英国新闻听力

North Korea has announced it's cutting off all relations with South Korea. The decision comes after sharply increased tension between the two countries following the sinking of a South Korean navy ship in March. Jonathan Marcus reports.

Within a matter of days, relations between the two Koreas have returned to the freezer. The diplomatic goal now will be to ensure that a renewed cold war on the Korean peninsula does not generate into a hot conflict. North Korea's announcement that it's breaking off all ties with the South comes after an independent report showed that the South Korean warship¹ sank last March was destroyed by a torpedo². South Korea has already broken off most economic ties between the two countries and is pursuing the matter at United Nations.

The head of the International Monetary³ Fund Dominique Strauss-Khan says the European debt crisis is the main risk to global economic recovery. But at the same time, he said he believed there was no threat to the euro. His comments follow sharp falls on global stock markets.

The Italian government has approved a 29-billion-dollar package of budget cuts to help reduce the country's fiscal⁴ deficit⁵. The package includes pay freezes for civil servants and cuts in health spending. Here is Duncan Kennedy.

The program of savings⁶ had been expected, but the numbers are still large and will make life uncomfortable for millions of Italians. The cuts will mean a pay and recruitment freeze for jobs in the public sector⁷, a delay in retirement⁸ for state workers, reduce funds to local government and a further attempt to stop tax evasion⁹. Italy's budget deficit stands just under 5% of GDP. The aim is to get it below the European Union's target of 3%. One government source said this would be tough with heavy sacrifices. A shopper at a northern Italian market said "They cut, cut and cut. What then? I don't know," he said.

Police in Jamaica say 27 people have been killed in the capital Kingston in clashes between the security forces and supporters of an alleged¹⁰ drugs lord. The majority of those killed are civilians¹¹. Gunfights erupted as police and soldiers searched the Tivoli Gardens district, looking for Christopher Coke who's wanted in the United States. From Kingston, Matthew Price.

Those living in the neighborhoods affected¹² speak of bodies on the streets, of being unable to treat the injured. Officials suggest they are close to taking full control of the area from gunmen allied¹³ to an alleged drugs lord who the US wants extradited. Christopher Coke a.k.a Dudus is accused of being responsible for trafficking drugs and arms across the Americas. He's seen by his supporters as a protector, a champion of the poor, it’s how he maintains control. Jamaica's prime minister gains much of his support from Dudus himself. Politics and the gangs here are intertwined, making it hard to see where this will lead.

World News from the BBC.

The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to withdraw a UN force from Chad and the Central African Republic by the end of this year. The force, numbering more than 3,000 troops, will pull out in stages. It was deployed¹⁴ in 2009 to protect hundreds of thousands of displaced Chadians and refugees from the Sudanese province of Darfur.

A senior American official has told the BBC that President Barack Obama is to request an extra 500 million dollars to bolster¹⁵ the security on the US border with Mexico. Up to 1,200 National Guard troops are to be sent to the border. Paul Adams reports.

Administration officials say the extra troops will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for existing law enforcement officials, as well as help with counter-narcotics and training. The extra funds will be used to increase the number of federal officers working on the border as part of what one official described as a multi-layered effort to target illicit¹⁶ networks trafficking in people, drugs, illegal weapons and money. A Democratic congresswoman from Arizona Gabrielle Giffords said the White House was doing "the right thing". "Washington," she said, "had heard the message of Arizonans."

A memorial service has been held for the 11 workers who were killed in the oil rig explosion in the Gulf¹⁷ of Mexico a month ago. The explosion fractured in an undersea well, triggering the massive oil leak now washing onto the Louisiana and Alabama coastline. The service in Jackson Mississippi was organized by Transocean, the company that owned the Deepwater Horizon rig.

The social networking company Facebook has confirmed it will change its privacy settings after growing criticism that users were losing control over their personal information. The company hasn't released any details yet, but says simpler settings will start to be released to more than 400 million users worldwide from Wednesday. Last December, Facebook changed its default privacy settings, allowing profile information to be shared with the wider web.

1 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

2 torpedo   

n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏

参考例句：

• His ship was blown up by a torpedo.他的船被一枚鱼雷炸毁了。
• Torpedo boats played an important role during World War Two.鱼雷艇在第二次世界大战中发挥了重要作用。

3 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

4 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 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。

8 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

9 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

10 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

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

14 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

15 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

16 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

17 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。