【一起听英语】安全防备

国民的安危是政府首先需要关注的问题........

Jennifer: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm

Jennifer and with me today is Neil.

Neil: Hi Jennifer!

Jennifer: Today's story is about providing protection during the Olympic Games in

London. The UK government is going to place missile at six sites around the

capital. And it has been controversial.

Neil: Yes, people have very different opinions about the issue and they don't shy

away from expressing them and arguing. I'm not surprised. If I had some

powerful explosives sitting just a few metres above my head I wouldn't feel

safe at all.

Jennifer: Well, but the authorities might have a point when they say they are

concerned about threats to security in London. Since the London Underground

bombings in 2005, threat levels in the city have been high and the Olympics

will be watched by millions around the world.

Neil: Indeed, it is a high profile event.

Jennifer: Let's make the Olympic Movement the theme for our traditional quiz today

before we talk further about these weapons – the missiles. The question for

our listeners is: What inspired the creation of the Paralympic Games? Was it:

a) A tradition from Ancient Olympia,

b) The Crimean War

c) World War II

Neil: I know this one. The answer is…

Jennifer: No! Please don't Neil. I know you know this one and we have to give our

listeners a chance to guess. So this time, you keep quiet.

Neil: Not easy, I'm bursting to tell everybody as we have been getting loads of

information about these fascinating games here in Britain. But I'll be good to

keep the suspense¹ going...

Jennifer: And meanwhile let's get back to our story about the missiles. Listen out for

who is particularly unhappy about the missiles. This is a report by the BBC

correspondent Rob Broomby. 

6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012

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bbclearningenglish.com

BBC correspondent Rob Broomby

The surface-to-air missiles would be placed at six sites around London including in a public

park and the most controversial – on top of a residential² tower block. The intention is to

boost London's existing air defences and send a signal to the public, and would-be plotters,

that the Olympic sites will be protected. But the residents of the 117 apartments in one

affected³ block say it imposes what they called a 'high explosive missile salvo' on the roof,

which puts their lives at risk.

Neil: The people who live in a residential tower block.

Jennifer: Tall buildings full of apartments were one of the choices to place the weapons.

The authorities want to send a signal to the public that they will be protected!

Neil: The signal sent to me – the message – was not exactly of protection…

Jennifer: But the signal goes also to would-be plotters …

Neil: People who might be making terrorist plans like in 2005.

Jennifer: But the BBC reporter points out that the 117 residents feel a bit like you in

this case. They think that the missiles have been imposed on them and that

their presence on their roof could put their lives at risk.

Neil: It is a government decision and they feel they have no choice in the matter.

They feel that they can't say: no, thanks!

Jennifer: And they've got themselves a solicitor⁴. Let's hear what he has to say about

this 'imposition'.

Resident's solicitor

''These tenants⁵ are not used to having soldiers coming in and out their front door, going up

and down their lifts, having soldiers with high velocity⁶ missiles on top of the roof. That really

does affect their private life, their family life and their home. That's a fundamental right and

they had a right to be consulted about that before such a move was taken.''

Neil: A person that is a professional specialised in defending people's rights says

that there is a fundamental right that hasn't been upheld.

Jennifer: A right that is basic, one that is part of the most immediate⁷ rights a person

can have.

Neil: The right to be consulted about a matter of such importance!

Jennifer: They wanted to be asked about that – to have had an opportunity to have

their opinion heard.

Neil: And will they be listened to now?

Jennifer: You'll have to listen to the BBC's correspondent Rob Broomby.

 

6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012

Page 3 of 4

bbclearningenglish.com

BBC correspondent Rob Broomby

The Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the ground-to-air defence systems were just

one part of what he called a 'comprehensive, multi-layered air security plan' intended to

both reassure⁸ and deter⁹. He said the deployment¹⁰ would go ahead despite objections from

what he called a ‘small number of activists¹²'.

Jennifer: Oh, no, it doesn't look like it. The Defence Secretary said that the plan has

been devised to deter.

Neil: To prevent - or deter - the would-be plotters.

Jennifer: And will go ahead in spite of the complaints of what he calls activists.

Neil: He says the residents are people involved in causes rather than ones acting¹³

just on a case-by-case basis.

Jennifer: Well I'm sure the controversy¹⁴ will not stop there. We are running out of time

but let's go back to our quiz. The question for you and our listeners is: What

inspired the creation of the Paralympic Games? Was it:

a) A tradition from Ancient Olympia,

b) The Crimean War

c) World War II

Neil: Let me tell them! Let me tell them! It is c) World War II!

Jennifer: It is indeed and it was created by Sir Ludwig Guttmann. He was brought to

Oxford¹⁵ as a refugee fleeing Nazi¹⁶ Germany and from there he was asked to run

the spinal¹⁷ injuries unit at Stoke Mandeville, here in Britain, for injured soldiers

returning from World War II. He started the competition! And before we say

goodbye, let's remind you of some of the words we've heard today.

Neil: They were:

controversial

missiles

tower block

send a signal

would-be plotters

to impose

fundamental

consulted

to deter

activist¹¹

Jennifer: Do join us again for more 6 Minute English and for more help with any aspects

of your English language studies go to our website BBCLearningEnglish.com.

Bye for now!

Neil: Bye! 

1 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

2 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

3 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。

4 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

5 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

6 velocity   

n.速度，速率

参考例句：

• Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
• The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

9 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

10 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

11 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

12 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》

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

15 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

16 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

17 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。