VOA慢速英语20060419a

WORLD NEWS - 00:30 UTC, April 19, 2006By Voice of America

Broadcast: Wednesday, April 19, 2006

It is zero hour thirty Universal Time. I'm Jim Tedder¹ in Washington.

Chinese President HuJinTao has began a visit to the United States. The Chinese President arrived in the northwestern state of Washington Tuesday. He is to hold talks with the Chariman of Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates and officials from the Boeing Aircraft Manufacturing Company. On Thursday he wiil meet with President Bush at the White House. The talks are expected to deal with trade issues concerning China's trade surplus with the United States.

Israel says the Hamas-led Palestinian government is to blame for the bomb attack Monday in Tel Aviv锛堢壒鎷夌淮澶?級. But officials say acting² Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has dicided not to order military action against the Palestinian government at this time. The decision came at a meeting of Israel's security Cabinet. Reports say Mr Olmert rejected a proposal to declare the Palestinian authority an enemy state. He also reportedly barred several Palestinian law makers³ from living in East Jerusalem. The bomb attack killed nine people. Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the attack. Hamas said the bombing was in self-defence against Israeli operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The United States says nations meeting in Moscow had failed to agree on restrictions⁴ against Iran for its nuclear program. Five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany met in Moscow Tuesday. Under-Secretary of State Nicolus Burns raised the issue of restrictions during the meeting. Mr Burns said diplomats⁵ at the meeting recognized the need for what he called a strong reaction to Iran's violations⁶ of its international responsibilities.

Russia and China are opposed to restrictions against Iran. They say the UN Nuclear Agency should deal with the issue. The talks in Moscow are expected to continue Wednesday. The talks will include diplomats from the Group of eight major industrial nations.

Oil prices reached record high levels on Tuesday. Prices rose to more than $71 for a barrel or container of oil. The new high came during trading Tuesday on the New York Merchantil Exchange

Prices later fell back. Experts have blamed rising oil prices on concerns about Iran's nuclear program and political tensions in Iraq and Nigeria.

Iraqi troops have clashed with rebels for a second day in a mainly Sunni Arab area of Bagdad. The United States military says the fighting began Monday in the Adhamiya area of the capital

It started when about 50 gunmen fired on Iraqi forces. American troops have been involved in the fighting. American officials say at least 5 rebels have been killed, another 7 were captured. The total number of deaths and injuries is unclear. In other parts of Bagdad a rebel bomb attack killed at least 4 Iraqis. Officials say the bomb was aimed at nearby place officers. On monday, heavy fighing was reported between American forces and rebels hiding in an Islamic religious center in Ramadi.

Three human-rights groups have called for actions against King Gyanendra of Nepal and the country's top political and military officials. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists made the call in Geneva Switzerland. They met there to discuss human rights in Nepal. The groups are urging restrictions on travel of top Nepalese officials. They also call for restrictions in the movement of foreign investments owned by the officials. In Nepal, thousands of people continue to protest against the king. Police in Katmandu arrested at least 25 Home Ministry⁷ workers; they are the first government employees to be arrested since the protests began thirteen days ago.

President Bush says he wants to see those responsible for the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri brought to justice. He spoke⁸ Tuesday after talks at the White House with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Mr. Bush also repeated his support for an independent Lebanon. Mr. Siniora thanked Mr. Bush for his support of the investigation⁹ into the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister. He also said that he is trying to build good relations with Syria. Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon after the murder of Mr. Hariri. Early investigations¹⁰ into the killing¹¹ suggest Syrian involvement, but Syria denies this.

Sudan's Health Ministry has reported the country's first cases of bird-flu. Health officials say they have conform the owner of a chicken farm in Khartoum has been infected. They also found the virus in chickens on the man's farm and a farm in nearby Jazeera state. Officials say they have already destroyed thousands of birds. Earlier Tuesday, China's Health Ministry conformed that a 21-year-old man from Hubei province was infected. It is the latest human case of the deadly H5N1 bird-flu virus in that country. Bird-flu has killed more than 100 people since 2003 mostly in Asia. The disease also has infected birds in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe says he would take steps against opponents he suspects of planning violent protests. Mr. Mugabe says anyone who leads a campaign of violence would face the law. He spoke in a message marking the anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence from Briton. Opposition¹² leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called for street protests to end the president's rule. Mr. Mugabe has led Zimbabwe for the past 26 years, and economic crisis continues in Zimbabwe, unemployment is more than 70%.

Briefly¹³ here again is the major news. Chinese president Hu Jintao has begun a visit to the United States; Israel says the Hamas lead government in the Palestinian authority is responsible for the bomb attack Monday in Tel Aviv; and the United States says nations meeting in Moscow had failed to agree on restrictions against Iran for its nuclear program.

That's the news in Special English. This is Jim Tedder reporting.

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 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》

4 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

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

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 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。

9 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。

10 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

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 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 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。