要发言人，是其头目马哈苏德的特别助理。巴基斯坦和美国官员均称马哈苏德在本月初的空袭中被击毙。现在，来自伊斯兰堡的政府消息来源称，欧玛已证实了这一消息。巴基斯坦部长称，他们相信塔利班分子目前正面临极大的压力，其领导秩序依然混乱。但是好战分子的基础设立已经建立了几十年的时间，基本的贫穷和不平等状况依然存在。

海牙国际法庭判决厄尔特里亚向埃塞俄比亚支付数百万美元以赔偿两国之间为其两年的战争所造成的损失。我们的非洲编辑Martin Plaut报道。

经过八年的司法争议之后，国际法庭最终针对一系列问题作出裁决。例如，在臭名昭著的事件中，厄尔特里亚飞机在Mekele镇向一个学校投掷集束炸弹，造成许多额尔特里亚人员伤亡，法庭为这些伤亡赋予了金钱价值。但是还补偿了那些被政府占领时失去家园和财产的人。总的来说，将向埃塞俄比亚支付1.74亿美元，而厄尔特里亚降获得1.63亿美元，也就是厄尔特里亚将向埃塞俄比亚支付1000万美元。真正的灾难是，国际支持的和平进程的剩余问题没有得到解决。

在周四的阿富汗总统选举竞选活动导致的最新暴力事件中，北约驻阿富汗军队称，一起汽车爆炸在首都喀布尔袭击了一辆护航车，造成10人死亡。Hugh Sykes在现场报道。

在当地时间下午一点，在喀布尔通往Jalalabad的道路上发生自杀式汽车爆炸事件。这同时也是通往国际部队驻Bagram基地的道路。该道路通常是由联合国稳定和救助部队(ISAF---International Stabilization and Assistance Force)装甲车队和其他车辆使用。三天之内发生的两次自杀式爆炸袭击表明，决心坚定的好战分子能够渗透喀布尔的选举安全力量，他们可能会使人们时刻紧张，而不敢在周四外出投票。

乌兹别克驻阿富汗前军阀Abdul Rashid Dostum为其在总统选举前几日结束放逐回国的行为作出辩护。在BBC的采访中，Dostum将军称，他回国是应阿富汗官方的要求，回应几年前对他的指控。

世界卫生组织预期对抗猪流感的疫苗有望在今年九月份或十月份产出。该组织总干事陈富珍女士正在访问坦桑尼亚，她说，生产疫苗所需的感染病毒已经在实验室进行研制。她说，研发工作总共历时五六个月，现在，世界卫生组织正和生产商一起生产疫苗。

国际货币基金组织称，全球经济复苏已经开始，但是保持经济复苏不是一项简单的任务。下面是我们的经济通讯员Hugh Pym的报道。

上月，国际货币基金组织称全球经济开始走出衰退。今天，研究主任Olivier Blanchard在一篇文章中表明，经济复苏已经开始。他还提出了一系列预警，说明了复苏可能会非常困难。他说，未来的几个季度，大多数国家的经济都会出现比较乐观的增长，但是他警告说，失业率到明年才达到最高峰。Blanchard指出，由于经济危机成本高昂，更高的税率是不可避免的。所以，国际货币基金组织仍然非常谨慎。但是，他的观点似乎表明，形势已经比较乐观。

尼日利亚几家银行接受政府资助，使其免于破产。反腐警察正对这几家银行的执行董事进行审问。经济和金融犯罪委员会逮捕了其中的三名执行董事，目前仍在搜寻其他两人，其中一人已经出国。观察员表示，反腐审讯是划时代的事件，因为在尼日利亚金融体系中，银行领导是不可触碰的精英。这些银行的坏账高达数十亿美元。

迈克尔·杰克逊的家人宣布，将在其51岁生日，8月29日那天将其埋葬。杰克逊将被葬在洛杉矶郊外“森林草坪”公墓。迈克尔·杰克逊于大约两个月前心脏骤停去世，目前当时的情况还不明晰。

1 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。

2 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。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

5 wrangling   

v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The two sides have spent most of their time wrangling over procedural problems. 双方大部分时间都在围绕程序问题争论不休。 来自辞典例句
• The children were wrangling (with each other) over the new toy. 孩子为新玩具（互相）争吵。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

8 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

9 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

10 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 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。

13 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

14 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

15 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

16 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 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。

19 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

20 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

21 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

22 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。