英国新闻听力 美国一家发电厂发生爆炸

Exit polls in Ukraine suggest that the presidential election has been won by the pro-Moscow candidate Viktor Yanukovych. The unofficial polls indicate that Mr Yanukovych defeated his rival, the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, by three to six percentage points. Mrs Tymoshenko's campaign manager says the result is too early to call and has also alleged¹ that extensive fraud has taken place. Richard Galpin reports from Kiev.

The results of the exit polls were released immediately after voting ended on Sunday night. Mr Yanukovych had been the front runner in the race all along. If his victory is confirmed by the Central Election Commission on Monday, it would be an extraordinary indictment² of the failure of the leaders of the Orange Revolution to deliver on their promises over the past five years, which has left so many people here deeply disillusioned³.

A large rescue operation is underway at an energy plant in the American state of Connecticut after a powerful blast which may have injured dozens of people. The authorities in Middletown say two people are confirmed dead and four others are seriously injured. An official said at least 50 construction workers were inside the power plant when the explosion happened. Here is our Washington correspondent Imtiaz Tyab.

A huge search and rescue effort is underway at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown, Connecticut. Emergency personnel are focusing mainly on one building which bore the brunt of the blast, which was reportedly caused by a gas pipeline⁴ explosion. The structure that suffered the most damage was apparently⁵ under construction, and there are concerns that there may be people buried under the steel and concrete. The massive explosion was felt nearly 50 kilometers away.

French police have closed down a makeshift shelter for illegal immigrants in northern France just 24 hours after it was opened. The disused warehouse⁶ in the Port of Calais was being used by about 100 migrants mostly from Afghanistan. Here is our Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield.

The migrants mainly from Afghanistan and Iraq had the backing of a local campaigning group called No Border. On Saturday they took over a warehouse, not far from Calais Port, with the apparent aim of turning it into a permanent shelter. Police and riot police surrounded the building, allowing all migrants to leave in search of food, but not to return. Eventually there were only a handful of migrants and activists⁷ remaining in the warehouse when police moved in to clear them out mid-afternoon Sunday.

Iran says it will begin enriching uranium to a higher grade from Tuesday, prompting objections from several Western governments, who say it could eventually lead to the production of a nuclear bomb. Britain said the enrichment would be a deliberate breach⁸ of UN resolutions, while Germany and the United States said it could lead to new sanctions on the Iranian government. The statements followed an order to officials from the Iranian president to increase uranium enrichment from 5 to 20%.

The Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told a conference of the world's top defense⁹ officials in Germany that he is considering introducing conscription to help strengthen Afghan forces so they can take control of security. His comments come as American-led forces prepare to launch a major offensive in southern Afghanistan. NATO commanders say the operation will be the biggest against Taliban insurgents¹⁰ since the war began.

Iraqi police say a female candidate in next month's parliamentary elections has been shot dead in the northern city of Mosul by an unknown gunman. The woman, Suha Abdel Jarallah, was running on the list of a secular¹¹ non-sectarian coalition¹² headed by the former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

The former American vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has said it would be absurd for her not to consider running for president in 2012. In an appearance on the Fox News television channel, she said her focus had widened since she was governor of Alaska. Ms. Palin attracted widespread support among conservative voters during the 2008 campaign.

The biggest annual event in American sport, the Super Bowl, takes place in Miami shortly. The Indianapolis Colts are favourites to win. But many Americans are expected to support the New Orleans Saints, whose city is still recovering from the devastation¹³ of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Here is Alex Capstick.

When Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods racked the city in 2005, the New Orleans Saints’ stadium, the Superdome, became a refugee camp for thousands of homeless people. It was a key image of the city's ruin. Its renaissance¹⁴ as a sports venue¹⁵ and the improved fortunes for the football team which plays there have been recognized as a symbol of the city's recovery. Before Katrina, the New Orleans Saints had an enviable record. But since the devastation five years ago, the Saints have been revitalized into a contender for America's biggest sporting prize.

乌克兰选后测验表明，亲莫斯科派候选人维克托·亚努科维奇(Viktor Yanukovych)赢得总统选举。该非官方的测验显示，亚努科维奇以3至6个百分点的优势击败对手，总理尤利娅·季莫申科(Yulia Tymoshenko)。季莫申科的竞选管理人员表示，现在预测结果还为时过早。他还指控选举存在广泛的舞弊行为。Richard Galpin在基辅报道。

周日晚选举结束后，选后测验立即发布了结果。亚努科维奇在选举中一直领先。如果他的胜利在周一得到中央选举委员会的确认，这将预测这橙色革命领导人在过去五年内向民众的承诺的失败，这已经使多人不再抱有幻想。

美国康乃狄格发生强力爆炸，可能已经造成数十人受伤，大型搜救行动正在进行。米德尔顿官方表示，现已确认2人死亡，4人重伤。一名官员表示，爆炸发生时，至少50名建筑工人在发电厂内。以下是我们的华盛顿记者Imtiaz Tyab的报道。

康乃狄格州米德尔顿克伦能源厂正在进行大规模的搜救行动。处理突发事件的人员主要集中在承受爆炸正面冲击的建筑。据报道，爆炸由煤气管道爆炸造成。受损害最大的建筑很明显是正在建设中的大楼，有人担忧可能有人被埋在钢筋水凝土下。该大规模的爆炸在50公里外都能感觉到。

法国警方关闭了法国北部一座非法移民临时安置营，距离开放才刚刚24小时。加来港这座废弃的仓库为大约100名移民使用，其中大部分移民来自阿富汗。以下是我们的巴黎记者Hugh Schofield的报道。

这些主要来自阿富汗和伊拉克的移民获得了一个叫做No Border的当地组织的支持。周六，他们接收了距离加来港不远处的一个仓库，很明显，他们希望将这里变成永久住所。警方和防暴警察包围了该建筑，勒令所有移民外出寻找食物，但是不要再返回。最终，周日中午警方前往清场时，只有少数移民和活动积极分子仍然留在仓库。

伊朗声称将从周二开始压缩更高浓度的铀，引发了几个西方国家政府的反对。他们表示，伊朗的活动将最终导致研制核弹。英国表示，伊朗的浓缩活动故意违反联合国的决议。德国和美国表示，这将导致对伊朗政府实施新的制裁。这些声明是由于伊朗总统下令将铀的浓度由5%提高至20%。

在德国举行的世界大国外交部长会议上，阿富汗总统卡尔扎伊表示，他正在考虑征兵来增强阿富汗力量，以便控制安全形势。他发表评论之时，美国领导的军队正在准备在阿富汗南部发动重大进攻行动。北约指挥官表示，这次行动将是阿富汗战争开始以来对塔利班反叛分子发动的最大袭击。

伊拉克警方表示，参加下月议会选举的一名女候选人在北部城市摩苏尔被不知名持枪者枪杀。这名候选人名为苏哈·阿卜杜勒―加拉拉，据信为前总理伊亚德·阿拉维政治阵营成员。

美国前副总统候选人萨拉·佩林(Sarah Palin)表示，不考虑参加2012年的总统选举是非常荒唐的。在福克斯新闻电视频道发表讲话时，他表示，自担任阿拉斯加州长以来，她的视野得到了拓展。在2008年的竞选活动中，她获得了保守派投票者的广泛支持。

美国体育界最大的年度盛事超级杯稍后即将在迈阿密开幕。印第安纳波利斯小马(Indianapolis Colts)最有望夺冠。但是预期许多美国人将支持新奥尔良圣徒队(New Orleans Saints)，新奥尔良还在从2005年卡特里娜飓风的灾难中恢复。以下是Alex Capstick的报道。

2005年卡特里娜飓风和随后的洪水袭击新奥尔良时，新奥尔良圣徒队的体育馆Superdome成为数千名无家可归者的难民营。这是该市灾难的主要画面。作为体育场馆的复兴，和该足球队改善的状况被视为该城市复苏的主要象征。卡特里娜飓风之前，新奥尔良圣徒队的记录令人羡慕。但是自5年前灾难袭击以来，圣徒队则成为美国最大的体育赛事的竞争者。

1 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

2 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

3 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

4 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

5 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。

6 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 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。

10 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

11 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

12 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。

13 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》

14 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

15 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。