英国新闻听力 气候专家商讨应对气温变暖

Climate scientists meeting in Denmark say global sea levels could rise by twice as much as originally thought by the end of the century. The projection¹, based on new satellite studies and measurements in Greenland and Antarctica, say ocean levels could rise by a meter or more with huge implications for coastal² communities. From the conference, our environment correspondent David Shukman reports.

Six hundred million people live in low-lying areas around the world. So a future rise in sea level is among the most dangerous aspects of climate change. Now, new studies by satellites and measurements in Greenland and Antarctica show that the ice sheets are breaking into the ocean faster than previously³ estimated. So the prediction of a rise of 59 centimeters made by the UN's climate panel two years ago looks too low according to researchers at this conference. They estimate that the rise could be one meter or more, and as a result they warned the impacts could be devastating⁴.

The Director of US National Intelligence Dennis Blair says he believes that Iran does not possess any of the highly enriched uranium needed to make a nuclear bomb, nor has it yet decided⁵ whether to produce any. Mr. Blair's comments were echoed by Lieutenant⁶ General Michael Maples⁷, the Director of the Defense⁸ Intelligence Agency, as the two gave testimony⁹ to Congress. From Washington, Kevin Connolly.

Lieutenant General Maples and Dennis Blair, the National Director of Intelligence, said they believed Iran had only low enriched uranium which would have to be refined into a more highly enriched form before it would become usable in a weapons program. They said there was no indications that such refining had occurred. That position contradicts the view of Israeli intelligence which is that Iran has already crossed the technical threshold and is capable of making a nuclear weapon. It's clear that the Americans and Israelis are working from the same factual information but reaching different conclusions.

A lawyer acting¹⁰ for the disgraced American financier Bernard Madoff says he expects him to plead guilty to 11 counts of fraud when he appears in court later this week. Prosecutors¹¹ believe Mr. Madoff may have spent or misappropriated billions of dollars entrusted¹² to him by his clients. Greg Wood reports.

Bernard Madoff, who is accused of swindling investors¹³ out of $50 million, attended a court hearing at which details of criminal charges were filed against him for the first time. They include fraud, money laundering¹⁴, false statements, perjury¹⁵, false filings with US regulators and theft from an employee benefit plan. Mr. Madoff will answer these charges carrying a maximum sentence of 150 years at the hearing on Thursday at which he is expected to plead guilty.

Shares have surged higher on stock markets in the United States and Europe, reversing some of the huge losses of recent weeks. The surge came after the beleaguered¹⁶ US banking¹⁷ giant Citigroup said it was on course for its best financial performance for nearly two years.

The head of the army in Madagascar has given civilian¹⁸ leaders until Friday to resolve the political crisis in the country. Brigadier General Edmond Rasolomahandry said that if no solution could be found within 72 hours, the army will take responsibility for running national affairs and protecting national unity¹⁹. Asked whether that meant the army would take power, he said it would not.

The rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Humans have begun talks aimed at reconciliation²⁰ in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Opening the ten-day event, the chief Egyptian mediator²¹ Omar Suleiman said the meeting had to lead to a unity government which was not factional. He warned against failure, saying that such an opportunity to reconcile the two sides might not occur again. Christian²² Fraser reports from Cairo.

The scars are still visible. The recriminations echo on both sides. But there is at least a wave of optimism surrounding these talks which all sides are desperate to harness. The deadline they set is at the end of this March. But a senior Hamas official says it will take more than just a few days to agree on a new government. The Palestinian groups are divided into five committees. They will concentrate on the formation of a unity government, elections, general reconciliation, and two key issues — the reform of the security services and the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization.

State prosecutors in Turkey have charged a further 56 people in an alleged²³ ultra-nationalist plot to remove the government by force in 2007. Twelve are charged with being leaders of the suspected coup²⁴, two others are said to be retired²⁵ generals.

Seven leading British and American media organizations, including the BBC, have issued a statement calling on the Iranian authorities to allow independent access to an American journalist Roxana Saberi. She's been detained in Tehran since late January on unknown charges. Iranian officials say she was arrested for continuing to work in Iran after her press credentials²⁶ were revoked²⁷.

气候专家会聚丹麦，声称本世纪末全球海平面上升的高度将是预想的二倍，基于在格陵兰和南极洲的最近卫星研究结果和测量数据做出的走向图显示，由于沿海社区的巨大影响，海平面将会上升一米或更高。这是来自此次会议的报道，由我们的环境记者David Shukman报道。

全世界有六百百万人居住在地势低洼地区，所以未来海平面的上升将是气候变化带来的最严重的危险之一。目前，格陵兰和南极洲的卫星研究和测量数据显示，冰盖融化并注入海洋的速度比之前估计的还要快。两年前联合国气候小组预测海平面将上升59公分，但是在此次会议的研究人员看来，这个数字太低了。他们认为将会上升一米甚至更高，因此他们警告说其影响将是灾难性的。

美国国家情报局局长丹尼斯.布莱尔说，他相信伊朗并没有制造核弹所需的高浓缩铀，也尚未决定是否准备制造。布莱尔先生的评论引起了国防情报局长迈克尔.梅波思中将的回应，二位已向国会提供了证据。华盛顿Kevin Connolly报道。

梅波思中将和国家情报局长丹尼斯.布莱尔说，他们相信伊朗只有低浓缩铀，它们只有被提炼成较高浓缩形式的铀之后，才能用于核武器项目。他们声称没有证据显示伊朗进行过这种提炼。这一观点就与以色列情报局的相反，后者认为伊朗已经扩过该技术的门槛，已经有能力制造核武器。很显然，美国和以色列是从同样的事实入手，然而得到截然不同的结论。

为不名誉的美国金融家伯纳德.麦道夫辩护的律师表示，他希望麦道夫本周晚些时候出庭时，能够对11项罪名认罪。检察长认为麦道夫可能花掉或侵吞亿万美元，这些钱是委托方委托给他的。

伯纳德.麦道夫被指控骗取投资者50百万美元，他参加了法庭审讯，这是他首次收到犯罪指控的详细资料，包括诈骗、洗钱、政权虚假陈述、作伪证、向美国证券交易委员会递交文件不实、窃取员工福利计划。这些罪至少要判150年的监禁，麦道夫将在周二的审讯中对这些指控做出答复，他有可能会认罪。

美国、欧洲证券市场的股票有所上涨，扭转了最近几周以来的巨大损失局面。这是由于此前处于困境中的美国花旗银行宣称其财务绩效正处于将近两年来的最高点。

马达加斯加军事高管要求平民领导人周五以前解决本国的政治危机，准将Edmond Rasolomahandry说，如果72小时内找不到解决办法，军队将负责国家事务并保护国家统一。问及这是否意味着军队将掌权，他说不会。

为达成和解，巴勒斯坦运动的对手法塔赫和哈马斯在埃及首都开罗举行会谈，在这次为期十天会谈的开幕式上，埃及主要的调解人奥马尔.苏莱曼说，这次会议必须促成联合政府的成立，而不是小派别政府。他警告说不许失败，他说这样的调解两方的机会以后再也没有了。Christian Fraser从开罗发回的报道。

旧的伤疤还在，双方的相互指责还在。但是至少这些会谈中还透露些许乐观的前景，双方都在不顾一切地重修于好。设置的最后期限是三月底。但是哈马斯一名高级官员说，要就新政府达成一致，还需要一些时日。巴勒斯坦组织被分成五个委员会，他们讨论的问题集中在联合政府的构造、选举、总体和解、以及两个重大问题—安全服务和巴勒斯坦解放组织上。

土耳其州检察官指控另外56人涉嫌一起被指控的极端民族主义阴谋，该阴谋发生在2007年，企图武力颠覆政府。有12人被指控是这次疑似政变的领导人，另外两人据说是退休的将军。

包括BBC在内的七家英美主要媒体机构发出声明，要求伊朗当局允许自由接触美国记者Roxana Saberi，一月底以来她因未知的指控一直被拘留在德黑兰。伊朗官方说她被拘留是因为她在记者证被吊销后继续在伊朗采访。

1 projection   

n.发射，计划，突出部分

参考例句：

• Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
• The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

7 maples   

槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木

参考例句：

• There are many maples in the park. 公园里有好多枫树。
• The wind of the autumn colour the maples carmine . 秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。

8 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。

9 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

10 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。

11 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。

12 entrusted   

v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
• She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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

14 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 perjury   

n.伪证；伪证罪

参考例句：

• You'll be punished if you procure the witness to commit perjury.如果你诱使证人作伪证，你要受罚的。
• She appeared in court on a perjury charge.她因被指控做了伪证而出庭受审。

16 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

19 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

20 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。

21 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

22 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

23 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

24 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。

25 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

26 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

27 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句