英语听力精选进阶版 6098

High Profile Court Case 倍受瞩目的官司

Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have been hitting the headlines on a daily basis recently because of their high profile divorce battle.

The titles of Beatles songs have been used in newspapers to report the case. "We Can't Work It Out", "Hard Day's Fight" and "With Legal Help from my Friends" are just a few examples.

The couple were married in 2002 but things turned sour and they announced their separation in 2006. They have one daughter, Beatrice, who is now four years old.

The divorce case is high profile firstly because Sir Paul McCartney has amassed¹ a very large fortune, a proportion of which Heather Mills will be entitled to.

Secondly², ever since the couple separated, there have been countless³ stories in the newspapers, stating why the relationship didn't work out. A lot of the things that have been said about, and by, Heather Mills have made her rather unpopular in the UK.

Heather Mills famously did an interview on a British breakfast news programme last year, saying that she had been "close to suicide" because of the way she has been treated by the press in Britain. She compared herself to Princess Diana for the way she has been vilified⁴ in the press.

The court case however has been taking place behind closed doors so very few people know the exact details of what is going on.

There has been some speculation⁵ that Heather Mills could receive up to ￡60 million (900 million RMB) of Sir Paul's multi-million fortune. If she does, that would make it the biggest divorce settlement in a British court.

Ms. Mills has also famously parted company with the lawyers representing her in the divorce. She has been representing herself throughout the case.

However, after more than a week in court battling out a settlement, the couple have failed to reach any agreement. It is now up to a judge to decide on the settlement at a later date.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

Sir 爵士 

hitting the headlines on a daily basis 天天上头条

turned sour 变坏，变的不愉快

separation 分居

case 案子

amassed 积累

fortune 财富

a proportion 一部分

be entitled to 有权利，有资格 （做某事）

countless 无数的 

work out 成功

suicide 自杀

vilified 被中伤

court 法庭

behind closed doors 不准公众旁听的

speculation 推测

multi-million 几百万

divorce settlement 离婚财产协议

parted company （由于意见观点不同）分道扬镳

battling out 争夺

1 amassed   

v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
• They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

3 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

4 vilified   

v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was vilified in newspapers. 他在报纸上受到了诽谤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was vilified by the press for her controversial views. 因她持有异议，新闻界对她横加挞伐。 来自互联网

5 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。