VOA常速：雅典千人罢工
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
This is VOA News. I’m Marissa Melton.
Thousands of people marched through Athens on Thursday as part of a general strike in response to the country’s worst ever rail disaster last month. VOA’s Diane Roberts has more.
The general strike in Greece was called in response to a rail disaster last month. Protests across the country have grounded flights, kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with the emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools. Unions have rallied behind railway workers associations who stage rolling walkouts since the head-on train collision in northern Greece February 28 that left 57 people dead and dozens injured. The government facing parliamentary elections before the summer says rail services will restart on March 22 and be restored gradually through April 11.
Diane Roberts, VOA News.
VOCABULARY
1. halt v. to stop; to make sb. / sth. stop （使）停止，停下。例如：She walked towards him and then halted. 她向他走去，然后停下。
2. walkout n. a sudden strike by workers （突然的）罢工
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. What was the reason for the general strike in Greece?
A) To protest against high taxes.
B) To protest against the government’s economic policies.
C) To protest against the country’s worst ever rail disaster.
D) To protest against the high cost of living.
2. What was the impact of the general strike in Greece on public transport services?
A) It improved public transport services.
B) It had no effect on public transport services.
C) It permanently suspended public transport services.
D) It temporarily suspended public transport services.
3. What is the purpose of the general strike in Greece?
A) To demand better salary for public hospital staff.
B) To protest against class cancellations at state-run schools.
C) To support railway workers who stage rolling walkouts.
D) To call for a new parliamentary election before the summer.
KEY
1. What was the reason for the general strike in Greece?
A) To protest against high taxes.
B) To protest against the government’s economic policies.
C) To protest against the country’s worst ever rail disaster.
D) To protest against the high cost of living.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。命题出处：Thousands of people marched through Athens on Thursday as part of a general strike in response to the country’s worst ever rail disaster last month. 希腊的大罢工是对该国有史以来最严重的铁路灾难的抗议。
2. What was the impact of the general strike in Greece on public transport services?
A) It improved public transport services.
B) It had no effect on public transport services.
C) It permanently suspended public transport services.
D) It temporarily suspended public transport services.
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。命题出处：Protests across the country have grounded flights, kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with the emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools. 从该句可以判断，希腊的大罢工暂时中断了公共交通服务。
3. What is the purpose of the general strike in Greece?
A) To demand better salary for public hospital staff.
B) To support railway workers who stage rolling walkouts.
C) To protest against class cancellations at state-run schools.
D) To call for a new parliamentary election before the summer.
【答案】B
【解析】推理题。听力材料中提到，希腊的大罢工是为支持铁路工人协会而发起的，这些工人自2月28日在希腊北部发生正面相撞的火车事故后已经进行了几轮罢工。因此，答案为：“希腊的大罢工是为支持铁路工人而发起的。”
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