Berlusconi trial decision delayed

    ROME, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Italian judge Cristina di Censo on Monday asked for more time to determine whether to allow for the fast-track trial that will determine whether Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is guilty of abuse of power and paying a minor¹ for sex.
    Di Censo was expected to announce on Monday or Tuesday whether she would allow the trial based on the papers prosecutors² filed last Wednesday, but instead she said she would take more time to decide, without stating a specific time limit or the reason she could not decide within the five-day period the law prescribes（规定）.
    When she makes her decision, she will either allow the trial to proceed as prosecutors requested, or she could ask for research into the charges, or she could decide that her court does not have jurisdiction³.
    Berlusconi has faced at least 17 official criminal and civil allegations（援引,声称） since he first burst onto the Italian political scene in 1994, but these charges could cause serious problems both because pollsters say the accusations⁴ are resonating with a weary Italian public and because the case appears to be constructed to make a conviction more likely.
    The investigation⁵ got underway in December on allegations that the 74-year-old Berlusconi paid for sex with a Moroccan-born cabaret dancer named Karima el Mahrough, best known by her stage name "Ruby⁶." She was 17 at the time.
    Prosecutors also charge that Berlusconi tried to use his influence to have el Mahrough released from prison, where she was being held on charges of theft.
    Berlusconi reportedly lied to police to claim that el Mahrough was the niece of then Egyptian.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

2 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

3 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 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。

6 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。