BBC新闻讲解2010-7-14第405期

BBC新闻讲解附字幕:奥巴马承诺为PTSD退伍军人提供帮助

(2010-07-14)

第一部分：听力文本

BBC News with Gaenor Howells.

The oil company BP has begun its latest attempt to halt the catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.It's used underwater robots to remove a cap that was placed over the fractured wellhead last month.A new cap will be fitted later.However,a permanent solution to stopping the oil-two relief wells-is still weeks away.Madeleine Morris reports.

The delicate operation to replace one cap with a more tight-fitting one could take up to a week. During that time,oil will flow unabated into the Gulf of Mexico.But BP and the US Coast Guard believe it's worth the potential environmental damage.The current cap is gathering only around half the gushing crude.It's hoped the new one will be able to gather all of it ready to siphon up to three ships on the ocean surface.The Coast Guard said the switch was being made now because of a predicted week-long lull in the Gulf storm season.

President Obama has promised more help for war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).The aim is to make it easier for US veterans to receive federal benefits.In the past,they've had to provide records of a specific event that caused their condition.Under new rules,they'll only need to show that their conditions of service caused the disorder.President Obama called it a long overdue step.

"For years,many veterans with PTSD who have tried to seek benefits have often found themselves stymied.They've been required to produce evidence proving that a specific event caused their PTSD.Well,I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to keep notes just in case they need to apply for a claim.And I have met enough veterans to know that you don't have to engage in a firefight to endure the trauma of war.So we're changing the way things are done."

Israeli and Greek officials say a ship carrying aid for Gaza is now heading for Egypt instead, following diplomatic intervention by the Israeli government.They said the ship charter ed by a Libyan charity had set sail from Greece to the Egyptian port of el-Arish which is close to Gaza. The head of the charity,Youssef Sawwan,said he still hoped international pressure would persuade Israel to let the vessel dock in Gaza itself.

"We are conducting a purely humanitarian mission.Its sole aim is to deliver humanitarian goods-foodstuffs,medications-to the people of Gaza who no one can dispute that they are in urgent needs because they have been under boycott,siege,you name it.They went through it because of

the Israeli action.We hope that the Israeli authorities would not ban the ship from entering the port of Gaza."

More than a million people have been marching through the Spanish city of Barcelona to support the autonomous status of the region of Catalonia.The demonstration was called after the Spanish constitutional court decided there was no legal basis to recognize Catalonia as a nation,and the Catalan language should not take precedence over Spanish.

World News from the BBC.

Polls open shortly in Japan in elections to the upper house of parliament.Opinion surveys suggest the governing Democratic Party(DPJ)may lose its majority which would constrain its reform agenda.The Prime Minister Naoto Kan has denied reports that he is about to increase the country's sales tax,something correspondents describe as a taboo in Japanese politics.His party swept to power last year,ending half a century of conservative rule.It has since lost much of its popularity.

The governing body of the Church of England has narrowly rejected a compromise on the issue of ordaining women bishops.Proposals supported by the spiritual head of the church,the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Archbishop of York John Sentamu would have given traditionalist parishes exemption from serving under a woman bishop.Robert Pigott reports from the synod in York.

With liberal Anglicans impatient to promote women to the most senior positions in the church's leadership but traditionalists insisting they will not serve under them,the issue has produced an increasingly serious split in the church.Archbishop Rowan Williams put his personal backing behind a plan that would have allowed traditionalist parishes and dioceses headed by women bishops access to male alternatives.Dr Williams said it was necessary to preserve unity.The vote could barely have been closer.Most of the synod voted in favour of the plan.It failed only because lay members voted against it by a majority of five.

Germany have finished third in the football World Cup in South Africa after beating Uruguay3-2. Sunday's World Cup final will be an all-European affair between the Netherlands and Spain.

In cricket,Bangladesh have beaten England for the first time ever.They won by five runs in a one-day international in Bristol in western England.The victory means Bangladesh have now beaten every test-playing country in the world.It was also their first win this year.

BBC News

提示：文本转自普特听力论坛

第二部分：参考翻译

英国BP石油公司正在为制止墨西哥湾灾难性的石油泄漏进行最新的努力。BP公司已经使用水下机器人移除了上个月放置在破裂的钻井上方的盖帽。新的盖帽将于晚些时候安置。然而，防止漏油的永久性的解决方案，两个减压井仍要几周的时间才能到位。Madeleine Morris 报道。

用更加严密结合的盖帽代替原有盖帽的精密操作将需要一周的时间来完成。在此期间，石油将会以毫不减弱的速度向墨西哥湾泄漏。但是BP石油公司和美国海岸警卫队相信，与潜在的环境危害相比，这次行动是值得的。目前的盖帽只能收集一半的漏油。希望新的盖帽能够收集到所有的漏油，然后虹吸入海洋表面的三艘船只。海岸警卫队表示，他们做出该决定是因为墨西哥湾暴风雨季节将要出现为期一周的平静。

奥巴马总统承诺为患有创伤后应激障碍(post-traumatic stress disorder,PTSD)的战争老兵提供更多帮助。目标是使美国退伍军人享受联邦福利。过去，他们必须提供导致这种疾病的特别事件的记录。按照新的规定，他们只需证明他们服务的环境导致这种疾病。奥巴马总统称这是延迟已久的措施。

“多年来，许多患有PTSD的退伍军人发现获得联邦福利非常困难。他们被要求提供证据，证明特别的事件造成他们患PTSD。我不希望我们战场上的军人忙着做记录，以防他们有一天要申请联邦福利。我遇到过许多退伍军人，我知道，不一定交火才会忍受战争的创伤。我们正在改变事情的处理方式。”

以色列和希腊官员表示，经过以色列政府的外交干涉之后，向加沙地带运输救援物资的船只改向埃及行进。他们说，这艘利比亚慈善机构特许的船只从希腊启航，前往距离加沙地带比较近的埃及el-Arish港口。该慈善机构负责人Youssef Sawwan表示，他仍然希望国际社会压力能够说服以色列同意以色列允许船只在加沙地带停泊。

“我们正在进行的是纯粹的人道主义任务。唯一的目的是向加沙地带的人们运输他们亟需的食物和药品等人道主义货物，这一点毫无争议，因为他们正处于抵制，包围下，怎么说都可以。正是由于以色列的行为才使他们遭遇这样的境况。我们希望以色列当局不要禁止船只进入加沙港口。”

西班牙一百多万人在巴塞罗那举行游行，支持加泰罗尼亚大区的自治。之前，西班牙宪法法庭宣布，承认加泰罗尼亚大区的国家地位没有法律基础，加泰罗尼亚语不应该优先于西班牙语。随后引发了示威游行。

BBC世界新闻。

日本议会上院选举民意测验已经开始。民意调查显示，执政党民主党可能失去大多数优势，从而限制改革进程。有报道称首相菅直人(Naoto Kan)将增加销售税，而他本人则否认了相关报道。一些记者称，这对日本政治来说是一个禁忌。民主党去年夺取政权，结束了保守派半个世纪的通知。自那时起已经失去了大部分威望。

英国教堂管理机构拒绝了关于任命女性主教事件的折衷案。教堂精神领袖坎特伯雷大主教Rowan Williams和约克郡大主教John Sentamu本来将使传统主义教区不需接受女性主教的领导。Robert Pigott在约克郡宗教会议报道。

自由主义英国教徒迫不及待地希望推举女性担任教堂领袖中的最高职位，但是传统主义者坚持称他们不会接受他们的领导。该事件使教堂内部出现严重分裂。大主教Rowan Williams 个人支持一项计划，允许由女性主教领导的传统主义者所在教区有权选择男性。Williams 表示，保持教堂内部的统一之非常必要的。投票结果非常接近。宗教会议大部分人支持该计划。但是该计划最终未能通过，因为非神职人员的投票中大多数人反对。

在南非世界杯比赛中，德国队以3:2击败乌拉圭队，位居第三名。周日的世界杯决赛将是荷兰和西班牙之间的对决，完全是欧洲球队之间的较量。

在板球方面，孟加拉国首次击败英格兰队。在英格兰西部布里斯托尔的比赛中，他们以五次得分获胜。这次胜利意味着孟加拉国已经击败了世界上所有的板球队伍。这也是今年他们首次获胜。

BBC世界新闻。

第三部分：词汇学习

1.catastrophic adj.灾难性的

例句：potentially catastrophic for the environment

可能对环境造成灾难性后果

2.delicate adj.熟练的；需要技巧的

3.unabated adj.不减弱的;不减退的

例句：The storm continued unabated violence.

暴风雨持续着,丝毫没有减弱。

4.siphon vt.用虹吸管吸（或输送）（液体）

5.endure vt.vi.(长时间地)忍受,忍耐,容忍

例句：You needn't endure.

你不需要忍受。

I cannot endure her rudeness any longer.

我再也不能忍受她的无礼了。

6.charter vt.发给…许可证

例句：The government chartered the new airline.

政府给这家新航空公司颁发了许可证。

7.dock vt.vi.(使)船停靠码头

例句：The ship docked.

船靠码头了。

He docked the ship.

他把船引靠码头。

8.autonomous adj.自治的

例句：Each of the U.S.states has an autonomous government.

美国的每个州都有一个自治政府。

9.constrain vt.强迫,强使;限制,约束

例句：Cold weather constrained the plant's growth.

寒冷的天气抑制了植物的生长。

10.barely adv.仅仅,只不过,几乎不

例句：We barely had time to catch the train.

我们几乎来不及赶火车。

第三部分：短语学习

1.The delicate operation to replace one cap with a more tight-fitting one could take up to a week.

up to多达

例句：I can take up to four people in my car.

我的汽车最多能坐四个人。

2.Well,I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to keep notes just in case they need to apply for a claim.

in case免得,以防

例句：Be quiet in case you wake the baby.

轻点儿,别吵醒婴儿。

Keep the window closed in case it rains.

把窗户关好,以防下雨。

3.They went through it because of the Israeli action.

go through遭受,经受,经历

例句：When he was a child,he went through one hardship after another.

孩提时代,他经历了一个又一个的艰难困苦。

4.The demonstration was called after the Spanish constitutional court decided there was no legal basis to recognize Catalonia as a nation,and the Catalan language should not take precedence over Spanish.

take precedence over优先于...;地位在...之上

5.Most of the synod voted in favour of the plan.

in favour of赞成,支持

例句：He was in favour of the declaration of a truce.

他赞成宣布停战。