英国新闻听力 海地地震首都几成废墟

The President of Haiti Rene Preval says tens of thousands of people are feared dead following Tuesday's earthquake which destroyed much of the capital Port-au-Prince. Schools and hospitals were among the buildings that collapsed¹. Survivors² have been roaming the rubble³-strewn streets of the capital, injured and unable to comprehend the devastation⁴. Paul Adams has more.

Almost 24 hours after the quake struck, it's still proving very difficult to assess the scale of this disaster. But the images, voices and Internet postings pouring out of Haiti all paint the grimmest of pictures. The capital of the poorest country in the western hemisphere has been devastated⁵. Even its grandiose⁶ presidential palace built by the US army core of engineers has collapsed. As many as two million people live close to the epic⁷ center, many of them in teeming⁸ slums that cling precariously⁹ to steep unstable¹⁰ hillsides. The senior adviser¹¹ to the Haitian prime minister told the BBC the focus would be on emergency assistance. She said she didn't know anyone in Port-au-Prince with a home now safe to live in.

The Haitian president says the head of the United Nations mission to the country Hedi Annabi was killed in the earthquake. He said Mr Annabi's body was found in the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince which collapsed when the quake quick struck. However, the UN says it has no confirmation¹² of his death.

President Obama has promised full American support for Haiti to help it recover from the earthquake. He said "We have to be there for them in their hour of need". Officials in Washington said US navy ships in the region had been told to be ready themselves. The UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator¹³ John Holmes said international rescue teams were already on the ground.

"The Chinese search and rescue team has already arrived at the airport at eastern Port-au-Prince. I believe two US teams will arrive this afternoon and perhaps two more, tomorrow hopefully with ,uh, heavy equipment as well as experts and dogs and so on. Others are on the way from many countries. So, that kind of help is beginning to arrive at the cottages desperately¹⁴ need it and as you all aware, every hour counts in this kind of situation when people are trapped under the rubble in desperate need of being rescued."

Scientists say the earthquake in Haiti has had a particularly severe effect because most people weren't expecting it. There has been no significant earthquake there for more than 200 years. Our science reporter Matt Mcgrath looks at the factors that have caused such devastation.

There are three elements to this earthquake that in combination explained its deadly nature. First is the power. A magnitude 7 is equivalent to the energy given off by half a million tons of high explosives. The second is the location, just 10 kilometers beneath the earth and very near the capital city. Closeness to the surface is a key factor contributing to the severity of the ground shaking caused by a tremor¹⁵. The final factor is the lack of awareness¹⁶ among the population and the government about the possibility of an earthquake given that has been so long since the last major one.

The opposition¹⁷ in Guinea says it would be best if the military leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara stays out of politics for a while. An opposition spokesman told the BBC that what he described as agitators¹⁸ in Captain Camara's entourage who tried to use him to pursue their own interests. On Tuesday, Captain Camara flew to Burkina Faso from Morocco where he was being treated for injuries received in an assassination¹⁹ attempt last month.

A high court in Nigeria has ruled that the vice²⁰ president has the right to perform all duties on behalf of the president without a formal transfer of power. President Umaru Yar'Adua has been receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia since November, a move which has caused unease in Nigeria. From Abuja, Caroline Duffield has this report.

When President Yar'Adua was rushed to hospital, he didn't formally hand presidential powers to his deputy. Now in the first of full-court cases, a judge has ruled that the current situation is legal. Justice Daniel Abutu said that the vice president is able to perform all duties on behalf of the president, and crucially he said that no formal transfer of presidential powers by letter was necessary for that to happen. He said a formal transfer was only at the president's discretion²¹.

Israel has formally apologized to Turkey for a breach²² of diplomatic manners that threatened to open a serious rift²³ between the two countries. The row started while Israeli angered at alleged²⁴ anti-Semitism in a Turkish television series, but deepened when Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon publicly humiliated²⁵ the Turkish ambassador when delivering a protest.

The heads of four of the biggest American banks have told public inquiry²⁶ that they underestimated the severity of the financial crisis which started in 2008. At the congressional hearing, the chiefs said they regretted any risky²⁷ behavior or poor decisions made by them. But they also said that they had done much to repair the damage by reining²⁸ in pay and bonuses.

海地总统勒内·普列瓦尔(Rene Preval)表示，周二袭击首都太子港的地震后可能造成数万人死亡。学校和医院等诸多建筑倒塌。幸存者身负重伤，难以理解这次灾难，漫游在布满废墟的首都街道。Paul Adams报道详细情况。

地震过去已经24小时，仍然难以评估这次灾难的规模。但是从海地蜂拥而来的图片，报道和网络资料无不描绘出一幅最可怕的景象。这个西半球最贫穷国家的首都已经被摧毁。甚至连美国军队核心工程师建造的宏伟的总统府也在地震中倒塌。多达200万人居住在震中附近，其中许多人居住在依陡峭的山坡建筑的危险的贫民窟里。海地总理高级顾问告诉BBC，现在的焦点问题是紧急援助。她说，她认为太子港没有任何人有安全稳固的家可以居住。

海地总统表示，联合国维和任务特派团团长Hedi Annabi在地震中遇难。他说，联合国驻太子港总部在地震中倒塌，人们在总部附近发现了Annabi的尸体。然而，联合国还没有确认他的死亡。

奥巴马总统承诺美国将全力支持海地，帮助其从地震中恢复过来。他说，“他们需要帮助时，我们一定鼎力相助”。华盛顿官员表示，美国驻该地区海军船只已经准备好随时待命。联合国紧急救助协调员John Holmes表示，国际救援小组已经在现场。

“中国搜救小组已经抵达太子港东部机场。我相信今天下午两支美国搜救队伍也会到达。明天可能还会有两支携带重装备的队伍以及专家和搜救犬到达。许多国家的搜救队伍也正在途中。这种类型的帮助已经开始抵达亟需救援的村舍。你知道，对于被困在废墟中亟需救援的人来说，每一个小时都非常重要。”

科学家称，海地发生的这次地震造成非常严重的影响，因为大多数人都没有预料到。海地已经200多年的时间没有发生大地震。我们的科学记者Matt Mcgrath为我们分析了导致这场重大灾难的几个因素。

这次地震如此致命主要是由于三个方面的因素。首先是地震的威力。7.0级地震相当于50吨高性能炸药爆炸释放出的能量。第二就是地震发生的位置，仅仅在地表以下10千米，而且非常靠近首都。太靠近地表是地震引发地表振动如此严重的主要因素。最后一个因素是，民众和政府都没有意识到发生地震的可能性，因为上次发生大地震已经是很久以前了。Matt Mcgrath报道。

几内亚反对派称，军方领袖穆沙˙达迪斯˙卡马拉 (Moussa Dadis Camara) 最好暂时退出政坛一段时间。一名反对派发言人告诉BBC，卡马拉的随行人员中有一些鼓动者，他们希望利用卡马拉来达到自己的目的。周二，卡马拉上尉由摩洛哥飞往布基纳法索。上月，卡马拉在一次刺杀阴谋中受伤，一直在摩洛哥接受治疗。

尼日利亚高级法庭裁决，在没有正式的权利交接的情况下，副总统有权代表总统行使所有权里。自11月份以来，总统亚加杜瓦一直在沙特阿拉伯接受治疗，这引发了尼日利亚内部的不安。阿布贾，Caroline Duffield报道。

亚加杜瓦总统赶往医院时，并未正式将总统的职权移交给副总统。现在，一名法官裁决目前的形势是合法的。Daniel Abutu法官表示，副总统有权代表总统行使职权，而这并不需要由总统书面正式移交权力。他说，正式移交只是总统个人选择。

以色列正式因违反外交惯例，威胁两国关系分裂而向土耳其道歉。争吵始于以色列对土耳其播出的反犹太主义的电视节目不满，随后，以色列外交副部长Danny Ayalon表达抗议时公开侮辱土耳其大使，双方争吵加剧。

美国四家最大银行负责人告诉公众调查称，他们低估了始于2008年的金融危机的严重性。在国会听证会上，这些银行巨头表示，他们为自己的危险举动和不当决策表示遗憾。但是他们还说，他们已经在限制薪资和奖金方面做出诸多努力，弥补损失。

1 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

4 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

7 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

8 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

9 precariously   

adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地

参考例句：

• The hotel was perched precariously on a steep hillside. 旅馆危险地坐落在陡峭的山坡上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The phone was perched precariously on the window ledge. 电话放在窗台上，摇摇欲坠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

11 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

12 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。

13 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

14 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

15 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

16 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

17 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。

18 agitators   

n.（尤指政治变革的）鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 )；煽动者；搅拌器；搅拌机

参考例句：

• The mud is too viscous, you must have all the agitators run. 泥浆太稠，你们得让所有的搅拌机都开着。 来自辞典例句
• Agitators urged the peasants to revolt/revolution. 煽动者怂恿农民叛变（革命）。 来自辞典例句

19 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

20 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

21 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

22 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

23 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

24 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

25 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

26 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。

27 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

28 reining   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的现在分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• "That's a fine bevy, Ma'm,'said Gerald gallantly, reining his horse alongside the carriage. "太太！好一窝漂亮的云雀呀！" 杰拉尔德殷勤地说，一面让自己的马告近塔尔顿的马车。
• I was a temperamental genius in need of reining in by stabler personalities. 我是个需要由更稳重的人降服住的神经质的天才。