英国新闻听力 32

BBC News with Zoe Diamond.

Democratic Party leaders in the United States which now has a majority in both Houses of Congress (lower and upper) has confirmed that they are working on a bail-out package for the troubled car industry. Earlier, the United States Treasury¹ Secretary Henry Paulson has acknowledged for the first time that the 700-billion-dollar rescue program approved by Congress will not now be used to purchase troubled mortgage assets as originally planned. Justin Webb reports from Washington.

The 700 billion dollars was going to be spent buying bad loans from banks, allowing them to get them off their balance sheets. Now quite suddenly, that plan is history. Mr. Paulson said the money would be better used directly investing in banks, the European approach, and in the nonbank sector² trying to keep consumer, finance, car loans and student loans for instance widely available. Mr. Paulson suggested as well that part of the money might also be used to help keep people facing repossession in their homes.

Shareholders³ have approved a deal that could create the world's largest brewing⁴ company. Investors⁵ in the American drinks giant Anheuser-Busch have voted in favor of a 15-billion-dollar takeover bid by the Belgian brewer⁶ InBev, Mark Gregory has more.

Anheuser-Busch is probably best known for its Budweiser and Bud Light beer brands. The company has been in business for 150 years, and still has close ties with the family that founded it. Opponents of the takeover by the Belgian group InBev argued the deal would bring job losses and could undermine the economy of the state of Missouri in the US Midwest where Anheuser is based. But now the deal looks set to go through.

The United States Supreme⁷ Court has ended a long-running legal battle by lifting restrictions⁸ on the US Navy's use of sonar during training exercises in the Pacific Ocean. The overturning of a lower court's ruling is a defeat for environmentalists who say the intense sound waves can harm or even kill marine⁹ mammals, including endangered blue whales. Richard Lister has more.

President Bush granted the navy exemption¹⁰ to the ruling, saying it was of paramount¹¹ interest to the United States that it can carry out full scale military exercises. His administration says in the 40 years that the US submarines have been operating in the area there have been no documented cases of sonar causing injuries to animals. In a majority decision, the Supreme Court argued that even if there was evidence of such injuries, it would be outweighed¹² by the public interest in having navy crews who have been given effective and realistic training.

The UN's World Food Program says it's delivered some of its first food supplies to the rebel-held town of Rutshuru in eastern Congo. The WFP delivered a ton of high-energy biscuits for children and says it hopes to get bigger aid convoys¹³ into the area on Friday. Our BBC correspondent in the region says aid agencies are struggling to supply the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting.

This is the World News from the BBC.

Iran says it's successfully test fired a new generation of surface-to-surface missile with a range of 2000 kilometers. This means it could reach Israel, southeast Europe or United States bases in the Gulf¹⁴. Iran has expressed concerns at possible American or Israeli strikes against its nuclear facilities which Western countries say form part of a covert¹⁵ weapons program. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed only at generating electricity.

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions¹⁶ have risen sharply, meaning it will find it even more difficult than expected to meet its targets under the Kyoto Climate Treaty. The authorities have blamed a closure of Japan's biggest nuclear power plant. Here is Steve Jackson from our Asia Pacific desk.

The Japanese government is now facing the embarrassing prospect¹⁷ of missing its target by a wide margin¹⁸. Japan is committed to a 6% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 levels by the year 2012. But so far they have risen by 8%. The government says Japan's emissions went up significantly last year, largely because of the closure of the country's biggest nuclear power plant which was damaged in an earthquake.

Thousands of Colombians have taken part in violent protests to demand the return of money invested in pyramid financial schemes. In some cities, police used batons¹⁹ and tear gas to control angry investors. In the province of Cauca, in southwestern Colombia, depositors stormed the offices of an investment company whose owner has disappeared after leaving a note, thanking people for believing in financial witchcraft²⁰.

Another school in the capital Haiti, or in the capital of Haiti ,rather Port Au-Prince ,has partially²¹ collapsed²², injuring at least seven people. Police say most of the pupils at the school were in the play area outside when the building collapsed. Five days earlier, at least 90 people died when a school in a poor suburb of the Haitian capital collapsed completely.

That's the latest world News from the BBC.

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

4 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

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 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 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

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

11 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

12 outweighed   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的过去式和过去分词 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• This boxer outweighed by his opponent 20 pounds. 这个拳击选手体重比他的对手重20磅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She outweighed me by ten pounds, and sometimes she knocked me down. 她的体重超过我十磅，有时竟把我撞倒。 来自百科语句

13 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

14 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。

15 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

16 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

17 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

18 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

19 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

20 witchcraft   

n.魔法，巫术

参考例句：

• The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
• All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。

21 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

22 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。