BBC新闻：夏威夷野火导致50余人死亡

刘立军 供稿

TRANSCRIPT

BBC News with Sue Montgomery.

Wildfires that have devastated part of the Hawaiian island of Maui are now known to have killed more than 50 people. The governor of the US state has warned he expects the number of fatalities to rise further. Josh Green said Hawaii hadn’t suffered such a deadly disaster for generations. Malika Dudley, a journalist and meteorologist in Maui, said the authorities were concentrating their efforts on those who were missing.

“Right now, it’s really just taking care of the immediate needs of our community and our community members trying to recover those bodies that are in line up and helping to give people closure by telling them whether their missing family members have been found or not, or if they’re alive or not. So I think that they’re really focusing more on that.”

The United States has welcomed the release of five Americans from prison in Iran. The US Secretary State Antony Blinken said he believed it marked the beginning of the end of the nightmare suffered by the prisoners who’d been wrongfully detained. “Mr. Blinken wouldn’t go into details of this deal, saying he didn’t want to jeopardize its completion.”

“It’s understood that it will take weeks to transfer what’s said to be around $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets from South Korea to the central bank of the gulf state of Qatar. Mr. Blinken emphasized that the money in a restricted account could only be used for humanitarian purposes, such as buying medicine or food. Critics, including US politicians and Iranian activists in exile, have condemned the deal, saying it will only encourage Iran to keep detaining foreigners as bargaining chips.”

The president of Ivory Coast says about 1,000 troops from his country will join an international force that’s been put on standby to intervene in Niger. Alassane Ouattara said the west African regional bloc ECOWAS was determined to restore Niger’s elected president who was ousted in a coup last month. This report from Andrew Harding.

Niger’s neighbors are looking for ways to push the country back to democracy. After a meeting of regional leaders, it was announced that a relatively small joint military force would be put on alert. At the same meeting, Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu said diplomacy needed to be given more of a chance. Some will find that reassuring. There’s a chance that economic sanctions and political pressure on impoverished, landlocked Niger will persuade the generals there to agree to a timetable for a return to democracy.

VOCABULARY

1.       devastate v. to completely destroy a place or an area 彻底破坏；摧毁；毁灭。例如：The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。

2.       closure n. the feeling that a difficult or an unpleasant experience has come to an end or been dealt with in an acceptable way （因困境结束或事情得到妥善处理等的）宽慰；如释重负。例句：The conviction of their son’s murderer helped to give them a sense of closure. 谋杀儿子的凶手被判罪，让他们得到了一些安慰。

3.       detain v. to keep sb. in an official place, such as a police station, a prison or a hospital, and prevent them from leaving 拘留；扣押。例如：One man has been detained for questioning. 一个男人被拘留审问。

4.       jeopardize v. (formal) to risk harming or destroying sth. / sb. 冒……的危险；危及；危害；损害

5.       on standby: ready to do sth. immediately if needed or asked 常备的;备用的；处于待命状态。例句：Security forces have been put on standby in case of violence. 安全部队已处于待命状态，以防出现暴力事件。

6.       oust v. to force sb. out of a job or position of power, especially in order to take their place 剥夺；罢免；革职。例如：He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。

7.       coup n. a sudden, illegal and often violent, change of government 政变

8.       impoverished adj. very poor; without money 赤贫的；不名一文的。例如：impoverished peasants 贫困的农民

QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

1. What is the current focus of the authorities in Maui after the wildfires?

A. Searching for missing people.

B. Putting out the remaining fires.

C. Repairing damaged infrastructure.

D. Investigating the cause of the fires.

2. Why are some critics against the deal of releasing frozen Iranian assets?

A. They believe Iran will misuse the fund for military purposes.

B. They worry it might encourage Iran to detain more foreigners.

C. They think the deal undermines US’s global standing.

D. They feel the amount of money involved is too much.

3. What action did the Secretary of State Antony Blinken avoid taking regarding the release of American prisoners in Iran?

A. He avoided giving a timeline for their return.

B. He refrained from revealing details of the deal.

C. He declined to disclose the identities of the prisoners.

D. He refused to comment on the prisoners’ conditions.

4. What is the purpose of transferring frozen Iranian assets to Qatar according to Mr. Blinken?

A. For buying medicine or food.

B. For repaying international debts.

C. For investment in oil industries.

D. For financing domestic infrastructure.

5. What strategy does Nigeria’s president suggest to restore democracy in Niger?

A. Military intervention.

B. Economic sanctions.

C. Diplomatic negotiations.

D. UN peacekeeping operations.

KEY

1. What is the current focus of the authorities in Maui after the wildfires?

A. Searching for missing people.

B. Putting out the remaining fires.

C. Repairing damaged infrastructure.

D. Investigating the cause of the fires.

【答案】A

【解析】细节题。命题出处在新闻的第一段：“Malika Dudley, a journalist and meteorologist in Maui, said the authorities were concentrating their efforts on those who were missing.” 根据这句话可以知道，毛伊岛的当局现在主要专注于寻找失踪的人。

2. Why are some critics against the deal of releasing frozen Iranian assets?

A. They believe Iran will misuse the fund for military purposes.

B. They worry it might encourage Iran to detain more foreigners.

C. They think the deal undermines US’s global standing.

D. They feel the amount of money involved is too much.

【答案】B

【解析】细节题。命题出处在新闻的第三段：“Critics, including US politicians and Iranian activists in exile, have condemned the deal, saying it will only encourage Iran to keep detaining foreigners as bargaining chips.” 根据这句话我们知道，批评者反对这个交易的原因是他们担心这会鼓励伊朗继续扣押外国人作为谈判筹码。

3. What action did the Secretary of State Antony Blinken avoid taking regarding the release of American prisoners in Iran?

A. He avoided giving a timeline for their return.

B. He refrained from revealing details of the deal.

C. He declined to disclose the identities of the prisoners.

D. He refused to comment on the prisoners’ conditions.

【答案】B

【解析】细节题。命题出处在新闻的第二段：“Mr. Blinken wouldn’t go into details of this deal, saying he didn’t want to jeopardize its completion.” 这句话告诉我们，国务卿布林肯避免透露关于美国囚犯在伊朗释放的交易的详细信息。

4. What is the purpose of transferring frozen Iranian assets to Qatar according to Mr. Blinken?

A. For buying medicine or food.

B. For repaying international debts.

C. For investment in oil industries.

D. For financing domestic infrastructure.

【答案】A

【解析】细节题。命题出处在新闻的第三段：“Mr. Blinken emphasized that the money in a restricted account could only be used for humanitarian purposes, such as buying medicine or food.”根据这句话，我们可以得知布林肯强调，冻结的伊朗资产转移到卡塔尔的目的是用于购买药品或食物。

5. What strategy does Nigeria’s president suggest to restore democracy in Niger?

A. Military intervention.

B. Economic sanctions.

C. Diplomatic negotiations.

D. UN peacekeeping operations.

【答案】C

【解析】推理题。命题出处在新闻的最后一段：“At the same meeting, Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu said diplomacy needed to be given more of a chance.” 这句话中尼日利亚总统表示，应该给予外交更多的机会，所以推测尼日利亚总统建议通过外交谈判来恢复尼日尔的民主。

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