News Spotlight (5)

News Spotlight¹ (5)

 

News 1 政治

The world leaders have begun arriving in France for the G8 Summit. They will be ¹⁾tackling a wide range of global issues, including ²⁾strained ties between the U.S. and Europe and free trade. President Hu Jintao is leading the Chinese delegation² in its first appearance at a meeting of the world’s most powerful nations.

All eyes are on the ³⁾alpine³ resort of ⁴⁾Evian over the next three days, where world leaders are meeting to discuss key global issues. Topping the agenda is the ⁵⁾rift⁴ between Washington and Europe as well as ways to boost the global economy and free trade.

Chinese president Hu Jintao is ⁶⁾on hand, where he’ll hold informal discussions with G8 leaders and other heads of state to boost cooperation and development. Hu today met his French counterpart Jacques Chirac after arriving by boat from Lausanne Switzerland. State councilor Tang Jiaxuan, who’s part of the Chinese delegation, said the president’s appearance at the summit marks a milestone⁵ in China’s status in the international arena⁷.

 

News 2 经济

The British government says it’s launching a campaign to win over public opinion in favor of the European single currency. The Prime Minister Tony Blair and the ⁷⁾Chancellor⁸ of the ⁸⁾Exchequer⁹ Gordon Brown will be holding a joint¹⁰ news conference in Downing Street to try to persuade ⁹⁾Britons the euro could be in their patriotic¹¹ interest. It comes the day after the Chancellor told Parliament the time was not yet right to join the euro, as the economic tests his department has devised before recommending membership has not yet been met. Correspondents say it’s an issue, which has sharply divided not only the British public, but also apparently¹² parts of the government itself.

 

News 3 经济

Inflation is on the way down in the euro-zone and the President of the European Central Bank Wim Duisenberg predicted that next year the euro-zone’s inflation rate would slip well below the ECB’s target level. Duisenberg repeated the ECB’s ¹⁰⁾assertion that is “saw no indication of deflation or falling prices on the horizon for the euro-zone” but assured his audience that the ECB will remain ¹¹⁾vigilant¹³ against risks of deflation.

 

News 4 名人

The media ¹²⁾frenzy¹⁴ generated by U.S. senator Hillary Clinton’s memoirs¹⁵ reached its peak today with the book’s release. Hundreds of eager fans lined up for hours outside a bookstore in New York to get ¹³⁾autographed copy.

Critics have ¹⁴⁾likened U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton’s launch of her new book to a rock star on tour. It’s been a whirlwind of television, radio and magazine interviews. And now book signing. Hundreds of fan lined up outside a Manhattan bookstore for an autographed copy of Hillary’s Living History. The book’s publication has again brought into media focus her husband, former President, Bill Clinton’s affair with White House ¹⁵⁾intern⁶ Monika Lewinsky. Hillary’s efforts to lay the Lewinsky affair to rest has fuels speculation¹⁶ that she plans to run for President next year. But Hillary has dismissed the idea.

Hillary: I have a wonderful job that I’m very proud to have, which is representing the people of New York in the United State’s senate. And that’s the job I have, and that’s the job I want to continue doing to the best of my ability.

That may have ended the speculation about next year’s presidential race, but some commentators¹⁷ aren’t ruling out a bid for the country’s top post in 2008.

 

News 5 名人

England soccer captain David Beckham has for the first time hinted that he may leave Premiership champions Manchester United. Beckham told reporters in the United States, that while he would never leave Manchester United at all, his comments ¹⁶⁾heightened speculation that the midfield star is poised¹⁸ to leave the club. However, Beckham is not on AC Milan’s shopping list. Club president Silvio Berlusconi, who is also the Italian Premiere, said Beckham’s 30 million pound price ¹⁷⁾tag is just too expensive.

 

News 6 司法

A California man is facing federal charges for ¹⁸⁾allegedly ¹⁹⁾diverting Internet traffic away from the Web site belonging to the Arabic language TV network Al-Jazeera. Twenty-four-year-old John Racine of Riverside County is facing charges of wire ²⁰⁾fraud and unlawful ²¹⁾interception¹⁹ of an electronic communication. Prosecutors²⁰ say Racine sent traffic from Al-Jazeera’s web site to a page that he created ²²⁾depicting the American flag and reading “Let freedom ring.” They say he got the password to the Al-Jazeera site by contacting its web forwarding service and posing as a man authorized²² to receive the information.

 

News 7 考古

Now we end tonight with a mummy that a British scientist says is the long lost Egyptian ruler Nefertiti. Doctor Joanne Fletcher used new technology, including a portable digital X-ray machine, to confirm her theory. The remains²³ are that of a young woman with a bent²⁴ arm and a hand that could have carried a ²³⁾scepter-- usually an indication of kingly power. It’s believed Nefertiti either retired²⁵ after losing favor with king Akhenaten or died. The mummy was found over a century ago in a small chamber²⁶ in a tomb built for ²⁴⁾pharaoh.

 

新闻聚光灯

 

1 政治

各国领导人陆续抵达法国参加“八国集团首脑会议”。他们将解决一系列全球问题，包括缓解欧美之间的紧张关系以及自由贸易。胡锦涛主席带领中国代表团首次出席世界强国峰会。

接下来的三天里，世界的焦点汇聚于埃维昂的高山胜地。在这里，全球的领袖们正在进行会晤，讨论全球性的重要问题。主要的议事日程是欧美之间产生的裂痕，以及如何振兴全球经济和促进自由贸易。

中国国家主席胡锦涛出席了本次会议，并将与 八国领导人及其他国家元首就推进合作和发展问题举行非正式会谈。胡锦涛主席今天从瑞士洛桑乘船抵达法国后会见了法国总统雅克·希拉克。中国代表团成员、国务委员唐家璇说，中国国家主席参加峰会标志着中国在国际舞台上的地位迈向一个新里程。

2 经济

英国政府说，它正发起一项为赞成加入欧洲统一货币体系而赢得公众支持的运动。首相托尼·布莱尔和财政大臣戈登·布朗将在唐宁街举行联合新闻发布会，试图说服英国民众，接受欧元将成为爱国之举。在这之前，布朗告诉众议院，现在还不是时候加入欧元，因为在推荐加入欧洲统一货币体系前，财政部所设计的经济测试结果并不理想。记者们说，这个问题不仅在英国民众间，而且显然在政府部门中也产生了重大分歧。

3 经济

欧元区的通货膨胀正在下降，欧洲央行主席维姆·杜伊森贝赫预测，明年欧元区的通货膨胀率将滑至欧洲央行的预期水平以下。杜伊森贝赫重复了欧洲央行的声明，即没有迹象表明欧元区会发生通货紧缩或物价降至最低线。但他确定，欧洲央行将时刻警惕通货紧缩的发生。

4 名人

美国参议员希拉里·克林顿的传记在传媒界掀起一阵热潮，今天该书的发行达到了顶峰。在纽约一家书店门外，数以百计的书迷排队几小时购买希拉里亲笔签名的书。

批评家把美国参议员希拉里·克林顿的新书发行比作摇滚歌星的巡回演唱。它像一阵旋风一样频频出现在电视、电台和杂志的访谈中。现在她又在进行签名售书活动。成百上千的书迷在曼哈顿的书店外排队购买希拉里的传记《生活史》。书籍的出版再一次引起媒体对她丈夫-美国前总统比尔·克林顿与白宫实习生莫妮卡·莱温斯基有染事件的关注。希拉里试图平息莱温斯基事件，却又引起了人们对她计划参加明年总统竞选的种种推测。但希拉里否认了这种说法。

希拉里：我有一份很棒的工作，我很自豪拥有它，那就是在美国参议院中代表纽约人民的利益。那就是我的工作，也是我要尽最大能力继续做好的工作。

这些话可能结束对她明年总统竞选的猜测，但是一些评论家说并不排除她将参加2008年的总统竞选。

5 名人

英格兰足球队队长大卫·贝克汉姆第一次暗示他可能离开英超联赛冠军曼联队。贝克汉姆以前曾在美国告诉记者，称他根本不会离开曼联。他的声明加强了人们对这位中场球星将镇静地离开俱乐部的推测。然而，贝克汉姆却不在AC米兰队的引进名单之内。AC米兰队俱乐部主席、意大利总理西尔维奥·贝卢斯科尼说，贝克汉姆三千万英镑的身价过于昂贵。

6 司法

一名加州男子正面临联邦指控，因其供述自己非法链接阿拉伯语电视网的Al-Jazeera网站。河岸县的二十四岁的约翰·拉辛将面临网络诈欺罪和非法截断电子通信罪的指控。控方说，拉辛从Al-Jazeera网站上制造通道以连接一个他自己制作的载有美国国旗和“让自由之声响起来”字样的网页。他们说，他通过连接Al-Jazeera网站的网络服务器获取进入该网站的密码，并假装已取得授权而获取信息。

7 考古

今晚新闻节目的最后，我们来了解一具木乃伊，一位英国科学家称，她是失踪已久的埃及王妃妮菲蒂蒂。乔安妮·弗莱彻博士使用了包括便携式数码X光机在内的新技术来证实自己的判断。它是一个年轻女人的遗体，一只手臂弯曲，一只手拿着通常象征国王权力的节杖。有人认为，妮菲蒂蒂是在失去阿肯那顿国王的宠爱之后隐退下来或死亡的。其木乃伊是在一百多年前在一个为法老建造的墓室小房间中被发现的。

 

注释:

1) tackle [5tAkl] v. 着手处理、掌握或解决

2) strain [strein] v. 拉紧，扭歪

3) alpine [5Alpain] a. 高山的

4) Evian: 埃维昂，法国上萨瓦省莱芒湖南岸的一座依山傍水的小城，也是法国著名的旅游胜地

5) rift [rift] n. 分歧，不一致

6) on hand: 到场，在场

7) chancellor [5tFB:nsElE] n. 长官，大臣

8) exchequer [iks5tFekE] n. （常大写）财务部

9) Briton [5britEn] n. 不列颠人，英国人

10) assertion [E5sE:FEn] n. 断言，声明

11) vigilant [5vidVilEnt] a. 警惕着的

12) frenzy [5frenzi] n. 狂暴

13) autograph [5C:tE^rB:f] v. 亲笔签名

14) liken [5laikEn] v. 把……比作

15) intern [in5tE:n] n. 实习医师

16) heighten [5haitn] v. 提高，升高

17) tag [tA^] n. 标签

18) allegedly [E5ledVIdlI] adv. 依其申诉

19) divert [di5vE:t] v. 使偏离，使转向

20) fraud [frC:d] n. 欺骗

21) interception [7intE(:)5sepFEn] n. 中途夺取，拦截，侦听

22) depict²¹ [di5pikt] v. 描述，描写

23) scepter [5septE] n.节杖，王权

24) pharaoh [5fZErEu] n. 法老王

 

 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

3 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

4 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。

5 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

6 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

7 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

8 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

9 exchequer   

n.财政部；国库

参考例句：

• In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with taxes and government spending.英国的财政大臣负责税务和政府的开支。
• This resulted in a considerable loss to the exchequer.这使国库遭受了重大损失。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

12 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。

13 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

14 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

15 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

17 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

19 interception   

n.拦截；截击；截取；截住，截断；窃听

参考例句：

• Aerial photography can provide valuable information on precipitation, evapotraspiration, interception, and runoff. 航空摄影可提供有关降水量、蒸发蒸腾量、入渗和径流量的有价值的资料。
• Light interception and distribution in hedgerow orchards with different alleyway widths is indicated in Fig. 56. 图56显示篱壁果园不同行间宽度的光能截取和分配的情况。

20 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

21 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

22 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

23 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。

24 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

25 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

26 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。