英国新闻听力 66

BBC News with Joe Macintosh.

One of the 20th century’s most influential¹ playwrights², the British Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter has died. The 78-year-old had been heavy treatment for cancer. Harold Pinter also excelled as an actor and director but it was his ground-breaking plays such as ‘The Birthday Party’, and ‘The Caretaker’ which made their biggest impact. He was also well known for his political views, particularly his opposition³ to British and American foreign policy. In a BBC interview after the Nobel Prize Award three years ago, he said the war in Iraq made him very angry.

I feel even more strongly now than I ever did about the mendacity and the corruption⁴ and the injustice⁵ of so many of the actions taken by what are called freedom-loving Western democracies. And I view them with contempt. That contempt grows stronger every day.

The American singer, actress and cabaret star Eartha Kitt has died at the age of 81. She is best known for songs such as Old Fashioned Girl, C'est Si Bon and Santa Baby and for her role as Catwoman in the 1960s television series, Batman. Eartha Kitt was famous for her trade-mark feline⁶ purr and sultry voice and was still performing in cabaret in her 70s and 80s with sensuousness⁷ and humor which were hallmarks of her professional life. But in an interview with the BBC last year, she said she never considered herself to be gifted.

I don’t think I have really thought of myself in terms of having talent, particularly as far as of // of well, singing, or dancing whatever. I think that there is another kind of feeling that I have thought of myself. And that is a tremendous desire that I am really very well aware of being recognized as somebody that belongs, and I think my tremendous desire to obtain love.

The German Navy has stopped and disarmed⁸ six pirates who tried to hijack⁹ an Egyptian ship off the coast of Somalia. The captain of the frigate¹⁰ involved told the BBC the pirates were not arrested. A spokesman for the European Union Military Operation off Somalia, Commander Achim Winkler said the pirates would only be arrested under certain circumstances.

In this case, they were detained by a German ship, but Germany would only bring them to justice in case German interests would have been hurt, a German ship might have been attacked or German citizens might have been injured or even killed. That was not the case. And for that very simple reason, they had to be set free again.

The health minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed that nine people have died in an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, the first in Africa since February. 21 other people have been infected by the rare disease which has a mortality rate of up to 90%.

World News from the BBC.

The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has given what he called a last minute warning to the Palestinian group that controls Gaza that it must stop rockets being fired into Israel. Speaking on Arab television, Mr. Olmert said that Israel was strong and that there will be bloody¹¹ shield if the attacks weren’t halted. Hamas has responded by calling the comments a dangerous development and saying it would not hold its fire.

The deposed¹² Prime Minister of the West African State of Guinea Ahmed Tidiane Souare has said that he and his government are at the disposal of the military commanders who seized power earlier this week. He was speaking to the coup¹³ leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara after following orders to report to an army camp in the capital Conakry.

Members of the former government, I’m utterly¹⁴ at your disposal for the good of our country. Since we belonged to the previous government, we know only to well how daunting¹⁵ and complicated the tasks you were facing. Do not hesitate to ask us for our services. We are at your disposal and we congratulate you on your brave and wide attitude which fully¹⁶ corresponds to the vision of peace, tolerance¹⁷ and national reconciliation¹⁸ that we all shared with General Lansana Conte.

Captain Camara responded by saying that his aim was not to divide Guinea and to avoid war.

A decision by the British television Station Channel Four to broadcast an alternative Christmas message by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has drawn¹⁹ criticism in Britain. A foreign office spokeswoman said although the media was free to make their own editorial choices, the broadcast would cause offense²⁰ here and abroad.

At least six people have been killed in an attack on a suburb home in Los Angeles, apparently²¹ by a man dressed up in a Santa Claus outfit²². Reports say that the man called at the house where a Christmas party was going on. The man was, later found dead at the home of his brother, some 40 kilometers away. He was allowed in as guest apparently believing that he had been hired to entertainment the children.

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 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。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

6 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

7 sensuousness   

n.知觉

参考例句：

• Realism, economy, sensuousness, beauty, magic. 现实主义，简洁精练，刺激感官，充满美感和魔力。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦
• Regretting the lack of spontaneity and real sensuousness in other contemporary poets, he deplores in Tennyson. 他对于和他同时代的诗人缺乏自发性和真实的敏感，感到惋惜，他对坦尼森感到悲痛。 来自辞典例句

8 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 hijack   

v.劫持，劫机，拦路抢劫

参考例句：

• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
• The hijack take place just after the plane take off.劫持是飞机刚起飞后发生的。

10 frigate   

n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰

参考例句：

• An enemy frigate bore down on the sloop.一艘敌驱逐舰向这只护航舰逼过来。
• I declare we could fight frigate.我敢说我们简直可以和一艘战舰交战。

11 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

12 deposed   

v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证

参考例句：

• The president was deposed in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被废黜。
• The head of state was deposed by the army. 国家元首被军队罢免了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

14 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

15 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

16 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

17 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

18 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

19 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

20 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

21 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

22 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。