新闻听力经济词汇

新闻听力经济词汇：

Unit 2：

Jerry`s wedding eleven years ago to a Chinese-American was "both white and red", he said, with his bride wearing a white wedding gown at a Protestant church ceremony (because both he and his wife are Christians) and then changing to a red dress after the wedding for their reception banquet at a Chinatown restaurant.

Another Chinese-American friend in California sent us their wedding invitation. Following the American custom, he included a smaller envelope and card for us to send back to tell them if we would attend the wedding or not. But instead of using the usual white color for the envelope and cards, he and his bride chose Chinese red. The invitation itself combing English and Chinese, just as their church wedding ceremony did.

Unit3：

Watching television is the most popular leisure-time activity in Britain. Peak viewing time is between 7:30 and 10 o’clock in the evenings.

The two age groups which watch television most are children between 5 and 14 and people over 50. Children aged 5 to 14 watch television on average for 23 hours a week. The over-fifties watch on average for 17 hours a week.

Television is divided between BBC1, BBC2 and the commercial station, ITV. There is no great difference between BBC1 and BBC2 and ITV, but programmes on BBC2 tend to be of a more intellectual or

cultural nature.

Programmes before 9 pm are also suitable for children, so programmes with scenes of violence or sex are usually shown after this time. Most viewers in Britain switch off the television after about 10:30 and go to bed. Those who want to stay up can often watch a film or a "chat show", an interview with a famous personality, until 1 am.

However , the most popular programmes of all are the news bulletins Unit12：

When you get old in life, things get taken from you. That's part of life. But you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life's this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small: one half a step too late, or too early, and you don't quite make it; one-half second too slow, too fast, you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when add up all those inches that's going to make the fucking difference between winning and losing, between living and dying!

Unit13：

Music experts say John Lennon did not invent rock and roll. Yet he did more than anyone else to change it, move it forward and add social meaning to its songs. Many experts call him one of the greatest songwriters in the history of rock and roll.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum organized an exhibit about John Lennon. Visitors can see hundreds of objects from Lennon's life. There are reports from his teachers when he was a boy about his school work. More than thirty paintings and drawings he made throughout his life are shown: the suit he wore as a member of the Beatles, his guitars and piano, and the handwritten words for twenty-five of his most famous songs.

John Lennon helped form the Beatles in the 1960s. The group changed the sound of rock and roll music.

Later, John Lennon wrote songs that expressed his efforts for truth, peace and human rights.

Recently, a British music magazine asked several songwriters, producers and musicians to name the best songs of the last century. They chose John Lennon's "In My Life" as the top song.

Unit15：

There's been a perception that the recent rise in oil prices was because of the situation in Iraq and because of speculation—that is, temporary factors. Officials in G7 now say, though, that oil is scarcer than previously thought. In other words, that there's a longer-term shortage pushing prices up. On top of that, they recognize that strong Chinese economic growth will put more pressure on scarce supplies.

As the G7-plus-China meeting gets under way, ministers from Britain and Germany want efforts made to get more information out to try to diminish the large amount of speculation in the oil market. Last time the G7 ministers met, the British finance minister led an attempt to talk the price down by urging producers to increase supply. The exhortation had little effect, with the price rising anyway. Now it seems that ministers may be accepting that we're moving into a world of permanently higher oil prices that will dampen economic growth.

新闻：

Unit15：Task 1

【答案】

A. 1) c) 2) b) 3) a) 4) c)

B.

seventeen British beaches, Atlantic Ocean, microscope, very small ocean animals and plants, particles of plastic, three times, 1990s, 1960s, how plastic affects the environment, poison, Science.

【原文】

Scientists have known for a long time that plastic is harmful to ocean animals. But a new British study shows that plastic may continue to do harm even after it has broken into extremely small particles.

British scientists collected pieces of plastic on seventeen British beaches as well as deep in the Atlantic Ocean. The pieces are so small they can only be seen with a microscope. The scientists found that nine kinds of plastic were common. These included nylon and polyester.

The researchers also examined plankton, very small ocean animals and plants. These had been collected off the British coast during the past forty years. The scientists found particles of plastic in the plankton. They found three times more plastic in plankton from the1990s than in plankton from the 1960s.

Professor Richard Thompson of the University of Plymouth led the study. Professor Thompson says his team will investigate how plastic affects the environment. For example, they want to learn if the plastic in plankton could poison fish and other sea life eaten by humans. The study appeared in the magazine Science.

A spokesman for the American Plastics Council says a lot of the information from the British study was old. But he says the group will re-examine it. He also says industry must educate people about their responsibility to keep all waste out of oceans.

Professor Thompson agrees that humans need to be more responsible. Plastic is a popular substance for containers and other objects partly because it is not easily destroyed. The professor estimates that plastic lasts from a hundred to a thousand years.

Task 2

【答案】

A.

A Swedish study suggests that people who use cell phones for at least ten years might be at greater risk for developing a rare, non-cancerous tumor.

B.

1) They grow on the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain.

2) They affect fewer than one hundred thousand people a year.

3) The researchers found that those people who had used cell phones for at least ten years had almost twice the risk of developing these tumors. In addition, the tumor risk was almost four times higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

4) Because children’s brains are still developing.

5) It is trying to find out if electromagnetic radiation from cell phones damages health.

6) The World Health Organization’s cancer research institute.

7) Early next year.

C.1) T 2) F 3) T 4) T 5) T 6) T 7) F

【原文】

A Swedish study suggests that people who use cell phones for at least ten years might be at greater risk for developing a rare, non-cancerous tumor. These tumors grow on the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain. The risk was higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

These tumors affect fewer than one hundred thousand people a year. They grow slowly and can take several years to be discovered. The tumor pushes on the surface of the brain, but does not grow into the brain itself.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden led the study. It was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

The study involved seven hundred and fifty Swedes. About one hundred and fifty of them had these tumors. About six hundred other people did not. Researchers asked all of the people about their cell phone use.

The researchers found that those people who had used cell phones for at least ten years had almost two times the risk of developing these tumors. In addition, the tumor risk was almost four times higher on the side of the head where the phone was usually held.

There was no increased risk for those who had used cell phones for fewer than ten years. At the time the study was done, only analog phones had been in use for ten years.

Almost all early analog cell phones released more electromagnetic radiation than the digital phones now being sold. But researchers say they cannot be sure if the results are just linked to the use of analog phones. They say further study is needed.

Several earlier experiments have shown radiation from cell phones can affect brain cells in a laboratory. But studies on people have found no evidence that the phones present a health risk. However, experts say children should avoid using the phones for long periods because their brains are still developing.

The study is part of a wider research program known as the “Interphone Study”. The World Health Organization’s cancer research institute organized the research. It is trying to find out if electromagnetic radiation from cell phones damages health.

Final results of the study are expected to be released early next year.

Task 3

【答案】

A.

Some UN reports show conditions are worsening in developing countries.

B.

Ⅰ.

A. hungry, unhealthy

B. poverty, war, HIV/AIDS

C.1. shelter, food, safe water, health care, clean living conditions, education, information.

2. 700 million

D. Half

E. high child death rates, shorter life expectancy.

Ⅱ.

A. five

B. 852, 18

C. lost productivity, national earnings

Ⅲ.

A. Half, two, 1,400

B. Foreign aid, half

【原文】

Some new reports about conditions in developing countries offer little to celebrate.

Carol Bellamy of UNICEF says half of the more than two thousand million children in the world "are growing up hungry and unhealthy." The United Nations Children's Fund says the biggest threats are poverty, war and HIV/AIDS.

The UNICEF report defines child poverty as the lack of at least one of seven services needed to survive, grow and develop. These are shelter, food, safe water, health care, clean living conditions, education and information. UNICEF and British researchers found that at least 700 million children lacked two or more of these services.

The report also says almost half of all people killed in war since 1990 have been children. And, in some African countries, the spread of AIDS has meant high child death rates and shorter life expectancy.

UNICEF noted progress made under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a 1989 international treaty. But it says these gains are threatened in several areas. In fact, it says child poverty has also risen in some developed countries.

Carol Bellamy, the head of UNICEF, says too many governments are making choices that "hurt childhood."

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that at least five million children each year die because of hunger and poor nutrition. The F.A.O. says there were 852 million hungry people in the world between 2000 and 2002. That number was up 18 million from five years before. The F.A.O. says hunger costs developing countries thousands of millions of dollars a year in lost productivity and national earnings.

Low wages were a subject for the International Labor Organization. This U.N. agency says half of all workers earn less than two dollars a day. The percentage is lower than in 1990. Still, the number of people is

estimated at a record 1,400 million.

Foreign aid might help with jobs. Yet the group Oxfam International reported that the aid budgets of wealthy nations are half what they were in 1960.

Next year, Britain will lead both the Group of Eight major industrial nations and the European Union. The government has promised to make the fight against world poverty one of its main goals.

Task 4

【答案】

A.1) c) 2) c) 3) a) 4) b)

B.1) T 2) F 3) F 4) T 5) F 6) T

【原文】

Almost one-fourth of all personal spending in the United States takes place during the holiday season. There are gifts to give this month for Christmas, and other celebrations. The traditional shopping season began last Friday, after Thanksgiving Day. Personal spending represents two thirds of the economy, so holiday sales are especially important.

Reports on November results have just come out. Major sellers, especially lower-priced ones, had mostly moderate gains at stores open at least a year. Wal-Mart was up just seven tenths of one percent. Wal-Mart is the biggest seller in the world. The company had expected growth of two to four percent in November, fueled by sales on "Black Friday”. The day after Thanksgiving is called that. Storekeepers used to record profits in black ink and losses in red ink. A day in the black means a return to profit.

But for this Black Friday, Wal-Mart decided not to cut prices as aggressively on some goods as other stores did. Wal-Mart says it has learned from this and will listen more to its customers this holiday season.

Businesses also listen to the Consumer Confidence Index to get an idea of how Americans feel about the economy. Many economists expected an increase in consumer confidence in November. But the Conference Board, a private group, says the index fell again for a fourth month.

The National Retail Federation estimated in September that holiday sales would increase four and one-half percent this year. Holiday sales increased five percent last year, after poor sales the year before.

The business group estimated that Americans will spend two hundred twenty thousand million dollars this season. It says they spent just over ten percent of that last weekend.

Also, it says more Americans for the first time this season plan to use a debit card than a credit card for purchases. A debit card, also called a check card, is linked to the money that a person has in a bank. In other

words, users must have the money before they can spend it.

About thirty-five percent of shoppers said they would mainly use debit cards, compared to thirty percent for credit cards. Financial experts say this change might mean that more people want to keep to a budget this holiday season.

Task 5

【答案】

A.

The Internet search company Google plans to put millions of library books online and make them searchable.

B.

1) The New York Public Library and the libraries of four universities:

Stanford, Harvard, the University of Michigan in the United States and Oxford in England.

2) It could take ten years or more.

3) About 10 dollars.

4) Workers use scanner machines to take pictures of each page.

5) Google says it will show only a small part of library books protected by copyright. Users might see only pages that contain the words they searched for

6) It lets publishers make books and other information searchable online.

7) It earns almost all its money through sales of advertising.

8) Geico is not happy that links to competitors also appear when people search for information about the company., and called this an illegal use of its name.

9) It currently searches more than eight thousand million Web pages, is easy to use, and finds the information that people want, generally in less than a second.

10) Yahoo and MSN(the Microsoft Network).

11) The American Library Association says visits (to libraries) are up one

hundred percent since the Internet began to get popular ten years ago.

C.1) a 2) a 3) d 4) c 5) b

【原文】

The Internet search company Google plans to put millions of library books online and make them searchable.

This week, Google announced a project with the New York Public Library and the libraries of four universities. These are Stanford, Harvard and the University of Michigan in the United States and Oxford in England.

Stanford University and the University of Michigan have agreed to let Google copy their full collections. Michigan put some of its seven million books on the Web this week. Its full collection is about six years away.

The New York Public Library says it will only provide Google with materials no longer under copyright restrictions. Oxford will offer only books published before the twentieth century. And Harvard University will provide just forty thousand books at first.

The project could take ten years or more. Some librarians say each book might cost about ten dollars to reproduce in digital form. Workers use scanner machines to take pictures of each page. Google says its users will see links in their search results page when there are books that relate to their search.

For years libraries have been making electronic copies, especially of old and rare documents. But the process has often been slow. There are also legal issues.

Google says it will show only a small part of library books protected by copyright. Users might see only pages that contain the words they searched for. The project will expand the Google Print program. This lets publishers make books and other information searchable online. https://www.360docs.net/doc/af13025209.html, has a competing program.

Google earns almost all its money through sales of advertising. Users see links to products and services next to their search results. People can click on these links to buy things or get more information.

This week, Google won a ruling in a legal case brought by one of its advertisers, Geico, an automobile insurance company. Geico is not happy that links to competitors also appear when people search for information about the company. Geico called this an illegal use of its name. But a judge disagreed.

Google is the most popular Internet search engine. The program currently searches more than eight thousand million Web pages. It is often praised for its ease of use and for finding the information that people want, generally in less than a second. Google faces its strongest competition from Yahoo and MSN, the Microsoft Network.

Google says its library project will increase interest in books. It may also get more people into libraries to see the real thing. The American Library Association says visits are up one hundred percent since the Internet began to get popular ten years ago.

Task 6

【答案】

Ⅰ. make a profit

A.

4,000 million dollars, International Air Transport Association

B.

Airline’s way of doing business

Ⅱ.

A.

1. Seventh

2. temporary pay reductions, 20

3. second

4. February

B.

1. Third

2. 10, top officials

3. labor union, pilots, retirement plan

C.

1. Second

3. pension programs

4. government

Ⅲ.

A.

Southwest

B.

1. limited services

2. serve meals

Ⅳ.

A. Raise prices

B. Combine businesses, oil prices

【原文】

Many airline companies are finding it difficult to make a profit. The International Air Transport Association says it expects the industry to lose up to 4,000 million dollars this year. Yet air travel continues to increase. So what is the problem?

Fuel prices are high. But many airlines are finding that their way of doing business is also too costly.

U.S. Airways, for example, wants a Bankruptcy Court judge to order temporary pay reductions for many of its workers. The company also plans to cut pay for its managers by a reported 20 percent.

U.S. Airways is under protection from its creditors for the second time in two years. It says it could go out of business in February. U.S. Airways is the 7th largest airline in the United States.

The third largest, Delta, is trying to avoid bankruptcy. Delta Airlines announced a 10 percent pay cut for its top officials and some other workers.

This week, Delta reached an agreement with the labor union for its pilots. A lot of them have taken early retirements. To avoid a shortage, the deal permits newly retired pilots to return to work. In return, Delta agreed not to take any immediate steps to cancel the retirement plan for its pilots.

United Airlines, the second largest carrier, is under bankruptcy protection. It wants to end its pension programs and replace them to save

money. But the existing plans are owed thousands of millions of dollars which United Airlines wants the government to pay. How much the plans are owed is in dispute.

Not all airlines are in trouble. Low-cost airlines like Southwest and JetBlue remain profitable. These smaller airlines provide limited services and usually do not serve meals on their flights.

Some major airlines have tried to raise their prices in recent months. American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, started such an effort last week. But the low-price competition has made it difficult for traditional airlines to charge more.

Airlines in the United States are not the only ones facing such competition. The Italian airline Alitalia is close to seeking protection from its creditors. Alitalia has lost market share to companies like Ryanair of Ireland which offer low-cost travel in Italy.

Some people believe that airlines should combine their businesses to cut costs. But some costs cannot be controlled, like oil prices which reached 50 dollars a barrel this week.

Task 7

【答案】

1) Because aggressive competition in the industry has cut the profit in sales.

2) Ten thousand.

3) 19 percent.

4) The microprocessor.

5) 2 percent and 25 percent.

6) Legend Computer, founded in 1984.

7) In New York.

C.1) F 2) F 3) T 4) F 5) T 6) T

【原文】

Next year, if all goes as planned, the largest maker of personal computers in Asia will become the third largest in the world.

Lenovo Group Limited of China is buying the personal computer business of the American company IBM. International Business Machines brought millions of people their first PCs. Now it is getting out of the business of selling them. Aggressive competition in the industry has cut the profit in sales.

The deal is worth 1,750 million dollars. This includes 500 million dollars in debt that Lenovo will take over from IBM. Lenovo will be third in worldwide sales behind the American companies Dell and Hewlett-Packard.

Ten thousand IBM employees will go to work for Lenovo. The American company already has thousands of employees in China. IBM will hold a 19 percent share in Lenovo. And IBM will continue to offer services, the most profitable part of its personal computer business.

IBM helped create the market for personal computers in 1981 with a machine that became very popular. The computer used an operating system made by a small company, Microsoft. Another small company provided the microprocessor, the brains of a computer. That was Intel. Intel and Microsoft grew highly profitable.

But soon, less costly computers appeared. IBM saw its market share shrink. In the end, it stopped making its personal computers itself.

The Gartner research group estimates that IBM had a five percent share of the world PC market this year. Lenovo had two percent. But it controls one fourth of the Chinese market, the largest in Asia. Lenovo was formerly known as Legend Computer which was founded in 1984.

Chinese companies are moving to expand their international business holdings. This purchase is one of the biggest yet. Lenovo will be able to use the I.B.M. name for five years.

Lenovo will have the headquarters of its personal computer business in New York, with operations in Beijing and Raleigh, North Carolina. Stephen Ward will be the chief executive officer and Yang Yuanqing will be the chairman. Officials expect the deal to be made final by the middle of next year.

Task 8

【答案】

A.

French press, Readership, Costs and debts, target of investors, buy influence, losing its independence

B.1) a) 2) c) 3) b) 4) b)

C.

1) He says an archaic and monopolistic distribution system and inflexible unions make French newspaper the most expensive in Europe.

2) He said he wanted to return to real journalism.

3) The world.

4) They are all losing money and readers, and have become easy target for investors looking for an influential portfolio.

5) They’ll fight to keep their independence/editorial freedom/idea of a free press.

【原文】

Michele French: The French press is in crisis. Readership is down.

Costs and debts are climbing. And some national

newspapers have become the target of investors trying

to buy influence. That is many journalists worried that

the French press is losing its independence. Eleanor

Beardsley has this report from Paris.

Eleanor Beardsley: Here on the Avenue Champs Elysees, press kiosks

offering hundreds of publications for every reader's

taste dot the wide sidewalk. But appearances can be

deceiving. Newspaper sales are plummeting in France.

The country's top three national dailies

combined—that's Le Monde, Le Figaro and

Liberation—have the same circulation as just one

British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.

Mr. Andre Bercoff: (French spoken)

Eleanor Beardsley: Andre Bercoff, editor of daily France Soir, says

readers can't afford French newspapers any more. He

says an archaic and monopolistic distribution system

and inflexible unions make them the most expensive

in Europe, and sales are not the only thing to suffer. Mr.Andre Bercoff: The Washington Post let Woodward burst in, work for

six months, and they didn't discover something before

six month. Now here, you won't have any newspaper

who, after a few days, won't tell, "Okay, there's been

one week you're working, so where are the results?

You don't have any results? Okay, let's skip it." Eleanor Beardsley: Last week, the editor-in-chief of France's most

respected newspaper, Le Monde, abruptly resigned,

saying he wanted to return to real journalism. Aside

from losing money and readers over the past few

years, Le Monde has been accused of becoming too

populist and of abusing its influence. Longtime Le

Monde reporter Annick Cojean said there was a time

when the newspaper was a must-read for anyone who

wanted to be in the know.

Ms. Annifk Cojean: We have to admit that there's less and less confidence.

People are sometimes kidding at the headlines we're

making. We used to focus a lot about foreign affairs.

It's not true anymore. More and more, it's national or

it's society, you know. And a lot of people said, "What

are you doing? This is not the tradition of Le Monde.

It’s not important, and your name, your tide is Le

Monde. Le Monde means The World. It doesn't mean

La France."

Eleanor Beardsley: Le Monde lost $70 million in the last three years alone.

Similar deficits at other major papers have made them

an easy target for investors looking for an influential

portfolio. Last week, the newspaper Liberation, an

icon of the French left founded by philosopher

Jean-Paul Sartre was saved by a S26 million cash

injection from Edouard de Rotbschild, an icon of

French capitalism. If some found that twist of fate

amusing, the complete takeover this summer of the

conservative daily Le Figaro by arms manufacturer

Serge Dassault isn't getting many laughs.

Mr. Serge Dassault: (French spoken)

Eleanor Beardsley: In interviews, Dassault says he sees no conflict of

interest in him owning one of the nation's leading

newspapers. But the 70-year-old billionaire just sold

49 Rafale fighter jets to the French state and was also

recently elected to the Senate. The British magazine

The Economist said it was as though media baron

Rupert Murdoch bought the arms maker Lockheed

Martin and then went to Capitol Hill. Armelle Heilot,

who is head of Le Figaro's editors' association, say

journalists now fear for their editorial freedom.

Ms. Armelle Heilot: (Through Translator) It's scary to see a newspaper

fall into the hands of an arms industrialist. And some

of the things he has said are worrisome and aren't in

line with our ideas of a free press. He told us there is

good information and bad information, and that we

shouldn't write articles that could hurt companies. Eleanor Beardsley: Journalists at Le Figaro, Le Monde and Liberation say

they'll fight to keep their independence even if they

accept the necessity of finding outside investors to

keep their papers afloat. But France Soir editor

Bercoff says that fight may already be hopeless. He

thinks readers will increasingly turn to books and the

Internet for information. And besides, he says, France

became a TV nation a long time ago.

Unit8：【原文】

1) Now that we're making every effort to keep criminals from getting guns through the front door of a gun shop, we're turning our attention to locking the back door, too. We have started to crack the code of the black market in illegal weapons. We are tracing the guns, targeting the traffickers, taking more of our children out of harm's way. (Bill Clinton)

2) We will be marching today for common sense gun laws, but we will not stop with just marching. We will keep walking; we will keep running; we will keep marching; we will keep fighting and we will keep organizing until we are successful in our fight to keep our children safe. (Hillary Clinton)

3) Police officers of course, are not the only people who die. Ten thousand other Americans are dead because of the misuse of our right to bear arms. People who argue for guns are fond of saying that guns don't kill; people do. But guns do kill. (Robert di Grazia)

4) Registration of cars has nothing to do with the incidence of car accidents which, of course, is the greatest killer of people in the United States, including children. And you don't see anyone turning around and say, "Let's outlaw automobile." (Victoria Bingham)

Task 2

【答案】

News Item 1

A.1) F 2) F 3) T 4) T 5) F 6) F

News Item 2

B.

WHO: more than one hundred thousand mothers across the United States

WHAT: gathered to push for tougher gun control laws

WHERE: Washington

WHEN: Sunday

C.

1) b) 2) a) 3) c) 4) b)

D.

1) Gun control, Now

2) shed, river of votes, raging, out of, stricter gun control

【原文】

News Item 1

British police say thousands of gun owners have surrendered their small calibre weapons as part of legislation banning some types of

handgun. The deadline to hand in the weapons which has just passed is the final stage in the clampdown on gun ownership following the massacre of 16 school children and a teacher at Dunblane in Scotland in 1996. The police estimate that 40,000 weapons have been surrendered, meaning that the vast majority of legally held guns have been given up. But as Inspector Paul Brightwell, a policeman from southern England, points out, many owners are still angry about the bans. Although Britain now has some of the strictest firearms laws in the world, correspondents say the government may still look to introduce further restrictions.

News Item 2

More than one hundred thousand mothers across the United States gathered here in Washington Sunday to push for tougher gun control laws. Organizers of the so-called Million Mom March are hoping to harness growing outrage at the number of children killed by handguns here in the United States.

"What do we want? Gun control! When do we want? Now! What do we want? Gun control! When do we want? Now! What do we want? Gun control! When do we want? Now! What do we want? Gun control!..."

The protesters—mothers, victims of gun violence and families—came from across the United States to hear heartbreaking stories of children who had been gunned down. One mother described the pain she felt after her young son received a crippling gunshot wound to the chest. In an emotional appeal, she urged the crowd to vote for members of Congress who support gun control.

"Mothers, we have shed tears for our children. Let's make our tears the river of votes. Let's make our tears become a raging river of votes, and we need to get our legislators out of office if they do not want stricter gun control."

Organizers of the Washington rally and others held in cities across the United States say at least 12 children a day are killed by guns. They want Congress to enact laws that will require registration of handguns and some type of licensing system. US gun control laws vary from state to state. Ant nationwide registration is strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association, a wealthy and powerful nationwide group of firearms owners who reject any type of gun control.

Task 3

【答案】

A.

1) a) 2) a) 3) b) 4) b) 5) c)

B.

Column 1 Column 2

Soccer Roland Garros

Equestrian events Longchamp racetrack

Tennis Stade de France

C.

1) The dossier will show locations of sporting events, media centers, and an Olympic village.

2) The tried and tested quality of Paris’ famous sporting infrastructure is a big advantage. Moreover, it’s been many years since France hosted the Olympic Games in 1924.

【原文】

The last time Paris had the honor of hosting the Olympic Games was way back in 1924. Having lost out to Beijing for the right to stage the Games in 2008, the French capital is now optimistic it can win the bid for the 2012 Olympics. The nine cities in contention have until mid-January to give details of their proposed venues. And the organizers in Paris can point to the fact that most of their facilities are already in place.

Competition is fierce among the nine cities bidding for the 2012 Games who all have until January the 15th to give the IOC a dossier showing locations of sporting events, media centers, and an Olympic village. London, New York, Moscow, Madrid, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Leipzig and Havana are all hopeful of staging the world's greatest sporting festival. But experts reckon that Paris is the early favorite.

Preparation is key when it comes to hosting the Olympic Games. Barcelona and Sydney both proved how to stage one. It's been almost 70 years since the summer Olympic experience took place on French soil. Having lost out to host the Games in 2008, the organizers within Paris are optimistic about their chances for hosting the 2012 Olympics.

Integral to Paris' bid is the tried and tested quality of its renowned sporting infrastructure. Soccer matches, for instance, would be held in the northeast suburb of Saint-Denis, home of the 78,000-seat Stade de France, where France beat Brazil three nil in 1998 to win the World Cup. The stadium is also the likely setting for the Olympic track and field events, with the media center being erected alongside it. Tennis matches would be well catered for at the famous red clay courts of Roland Garros, home to the French Open, the most likely location. Whilst the equestrian events could be held within the famous Longchamp Racetrack, which hosts the prestigious Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe each year. With around 150 acres of Pads real estate available in the city's Seventeenth District, the Athletes' Village could easily be adapted, not far from Longchamp.

Paris city authorities estimate the cost of hosting the 2012 Games at $6.9 billion. That’s nearly twice as much as estimated for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But if that generates just a fraction of the enthusiasm—and money—raised when France won the European

Championships in 2000, it’ll be money well spent.

Task 4

【答案】

A. 1) c) 2) a) 3) b) 4) a) 5) b)

B.1) 2,200, two thirds, confrontation

2) appreciate, foundation, cooperation, trust, Russia

【原文】

Darren Jordon: A new era of relations has been declared between the United States and Russia. This morning, Presidents Bush

and Putin met in Moscow to sign a nuclear arms treaty.

Mr. Bush said suspicions of the Cold War had been cast

aside. The two Presidents met inside the Kremlin to

approve what they both called a historic agreement. They

promised to reduce their nuclear stockpiles by two thirds

so that each would be down to below 2,200 over the next

ten years. President Bush said the agreement marked the

end of a long chapter of confrontation between the two

countries. Well, our Moscow Correspondent Caroline

Wyatt has been following the morning's events. Caroline. Caroline Wyatt: Well, it's taken us ten long years for Russia and America to reach this stage. But it does seem that at the Kremlin

here behind me in Moscow, that Vladimir Putin and

George Bush have finally managed to banish the mistrust

of the Cold War era, and start a new chapter in relations.

The day began with a sombre ceremony as President

Bush paid his respects at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier,

honoring Russia's sacrifice as an ally in the Second World

War. The American President looked slightly awestruck

as he entered the Kremlin to praise Russia's contribution

in the new war, the fight against terror. Vladimir Putin's

support for Mr. Bush since September 11th has cemented

an unexpectedly warm relationship between their two

countries, turning cold war enemies into friends. Amid

the splendor of St. Catherine's Hall, both leaders prepared

to sign the treaty they say will make the world a safer

place, the solemnity of the moment only slightly dented

when the cameras caught Mr. Bush removing his boiled

sweat. Then the two men put their names to a deal

agreeing to scrap two-thirds of their nuclear arsenals over

the next decade. Yet it’s not a treaty Russia's military

leaders are happy with. They complain Washington will

simply store the weapons for later use. So Mr. Bush tried

to reassure his audience here.

George Bush: I appreciate the fact that we have now laid the foundation for not only our governments, but future governments to

work in a spirit of cooperation and a spirit of trust. It's

good. It's good for the people of Russia. It's good for the

people of the Untied States.

Caroline Wyatt: For his part, Mr. Putin said he has no doubt they were entering a new era in relations. Despite the smiles, much

still divided their two nations. America fears Russia is

selling nuclear technology to Iran. But at least now they

say they can address those issues as friends and allies.

The two men do have the rest of the day and then a

relaxing weekend in Mr. Putin's hometown, St.

Petersburg, to iron out of all those issues.

Task 5

【答案】

A.

1) The US military sent an interceptor into space to hit a missile with a mock warhead

2) 60 billion dollars.

3) It was the first test of new technology that could become a key component of the Missile Defense Network. After the test, the pentagon would likely recommend that US President order deployment of the Missile Defense System.

4) Earlier tests produced mixed results: Two failed and one succeeded.

5) He said the nature of the security threats facing the United States has changed since the end of the Cold War, and old treaties just d on’t fit any more.

B.

News Item 1

A crucial test of the US Missile Defense System is set to begin within hours as the US military tries to destroy a dummy warhead in space over the Pacific Ocean. An interceptor missile fired from an island in the Pacific Ocean will try to hit the warhead launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. If the intercept succeeds, the Pentagon will likely recommend that the President Clinton order deployment of the 60-billion-dollar Missile Defense System. In a bid to disrupt today's test, the environmental group Greenpeace has sent a ship to an off limits zone near Vandenberg. Spokesman Steve Shohan says its activists had infiltrated the facility. "It is the objective of the Greenpeace activists on the base to chain themselves to the apparatus immediately adjacent to the missile silo, so that the missile could not be launched," Greenpeace says, with people in the part of the base, the missile cannot be fired. But the Pentagon insists it has the means to deal with such attempted disruptions.

News Item 2

President Bush's hopes for a missile defense system got a big boost this weekend when the Pentagon staged a successful test of key technology. A missile interceptor successfully hit a mock nuclear warhead over the Pacific Ocean. White House officials say Mr. Bush was pleased with the result.

Mr. Bush was at his presidential retreat outside Washington when a flash of light faraway over the Pacific signaled the successful test. An interceptor sent into space from a tiny Pacific island neatly hit its target, an intercontinental range missile with a mock warhead launched minutes earlier from an air force base in California. It was the first test of new technology that could become a key component of the Missile Defense Network. Earlier tests of other elements produced mixed results. Two failed and one succeeded. The president said he is convinced the system can and should be built. He says the nature of the security threats facing the United States has changed since the end of the Cold War, and old treaties just don’t fit any more. But Russia and some NATO allies think otherwish and warn of a new arms race. And the notion of spending billions to develop Missile Defense has drawn some criticism on Capitol Hill.

Task 6

【答案】

1) We will try to avoid a worldwide nucleate war, for there are no winners in such a war.

2) The US and other countries should refrain from tests, and sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.