英语听力精选进阶版 8460

French investigators¹ say they've obtained usable sounds and voice recordings² from one of the black boxes of the German aircraft that crashed in the Alps.But Remi Jouty, the director?of?the French Air Investigation³ Bureau, told reporters?that?it would take time to interpret the recordings. With more, here's Theo Leggett.

The cockpit voice recorder was badly damaged?but usable?information was recovered from it. However, Mr. Jouty said?that?it would take several days to carry out even a basic analysis of the recordings and?more?detailed⁴ examination could take weeks or months. Investigators remained keen to find the second black box, the flight data recorder, which should contain detailed information about what the aircraft's?control systems were doing in the run-up to the crash. Mr. Jouty said they still had no idea why the aircraft began to descend⁵?or?why it failed?to?contact air traffic control.

Nigeria has ordered the closure of all its land and sea borders from midnight on Wednesday ahead Saturday's elections. The presidential and parliamentary polls are expected to be the most tightly contested since military rule ended in 1999. Voting is due to take place as Nigeria battles an insurgency⁶ in its northeastern region. Tomi Oladipo reports from Lagos.

The Interior Ministry⁷ said this closure was needed as intelligence reports showed that non-Nigerians were planning to vote in the elections. No further details were given about where these foreigners were coming from. The state security service has also warned the public to be on high alert for possible attacks by Boko Haram. The extremist group has threatened to disrupt the elections in its quest to establish an Islamic state.

US military officials say Sergeant⁸ Bowe Bergdahl, a former Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan, has been charged with desertion.?It?follows a lengthy⁹ inquiry¹⁰ into why he left his post in east Afghanistan six years ago before he?was?released later in a controversial prisoner exchange. Jenner Byron reports from Washington.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was released by the Taliban in may last year in exchange of five detainees?at?Guantanamo Bay. The move sparked outrage¹¹ among law makers¹² of both parties who said such?a?prisoner swap¹³ could put other Americans at risk. But Administration officials said the decision was made because it?fears?that Bergdahl's life was in?an?immediate¹⁴ danger. He'd been held captive since walking away from his combat post in eastern Afghanistan in 2009,?and a?video showed him?distraught and?in ill health. After his release, some of his former comrades said he should?had?been charged with desertion. And after a lengthy inquiry, military officials now say he will be called?marshalled.

Houthi rebels in Yemen appear to be close to taking?over?the southern city of Aden from forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The rebels are said to have seized the airport and there're reports of fightings on the outskirts¹⁵ the city. Mr. Hadi, who had taken refuge in Aden, is no longer at

his residence. The US State Department said it had been in touch with him but wouldn't give any details of his location.

BBC News.

An American official has confirmed that US-led coalition¹⁶ may soon carry out air strikes against besieged¹⁷ Iraqi city of Tikrit. United States has deliberately¹⁸ distanced itself from the

Iraqi government operation to recapture the city from the Islamist state group,?because the assault?is led by Iranian backed Shia?militias¹⁹. But that offensive has now stalled.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron has apologized on behalf of the government to thousands of people who were infected with hepatitis C and HIV asa?result of receiving contaminated blood. A public inquiry?has?described what happened in Scotland in?the?1970s and 80s as the start of nightmares. Jane Draper reports.

1800 pages, 90 days of hearings, just one recommendation, that people who had blood transfusion²⁰ in Scotland more than 24 years ago should be tested for hepatitis C. More than 5000 patients in the UK are known to have been infected by contaminated blood with more than 2000 dying. The inquiry decided²¹ that screening blood products for hepatitis C should have begun ten months sooner. But the report said measures taken in Scotland to protect blood supplies?and to?screen them?for?HIV held up well in comparison to other countries, pointing out that both viruses were relatively²² new then.

The boy band One Direction have announced?that?Zayn Malik is leaving the band after five years. They said they would continue as a?4?piece. Zayn has

apologized to fans but said he had to do what felt right in his heart.

German media are reporting that?a?Matisse painting held in a private collection is to be returned to the Jewish family who owned it before the second World War. The painting, worth an estimated 20 million dollars, was part of a Goering collection which contains art works stolen from Jewish families in?the?1930s and 40s.

1 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》

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 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。

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

5 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

6 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

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

9 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

11 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

12 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

16 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

17 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。

18 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

19 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

20 transfusion   

n.输血，输液

参考例句：

• She soon came to her senses after a blood transfusion.输血后不久她就苏醒了。
• The doctor kept him alive by a blood transfusion.医生靠输血使他仍然活着。

21 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

22 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。