英语听力精选进阶版 8415

Prime minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his anger at release of a video online which claimed one of the Japanese hostages held by IS militants² has been killed. Intelligence officials are checking the video which differs in style and content from announcements of previous made by the group. Here's Michael Bristow.

The video contains a message that one of the hostages Haruna Yukawa has been killed. While the other Kenji Goto is still alive. The Japanese government said the release was an outrageous³ and unforgivable act. It's now trying to find out whether or not its contents are true. IS militants had demanded a ransom⁴ of 200 million dollars for the release of the hostages. The deadline for the payment was Friday. That passed with initially⁵ no word on the fate of the 2 Japanese citizens.

Pro-Russia rebels have begun a major offensive against the strategically important government held city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. The local securities say 13 people died in a series of rocket-attack on the city on Saturday morning. OSCE, special monitoring mission in Ukraine said the rockets came from 2 areas to the east and northeast of the city which are controlled by the separatists Donetsk people's republic. John Spoor, an American who is in Mariupol with his wife and family witnessed the attacks.

Well this morning in 9 o'clock everything is quiet and then all of a sudden we started hearing you know loud explosions all around. And the whole building was vibrating. We had bombs hit one of the apartment buildings right in front of us. And if were not there, it probably would winged in our apartment, in our kitchen or our living room and taken us out.

The presidential election in Zambia has been won by Edgar Lungu of the governing Patriotic⁶ Front. The coutnry's election commission said Mr. Lungu had won just over 48% of the votes. He faced tough competition from the opposition⁷ candidate Hakainde Hichilema, both had promised to improve the education system and create jobs.

The Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has promised to defeat the Boko Haram militant¹ group if he is reelcted next month. Speaking at a campaign rally in the city of Maiduguri, the epicentre of the insurgency⁸. He said he was determined⁹ to restore peace in northeastern Nigeria.

Presidential Natalia arrived in Maiduguri on a very heavy security. This city is in lockdown with heavy presence of soilders, some of whom appeared well-kitted with brand new rifles. This is the president's second visit to the city in another 2 weeks. Just 2 days ago, suspected insurgents¹⁰ have attacked a village a few kilometres from Maiduguri killing¹¹ at least 15 people including the traditional ruler of the village and setting the houses ablaze¹². World news from the BBC.

The speaker of the national assembly in the democratic repulic of Congo has said controvertial change to the country's electoral law is to be dropped. It called for a census¹³ to be conducted before presidential elections due next year could be held. Opposition groups said it wasn't attempt by president Joseph Kabila to stay in power as he can not stand for reelction. After the bill had been approved by the lower house, there were 3 days of protests in the capital Kinshasa.

Argentine investigators¹⁴ are continuing their enquiring¹⁵ into the death of Alberto Nisman, a state prosecutor¹⁶ whose body was dicovered hours before he was due to testify before the country's congress on the bombing at a Jewish-control centre 20 years ago. Mr. Nisman had accused several senior government figures with involvement of trying to cover up the bombing enquiry. As Wyre Davies reports from Buenos Aires.

In the days before his death, Alberto Nisman had a committee to filling the string, given the controversy¹⁷ surrounding his report into the 1994 bombing at a Jewish entre in Buenos Aires. But he did also say he was looking forward to testifying in congress. Focuing on the last a few hours before the state prosecutor's body was found, investigators had spoken at length to his ex-wife as well as an assistant who reportedly lent Nisman a gun and to other key witnesses. One question which remains¹⁸ unanswered is whether as rumoured¹⁹, the prosecutor dimissed his security team the night before he was killed.

The conservation expert says it will be possible to repair the damage done to the priceless golden funerary mask of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Speaking at a news conference of a Egyptian museum in Cairo. Christian²⁰ Eckmann, a German specialist in ancient glass and metal conservation said that depite the beard had been stuck on with glue after an accident, the epoxy adhesive²¹ used in the blotch²² repair could be removed on the mask properly restored.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

4 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

5 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

6 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。

7 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。

8 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。

13 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

14 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 enquiring   

a.爱打听的，显得好奇的

参考例句：

• a child with an enquiring mind 有好奇心的孩子
• Paul darted at her sharp enquiring glances. 她的目光敏锐好奇，保罗飞快地朝她瞥了一眼。

16 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

17 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。

18 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。

19 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

20 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

21 adhesive   

n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的

参考例句：

• You'll need a strong adhesive to mend that chair. 你需要一种粘性很强的东西来修理那把椅子。
• Would you give me an adhesive stamp?请给我一枚带胶邮票好吗？

22 blotch   

n.大斑点；红斑点；v.使沾上污渍，弄脏

参考例句：

• He pointed to a dark blotch upon the starry sky some miles astern of us.他指着我们身后几英里处繁星点点的天空中的一朵乌云。
• His face was covered in ugly red blotches.他脸上有许多难看的红色大斑点。