英国新闻听力 冰岛火山灰再次影响欧洲航班

President Sarkozy of France and the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have canceled visits to Moscow on Sunday to work instead on plans to stop the Greek debt crisis spreading to other countries using the European single currency. Mr Sarkozy said the single currency was an essential element of Europe and financial speculators must not be allowed to undo¹ it. European finance ministers will meet on Sunday to consider a package of special measures to ensure the stability of the eurozone. Robert Peston has more.

After a week of global turmoil² in markets, there are widespread fears of a renewed banking³ crisis, which is why so much rests on this weekend's emergency talks about how best to provide the emergency funding to Europe's banks. What we're seeing is contagion⁴ from Greece's inability to borrow from conventional investors⁵. There are concerns that other financially-stretched governments may also use the confidence of their creditors⁶, and that in turn has generated concerns about potential losses that could be incurred⁷ by banks that have lent to these countries.

Here in Britain,the leader of the Liberal Democrats⁹ Nick Clegg has been consulting his parliamentary colleagues over a power-sharing deal offered to them by the Conservative Party following the inconclusive general election. A senior Liberal Democrat⁸ told the BBC that Monday was seen by all parties as an important day and there would need to be a conclusion by then.

Palestinian leaders in the West Bank have agreed to start indirect peace talks with Israel. It'll be the first formal negotiations¹⁰ between the two sides in 18 months. The White House has welcomed the decision. Tim Franks reports.

The Palestinians refused to hold direct talks with Israel as long as there's continued building within Jewish settlements on occupied territory. For its part, Israel has offered a temporary and partial curb¹¹ on building within the West Bank and says it's keen to move to face-to-face negotiations as soon as possible. But both sides have a very different idea, not just on the shape and powers of a future Palestinian state, but also what should be even discussed in the first phase of negotiations.

Hundreds of airline flights in Europe have been disrupted and airports have been closed by new cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano. The cloud stretches for some 2,000 kms. Nineteen airports in Spain have closed while others were affected¹² in northern Portugal and southern France. Here's Sarah Rainsford.

Spain had been largely unaffected by the volcanic¹³ ash cloud, but early on Saturday morning, it drifted this way from over the Atlantic. Airports in the north were closed first, and as the cloud moved eastwards¹⁴, Spain's second biggest airport Barcelona joined the list. The airport authority here says elsewhere more than 600 flights have been cancelled in and out of the country, affecting thousands of passengers. The restrictions¹⁵ will stay in place until early on Sunday morning at least.

There's been a methane¹⁶ gas explosion inside a Russian coal mine in Siberia. Rescue workers said there were at least two deaths and several injuries. Many miners were brought to the surface,but more than a hundred others were still thought to be underground several hours after the blast.

The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says he wants to make spending cuts of more than 10 billion dollars by altering a far-reaching review of what he called "a bloated and wasteful¹⁷ bureaucratic¹⁸ machine". From Washington, Madeleine Morris reports.

Robert Gates described America's defence spending over the past decade as a gusher¹⁹, and one that had to be turned off. In announcing plans to save 10 billion dollars, Mr Gates gave diverse examples of what he sees as bloated Pentagon costs, including military health care, the large number of generals and admirals, and various layers of bureaucracy. He said redirecting 2 to 3% of defence spending to combat activities in readiness would be better use of American taxpayers²⁰' dollars in preparing for what he called "an uncertain future". Mr Gates pointed²¹ out that last year long-term savings²² of 330 billion dollars have been made by trimming several dozen weapons programmes.

The oil company BP has encountered problems with the massive containment²³ box it's trying to place over a ruptured²⁴ well on the seabed of the Gulf²⁵ of Mexico. BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles said the hundred-ton box had to be moved after icy residue²⁶ or slush began accumulating inside it. He said engineers hoped they could find a solution to the problem and place the box back over the leak. The aim is to contain the oil and then funnel²⁷ it into a tanker²⁸ on the surface.

The last surviving member of the 27 original chess grandmasters has died at his home in Hungary. Andor Lilienthal was 99 years old and received the grandmaster title from the International Chess Federation²⁹ in 1950. During his career, he won matches against 6 world champions.

法国总统萨科齐和意大利总理贝卢斯科尼取消周日的莫斯科之行，转而制定防止希腊经济危机扩散到欧元区其他国家的计划。萨科齐表示，一体化货币是欧洲的必要元素，金融投机者不能将其解散。周日，欧洲各国财长将举行会晤，考虑一系列特殊措施，确保欧元区的稳定。Robert Peston报道更详细信息。

经过一周的全球市场混乱，人们广泛担忧银行危机会卷土重来，这就是本周如此多的谈话集中在如何为欧洲银行提供紧急资金的原因。我们看到的是希腊难以从传统投资者借贷的情况出现蔓延。有人担心，其他财政困难的政府也会利用债权人的信心，从而引发人们对向这些国家提供贷款的银行遭受损失的担忧。

在英国，未确定的大选过后，保守党向自由民主党提出权利分享的提议，自由民主党领袖克莱格(Nick Clegg)正与议会同事进行商讨。一名高级自由民主党员告诉BBC，所有党派都认为周一是非常重要的一天，到那时必须出台结论。

西岸巴勒斯坦领导人同意与以色列启动间接对话。这将是18个月以来双方进行的首次正式谈判。白宫对该决定表示欢迎。Tim Franks报道。

只要以色列继续在西岸占领的领土建筑犹太人定居点，巴勒斯坦人就拒绝与他们进行直接对话。以色列方面则提出暂时部分冻结西岸定居点的建筑活动，并表示，他们热衷于尽快进行面对面的谈判。但是双方持有不同意见，不只是在未来的巴勒斯坦国的形状和权利方面，在第一阶段谈判内容方面也未达成一致。

冰岛火山灰形成新的火山灰层，欧洲几百个航班受到干扰，机场被迫关闭。火山灰层绵延长达2,000千米。西班牙19个机场关闭，葡萄牙北部和法国南部也受到影响。Sarah Rainsford报道。

西班牙大部分未受火山灰层的影响，但是周六早些时候，火山灰层从大西洋向这个方向移动。北部的机场首先被迫关闭，随着火山灰向东移动，西班牙第二大机场巴塞罗那机场也加入关闭的行列。机场官方表示，在其他地方，国内外共有600多个航班取消，数千名乘客受到影响。飞行禁令至少要持续到周日早上。

俄罗斯西伯利亚一个煤矿发生甲烷气体爆炸事件。搜救人员表示，目前至少造成2人死亡，几人受伤。许多矿工已经被带到地面，但是爆炸几小时之后，仍有100多人被困在地下。

美国国防部长罗伯特·盖茨表示，他希望对“臃肿，浪费的官僚机制”进行深入的检查，削减超过100亿美元的支出。华盛顿，Madeleine Morris报道。

罗伯特·盖茨说，过去十年美国的国防支出就像一个自喷井，必须及时将其关闭。在宣布削减100亿美元的支出时，盖茨列举了他认为是五角大楼支出浪费的例子，包括军队医疗保健，大量的将军和上将，以及各种各样的官僚阶层。他说，将2%至3%的国防支出用于作战活动将能更好地将纳税人的钱用于“不确定性的未来。”盖茨指出，去年，通过削减几十个武器项目已经节约了3300亿美元的资金。

英国BP石油公司试图将巨大的集装箱置于墨西哥湾海床漏油钻井时遇到问题。BP公司首席运营官Doug Suttles表示，由于内部开始聚集结晶状气体水合物，这个重达百吨的集装箱必须先移开。他说，工程师们希望他们能够找到这个问题的解决办法，重新将集装箱放置到漏油位置。此举目的是控制漏油，然后将漏油引入海面上的油轮。

27位国际象棋大师中的最后一位幸存者在匈牙利家中去世。Andor Lilienthal今年99岁，在1950年获得国际象棋联合会授予的国际象棋大师称号。在其职业生涯中，曾在与6位世界冠军的比赛中获胜。

1 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

2 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

3 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 incurred   

[医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式

参考例句：

• She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚，使父亲震怒。
• We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。

8 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

14 eastwards   

adj.向东方（的），朝东（的）；n.向东的方向

参考例句：

• The current sets strongly eastwards.急流迅猛东去。
• The Changjiang River rolls on eastwards.长江滚滚向东流。

15 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

16 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

17 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

18 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

19 gusher   

n.喷油井

参考例句：

• We endeavour to avoid the old,romantic idea of a gusher.我们力图避免那种有关喷油井的陈旧的、不切实际的计划。
• The oil rushes up the tube and spouts up as a gusher.石油会沿着钢管上涌，如同自喷井那样喷射出来。

20 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。

21 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

22 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

23 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

24 ruptured   

v.（使）破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• They reported that the pipeline had ruptured. 他们报告说管道已经破裂了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wall through Berlin was finally ruptured, prefiguring the reunification of Germany. 柏林墙终于倒塌了，预示着德国的重新统一。 来自辞典例句

25 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

26 residue   

n.残余，剩余，残渣

参考例句：

• Mary scraped the residue of food from the plates before putting them under water.玛丽在把盘子放入水之前先刮去上面的食物残渣。
• Pesticide persistence beyond the critical period for control leads to residue problems.农药一旦超过控制的临界期，就会导致残留问题。

27 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

28 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

29 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。