英国新闻听力 奥巴马表示将提名大法官继任者

President Obama has rejected calls by Republican members of the Senate to leave their nomination¹ of a new supreme² court judge to his successor. Mr. Obama said he would name a candidate to replace justice Antonia Scalia, who died on Saturday, and the Senate would either approve the nomination or reject it. The president called on his political opponents in Washington to overcome the hostility³ that prevented basic work from getting done.

That fact that, it's that hard, that we are even discussing, this is, I think, a measure of how unfortunately the parliament rancor⁴ in Washington has prevented us from getting basic work done. And this would be a good moment for us to rise above that.

US and Cuba have signed a deal restoring commercial flights for the first time in more than 50 years. The agreement comes as the White House is contemplating⁵ a possible presidential trip to Cuba. Will Grant is in Havana.

There can be little doubt that the pace of the thaw⁶ between the US and Cuba is quickening in president Obama's last year in office. And this signing of a memorendum of understanding on commecial flights between the old enemies is a good example of that new impetus⁷. Up to 110 daily flights from US to Cuba can begin under the new plan, 20 a day to the capital Havana, and 10 to each of the other international airports on the island. This arrangement signifies more than just a new beginning for our civil aviation relationship, said the US transport secretary Antony Fox after signing the deal. It represents a critically important milestone⁸ in the US's continued efforts to engage with Cuba and normalize our relations.

The UN says the Syrian government has a duty to allow humanitarian⁹ aid to all areas under siege. Syria has approved aid deliveries to 7 sieged areas, but the UN special envoy¹⁰ Staffan de Mistura said the UN had to have access to all Syrians in need. Our diplomatic correspondent James Robins¹¹ reports.

This is an increasingly tense week after key world powers including Russia agreed to work towards a partial ceasefire in Syria. But neither the Syrian government nor opposition¹² forces were involved, and the UN envoy Staffan de Mistura is meeting Syria's foreign minister in Damasscas, trying to persuade his government to stop fighting, and allow unhindered humanitarian access to all besieged¹³ areas. There are signs that aid will be allowed in some beseeged areas over the next few days, but it is hard to see an end to the fighting.

The UN says it's investigating new allegations that its peacekeepers sextually abuse children in the Central African Republic. A UN spokesman said 4 children were reportedly abused by peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2014 and 2015. For more than a decade, UN peacekeeping missions in Africa have been tarnished¹⁵ by such scandals.

This is world news from the BBC.

Former French president Nicola Sarkozy has been placed under formal investigation¹⁶ for alleged¹⁷ campaign funding irregularities. The former head of state, was questioned by examining magistrates¹⁸ in Paris about excess spending in his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 2012. His campaign costs were more than twice the legal limit. Mr. Sarkozy has repeatedly denied knowledge over the overspending.

Ukrain's embattled prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote in his government only hours after the president asked him to stand down. Despite critisizing the government's record only 194 MPs voted in support over the no confidence motion, which were short of the 226 votes required for its approval.

The authorities in Austria say they planned to introduce daily quotas¹⁹ for the numbers of migrants and refugees who will be allowed to enter the country from neighbouring Slovenia. Austria will also increase controls at its other borders. The interior minister says the quotas were necessary to insure order and security in Austria.

Police in Croatia are reported to have sent more officers to reinforce the Croatian border with Serbia.

On the fourth day of his visit to Mexico, Pope Francis has urged a stadium packed with members of the clergy²⁰ not to give up in the face of violence, drug trafficing and corruption²¹. He's visiting Morelia, the state capital of Michoacan, one of the parts of the country worst affected²² by drug related violence. Kitty Watson reports.

In a stadium, the Pope spoke¹⁴ to tens of thousands of nuns²³ and clergy, urging them not to be resigned to evils like drug trafficing. He said they needed to be out helping²⁴ those who are suffering, not stuck in their churches. In a past decade, more than 100,000 people have been killed or gone missing in Mexico's drug war. Michoacan is no stranger to that violence. In recent years, Vigilante groups have taken up arms against the drug gangs.

共和党参议员请求奥巴马总统将最高法院新法官的任命工作留给他的继任者，奥巴马对此表示拒绝。奥巴马说他将提名一位候选人来继任周六去世的法官安东尼亚·斯卡利亚，参议院将批准或否决该提名。总统呼吁华盛顿的政治反对者们克服敌意，让基本的工作得以进行下去。

事实上这很难的，我们甚至已经在协商了，很不幸的是，华盛顿议会中的敌意阻碍了基本工作的进行，这正是我们克服敌意的时候。

美国和古巴签署恢复商业航班的协议，这是50多年来的第一次。目前白宫正考虑对古巴进行总统访问，威尔·格兰特报道。

毫无疑问，在奥巴马总统在位的最后一年里，美国和古巴关系好转的步伐加快了。这两个昔日宿敌签署的商业航空谅解备忘录很好地说明了这一步伐的加快，根据新协议，每天将有110个航班从美国飞往古巴，20个航班飞往首都哈瓦那，各有10个飞往该岛国的两个国际机场。美国交通部长安托尼·福克斯在协议签署后说，这一安排不仅标志着两国民航关系的新开始，也意味着美国与古巴关系正常化进程上的重要里程碑。

联合国称叙利亚政府有责任让人道主义援助进入被围困地区，叙利亚已批准让援助进入七个被围困区，但联合国特使斯塔凡·德米斯图拉称联合国必须能够进入所有需要援助的叙利亚人那里。外交记者詹姆斯·鲁宾斯报道。

在包括俄罗斯在内的世界大国协议决定实现叙利亚部分地区停火之后，这一周的局势越发紧张起来。但无论是叙利亚政府还是反对派都没有参与其中，联合国使者斯塔凡·德米斯图拉目前在大马士革与叙利亚外长进行会谈，希望劝说叙利亚政府停止战斗，并允许人道主义援助顺利进入所有被围困区。目前有迹象表明，过去几天内部分被围困区已经允许进入，但很难看到战斗结束的迹象。

有传闻称联合国维和人员在中非共和国性侵儿童，联合国称将对此进行调查。联合国发言人称据报道2014年到2015年期间有4名儿童被来自刚果共和国的维和人员性侵，10多年来，联合国在非洲的维和人员一直深陷此类丑闻。

BBC世界新闻。

法国前总统尼古拉·萨科齐被控非法筹资竞选资金，目前已在被调查中。目前巴黎地方预审法官正在调查萨科齐2012年再度竞选失败后的过量开支问题，他的竞选费用超过了法定费用额的两倍，萨科齐多次否认知晓此事，并否认过量开支。

乌克兰四面楚歌的总理阿尔谢尼·亚采纽克通过了议会的不信任投票，就在几小时前总统刚要求他辞职。尽管议员们批评政府的记录，但在不信任投票中只有194名议员支持他，但仍没有达到辞职所需的226票。

奥地利当局称准备对移民数量和获允从邻国斯洛文尼亚进入本国的难民数量实行每日限额制，奥地利还将加紧对其他边界线的控制。内政部长称限额制是确保本国秩序和安定所必需的。

据报道克罗地亚警方已派出更多警力来加强与塞尔维亚的边境安全。

现在是方济各教皇访问墨西哥的第四天，他在一座体育馆里对牧师们发表讲话，他敦促他们不要在暴力、毒品走私和腐败面前让步。他正在访问米却肯首府莫雷里亚，这里是该国毒品暴力最猖獗的地区之一。凯迪·沃森报道。

教皇在这座体育馆里敦促数千名修女和牧师们不要对毒品走私等罪恶让步，他说他们应该前去帮助受苦的人，而不是拘泥于教堂里。过去10年里，有10多万人在墨西哥的毒品战中被杀或失踪。米却肯发生了很多暴力事件，最近几年，义务警员队伍拿起武器来对付毒品团伙。

1 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

2 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。

3 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

4 rancor   

n.深仇，积怨

参考例句：

• I have no rancor against him.我对他无怨无仇。
• Their rancor dated from a political dogfight between them.他们的积怨来自于他们之间在政治上的狗咬狗。

5 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

6 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

7 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

8 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。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

11 robins   

n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书）

参考例句：

• The robins occupied their former nest. 那些知更鸟占了它们的老窝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Benjamin Robins then entered the fray with articles and a book. 而后，Benjamin Robins以他的几篇专论和一本书参加争论。 来自辞典例句

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

16 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

17 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

18 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

19 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

20 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

21 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

22 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。

23 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

24 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。