英国新闻听力 07

BBC news with Ian Pertain¹

Share prices around the world have plunged² as inverters despair about the prospects³ of rapid action by government to address the credit crisis. London closed down almost 8% and Frankford and Paris saw similar collapses⁴. Markets as far apart as Russia, Brazil and India all took hits. The main index in New York the Dow Jones fell by 8% of one point before closing down 3%.

Andrew Walker reports from Washington.

While shares died, President Bush tried to give reassurance⁵. The economy is going to be just fine in the long run, he said. But stock market investors⁶ are very nervous about economic outlook in the coming months. Most of them thought the Bush Administration’s rescue package necessary to address the problems in the banking⁷ system. But now the legislation is in place, they realized there will be a delay before the purchase of problem financial asset will begin. The Administration is moving ahead with the task however, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker has appointed to the Treasury⁸ to oversee⁹ it. The idea of the asset purchases is to improve the conditions in the credit market where banks have become very nervous of landing. For now at least, interest rates in those markets remain high, which means the hope for easing has not really begun.

European governments have been trying to reassure¹⁰ investors that the financial system is stable. The French president Nicolas Sarkozy issued a statement on behalf of all 27 European Union countries.

Heads of state in governments stated that each of us will take all measures necessary to insure the stability of the financial system / liquidity¹¹ from the central banks through measures targeted at specific banks or by enhanced steps to protect deposits. Not one person with deposits in our country’s banks has suffered any loses. And we should continue to take the measures required to protect the system as well as save us.

But the statement also suggested the crisis would be handled differently by each country, and correspondents say Europe’s fragmented response to the crisis so far has done little to reassure investors. In Iceland where the banks have been coming under the severest pressure of all, the Prime Minister Geir Haarde has warned that the country is facing national bankruptcy¹². He said his government was prepared to take control of all Iceland’s banks if necessary.

In a situation like this, it’s every man for himself, every country for itself. Everybody is taking care of his best interest, that’s what we are doing. We are making sure / bank system; we are taking the interest of the population as a whole ahead of the interest of the banks, the shareholders¹³ for writing the economy // function payments and liquidity system.

The Icelandic Parliament is in an emergency session debating new legislation to give the government sweeping¹⁴ powers over the financial sector¹⁵. It follows the suspension of the Icelandic stock exchange.

World news from the BBC.

The United Nations is evacuating¹⁶ its remaining foreign aid workers from its Somali town of B/ as the security situation worsens. In the capital Mogadishu at least 11 people died when government forces and Islamic sergeants¹⁷ exchanges /motor/ fire.

Mark Dole¹⁸ has this report.

W/ police to humanitarian¹⁹ sources who asked not to be named told the BBC that the UN had begun evacuating its expatriate personnel from the town of B/ because of fears that the heavy fighting in the capital Mogadishu could spread to other cities. The Islamists and nationalists militias²⁰ fighting the Ethiopian-backed Somali government know the United Nations by its very nature tends to deal day by day with the government side rather than the insurgents²¹. So fears have been expressed amid circles of the increasingly bald insurgents could see the UN workers as associated with the government.

The US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has attacked his Republican opponent John McCain over links with a 1980’s financial scandal. A new internet video being e-mailed to Obama supporters criticizes Mr. McCain for his connections with the entrepreneur Charles Keating, who was convicted a fraud.

China has canceled military contacts with the United States in protest against Washington’s decision to sell a major package of advanced weapons to Taiwan.

A spokesman for the US Defense²² department said China has canceled visits by military officials, protocols²³, and other contacts.

A controversial novel about the perfect Muhammad’s child bride has been published in the United States days after the office of the book’s British publisher was attacked. Beaufort Book said it was publishing 'The Jewel of Medina' ahead of schedule so it could be assessed on its merits as literature rather than the potential offence it could cause to Muslims. The novel’s original publisher Random²⁴ House dropped the book earlier this year.

BBC NEWS.

1 pertain   

v.(to)附属，从属；关于；有关；适合，相称

参考例句：

• His remark did not pertain to the question.他的话同这个问题不相干。
• It does not pertain to you to instruct him.你不适合教训他。

2 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

5 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

10 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

11 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

12 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

13 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

14 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

16 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

17 sergeants   

警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士

参考例句：

• Platoon sergeants fell their men in on the barrack square. 排长们在营房广场上整顿队伍。
• The recruits were soon licked into shape by the drill sergeants. 新兵不久便被教育班长训练得象样了。

18 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。

19 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。

20 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

21 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

22 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

23 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

24 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。