VOA慢速英语2105 以色列议会选举两大阵营势均力敌

Voter Studies: Israeli Race Too Close to Call 以色列议会选举两大阵营势均力敌

Israelis voted in the country's parliamentary election Tuesday. Studies of voters are suggesting the race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union alliance is extremely close.

Mr. Netanyahu is seeking a fourth term as prime minister. Neither candidate is expected to win the 61-seat parliamentary majority. Both candidates sought support from smaller groups.

On Monday, Mr. Netanyahu reversed his position on Palestinian statehood. He said he will never support a Palestinian state if he remains¹ in office.

Mr. Herzog has said Israel should negotiate with the Palestinians.

Pakistan puts 12 to death in single day

Pakistani officials say they executed 12 male prisoners Tuesday.

Ten prisoners were hanged at jails in Punjab province, while two others were hanged in the southern city of Karachi.

The law permitting punishment of death was re-established in Pakistan three months ago. Since then the government has executed 39 prisoners.

Human rights groups protested the reestablishment of executions. Critics say many findings of guilt² in Pakistan are highly wrong, unfair or both.

Iranian official says understanding reached in talks with West

Talks continue in Switzerland about Iran’s nuclear program. Iranian nuclear energy chief Ali Akhbar Salehi said Tuesday that Iranian officials have reached an understanding with the United States and its negotiating partners. Mr. Salehi told Iranian state television that one important difference remains. He said if that happens, all parties will be in agreement on technical matters being discussed in Switzerland.

He did not say what that one difference is.

In Washington Tuesday, a White House spokesman said there is a 50 percent chance "at best" of reaching an agreement.

The U.S. and its allies want an agreement that guarantees Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. In exchange, Iran wants an easing of sanctions that have hurt its economy.

Emergency teams try to reach storm victims in Vanuatu

Aid workers and disaster management officials are trying to get to the outer islands of Vanuatu following a powerful ocean storm.

The storm hit the more than 80 island country on Friday. Poor weather and limited communications have interfered³ with efforts to assess the damage and provide aid. The United Nations humanitarian⁴ agency said 11 people are confirmed dead but officials expect that number to rise. Another 3,300 people are sheltering in emergency centers.

The cyclone⁵ destroyed homes, buildings and brought down trees. The winds blew as fast as 270 kilometers an hour.

Words in the News

reverse – v. to change (something) to an opposite state or condition

sanction – n. n action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc.

management – n. the act or skill of controlling and making decisions about a business, department, sports team, etc.

assess – v. to make a judgment about (something)

1 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。

2 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

3 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。