...holdnoofficial Independence Day celebrationsother thanhoisting the national flag on Saturdayin deference tothe 14 million people affected by devastating floods. President Zardari is expected to spend the day with survivors in the worst affected regions. International aid agencies have warned of a second wave of deaths due to deadly waterborne diseases. A Red Cross spokesman said there was no clean drinking water available to millions of people. Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations Zamir Akram told the BBC that there wasn't yet enough international support for the relief effort, but that aid had begun to flow.
"I don't think that Pakistan has been abandoned.I think that the relief assistance that is now emerging is...As thegravityof the situation and the extent of the damage that has been caused by these unprecedented floods spreads around the world, the response is growing."
The head of an American-based charity has told the BBC that the people of Niger are now experiencing a famine because of drought. The Africa director of Helen Keller International, Shawn Baker, said drought hadwiped outcrops and killed livestock.
"If you lookin terms ofthe number of children affected, the way that livestock have beendecimated and the population movements that were seen earlier in the year, you certainly can consider a famine situation."
Mr Baker accused the international community of failing to respond to appeals for help for Niger. He said there was ashortfallof $69 million, and unless that could be found, tens of thousands of children would die.
The US state of Alabama is suing BP and Transocean, the two companies it blames for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, for damages.Alabama is the first US state to sue since the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean and leased to BP, exploded in April and sent millions of gallons of oil into the sea.Andy Gallacher reports.
Alabama's Attorney General Troy King said BP had inflicted catastrophic harm on the Gulf Coast state. On Thursday afternoon, he filed two lawsuits, one against BP, the other against Transocean, Halliburton and other companies associated with the oil spill. The legal action accuses the companies of damaging Alabama's coastline and economy as well as a failure toadhere torecognize industry standards. The legal action goes against the wishes of Alabama's Governor Bob Riley who has said he hopes to reach an out-of-court settlement.
The German economy, Europe's biggest, has shown its largest three-month growth sincereunificationover 20 years ago. It grew by 2.2%, mainlyspurred by exports but also by strong sales at home. Correspondents say it's unclear whether this was a one-off rise or the start of more general European recovery.Overall, the 16 countries using the euro grew more than expected by 1%, faster than the United States.
World News from the BBC.
Sierra Leone's Human Rights Commission has called on South Africa to hand over uncut diamonds allegedly given to the supermodel Naomi Campbell by the former Liberian President Charles Taylor.It said the diamonds could be sold to raise funds for the thousands affected by Sierra Leone's civil war. Last week, the international court trying Mr Taylor heard that the diamonds had been passed to the South African police.
Immigration officials in Canada have begunprocessing several hundred people believed to be migrants from Sri Lanka who arrived in a cargo ship at a naval base on Vancouver Island. They are reported to have been at sea for three months. A BBC correspondent says that after giving the new arrivals medical checks, the authorities will try to establish whether any of them are people traffickers or members of the Tamil Tigers.
President Obama has signed legislation aimed at stemming illegal immigration from Mexico and curbing illegal drug running across the border. The measure will provide around 1,500 extra border guards and agents and more unmanned aerial patrol drones.
A crate of Scotch whiskytrapped in Antarctic ice for more than a century has finally been opened. The crate was recovered from the hut of the renowned polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Whisky experts opened it to reveal 11 bottles of Mackinlay's Scotch, carefully wrapped to protect them from therigours of Shackleton's 1907 expedition. The original recipe for the blend no longer exists, but distillers hope to be able toreplicateit. Richard Paterson, a master whisky blender, hopes to be among those who get a chance to gauge its quality.
"It will be put into the nosing glass which is shaped like a tulip, and what I'll do is swirl it around, and then I'll stick my nose right deep into it - not on the top - right into the heart of the glass and allow the aromas to rise. I'll be able to see a whisky that's not been smelt for over 100 years. Now that has to be an honour, that has to be aprivilege."
BBC News
鉴于1400万人受灾难性的洪水影响,巴基斯坦周六没有举办官方的独立日庆典活动,只是悬挂了国旗。预期总统扎尔达里将与受灾最严重地区的幸存者一起度过这一天。国际援助机构已经警告,由于致命的水传播疾病的蔓延,很快将出现第二轮的死亡。红十字会一名发言人表示,数百万人没有清洁的饮用水。巴基斯坦驻联合国大使阿克兰(Zamir Akram)告诉BBC,救助工作缺乏足够的国际支持,但是救援已经开始流动。
“我认为巴基斯坦并没有被遗弃。我认为救援工作现在已经开始展开。由于全世界开始了解形势的严重性和这次前所未有的灾难造成的损害的程度,世界各地的响应逐渐增长起来。”
美国一家慈善机构负责人告诉BBC,由于干旱,尼日尔人民正在经历一场饥荒。海伦凯勒国际基金会(Helen Keller International)非洲地区负责人Shawn Baker表示,这场干旱使作物绝收,牲畜死亡。
“如果你看一下受灾的儿童的数量,牲畜被毁灭的方式以及今年年初出现的大规模人口流动,你肯定会想到出现了饥荒。”
Baker指控国际社会未响应对尼日尔提供帮助的呼吁。他表示,现在短缺6900万美元,除非能够弥补不足,否则将有成千上万的儿童死亡。美国阿拉巴马州正在起诉BP石油公司和越洋有限责任公司。阿拉巴马州称,这两个公司应该为墨西哥湾石油泄漏造成的损害负责。自四月份越洋公司租赁给BP石油公司的深水地平线号钻井爆炸,造成数百万加仑的石油泄漏入大海中以来,阿拉巴马州是第一个进行诉讼的美国州政府。
Andy Gallacher报道。
总检察官特洛伊-金(Troy King)表示,BP公司对墨西哥湾各州造成了灾难性的损害。周四下午,他提交了两份诉讼,一份起诉BP,另一份起诉越洋公司,哈利伯顿公司以及与石油泄漏相关的其他公司。该司法程序指控这些公司损害阿拉巴马州海岸线和经济,而且未遵守行业标准。该法律程序违反了阿拉巴马州州长鲍勃·瑞利(Bob Riley)的意愿。他希望能够达成庭外和解。
欧洲最大的经济体德国出现了自20年前重新统一以来最高的季度增长率。本季度经济增长率为2.2%,主要是由于出口和国内销量上涨。记者表示,目前还不清楚这是一次性的增长还是更加普遍的欧洲经济复苏的开始。总体来说,欧元区16个国家的经济增长率都超过预期的1%,超过美国的经济增长速度。
BBC世界新闻。
塞拉利昂人权委员会要求南非交出利比里亚前总统泰特送给超模坎贝尔的未经切割的钻石。据称,应该将这些钻石出售,为塞拉利昂内战的数千名受害者筹集资金。上周,对泰勒进行审判的国际法庭获悉这些钻石已经交给南非警方。
加拿大移民官员开始对几百名移民进行处理。据信,这些移民来自斯里兰卡,乘货船抵达温哥华岛一个海军基地。据报道,他们在海上度过了三个月。BBC一名记者表示,对这些新来者进行一医疗检查以后,官方将鉴定其中一些人是不是人口贩子或塔米尔猛虎组织成员。
奥巴马总统签署法案,阻止来自墨西哥的非法移民,抑制非法药物越过边境。该措施将增设1,500多名警卫和机构,以及无人驾驶空中侦察机。在南极风雪下封存了一个多世纪的一箱苏格兰威士忌终于被打开。这箱威士忌在享有声望的南极探险家Ernest Shackleton曾经居住的小屋中发现。威士忌专家打开箱子之后发现了11瓶保存完好的Mackinlay苏格兰威士忌,包裹严密,经历了Shackleton 1907年的探险。这些威士忌最初的配方已经不复存在,但是希望蒸馏器能够将该配方复制。精通此道的威士忌调酒师Richard Paterson希望有机会对这些威士忌的品质进行鉴定。
“这些威士忌将被放在形状像郁金香一样的闻香杯中,将其旋转,搅拌,然后把鼻子伸到比较深的地方——而不是顶部——进入玻璃杯的中心,使芳香不断上升。我将见证100多年没有被人闻到的威士忌。这将是一项荣誉,一项殊荣。”
1.gravity n.严重性; 严肃, 庄严
例句:He doesn't think you realize the gravity of the situation.
他认为你没意识到局势的严重性。
2.decimate vt.杀死或毁灭(某物)的大部
例句:Disease decimated the population.
疾病使大批人死亡。
3.shortfall n.不足之量,差额
例句:There will soon be a shortfall in supply of qualified young people.
合格年轻人才的短缺将很快出现。
4.inflict vt.把…强加给, 使承受, 遭受;打击;使吃苦头
例句:Mary inflicted her children on her mother for the weekend.
周末玛丽硬把孩子们交给母亲照料。
5.reunification n.重新统一;重新团结
例句:the irresistible momentum towards reunification of the two countries
两国统一的不可抗拒的势头
6.spur v.鞭策;激励;刺激;鼓舞
例句:The girl's loving care spurred his recovery.
姑娘的悉心照料使他康复得很快。
Pride spurs him to work hard.
自尊心促使他努力工作。
7.overall adv.大体上, 总的来说
例句:Overall, prices are still rising.
总的说来, 价格仍在上涨。
8.process vt.加工; 处理
例句:The factory processes leather.
这个厂加工皮革。
How fast does the computer process the data?
这台计算机处理数据有多快?
9.trap v.困住, 使陷入绝境
例句:Thirty miners were trapped underground after the fire.
起火后有三十名矿工被困在地底下。
10.rigour n.严酷;艰苦
例句:computers that are subjected to the rigours of the office environment
适合严酷的办公环境的电脑
The thick coat of the mountain goat protects it against the rigours of winter.
石山羊厚厚的皮毛可以抵御冬天的严寒。
11.replicate vt.复制;重复
例句:If the virus cannot replicate itself, it cannot cause illness.
如果病毒不能变异,也就不能够诱发疾病了。
12.privilege n.特权,特别恩典,基本人权,特免
例句:The store extended credit privileges to us.
该商店给予我们信贷特权。
1....hold no official Independence Day celebrations other than hoisting the national flag on Saturday in deference to the 14 million people affected by devastating floods.
no other than除…外没有, 只有
例句:He has no other friends than you.
他除你以外没有朋友。
in deference to考虑到,鉴于
例句:In deference to our host I decide not to challenge his controversial remarks.
我出于对主人的尊敬, 不对他那易引起争论的话表示异议。
2.The Africa director of Helen Keller International, Shawn Baker, said drought had wiped out crops and killed livestock.
wipe out彻底摧毁, 消灭
例句:The plague once could wipe out a village.
鼠疫曾一度可以夺走整个村庄村民的生命。
We are always ready to wipe out any enemy who dares to attack.
我们时刻准备着消灭一切胆敢来犯之敌。
3.If you look in terms of the number of children affected, the way that livestock have been decimated and the population movements that were seen earlier in the year, you certainly can consider a famine situation.
in terms of就…而言, 从…方面说来
例句:He referred to your work in terms of high praise.
他对你的工作大加赞扬。
He thought of everything in terms of money.
他是从钱的角度来看每一件事。
4.The legal action accuses the companies of damaging Alabama's coastline and economy as well as a failure to adhere to recognize industry standards.
adhere to遵循, 依附; 坚持
例句:Paste is used to make one surface adhere to another.
糨糊是用以使一个接触面粘住另一个接触面的。
Most people adhere to the church of their parents.
多数人都依附于父母的教会。
1.I don't think that Pakistan has been abandoned.
否定转移
英语中最常见的否定是用否定副词not来表示。英语的否定可分为一般否定和特指否定。一般否定通过not否定句子的谓语来否定全句,特指否定的not否定句子的特定部分。但有时,对句子某一部分的否定不通过直接否定那一部分,而是通过否定句子的谓语来实现。这种变特指否定为一般否定的现象叫做否定的转移(transferred negative)。常见的否定转移有下列几种情况:
一.当think,suppose,believe,imagine,fancy,guess,should say等表示主观意见和猜想的动词在句中作谓语时,按习惯其宾语从句的否定通常转移到主句。例如:
1.There'd be men who I didn't think would want to be fooling around with him. 我认为有人不愿和他鬼混。
2.We don't suppose he will pay. 我们认为他不会付钱。
二.在seem,feel,taste,sound,appear作联系动词的句子中,特别是seem,按习惯以它的否定来代替其他部分的否定。例如:
1.English doesn't seem easy to learn. 英语好像不容易学。
2.It didn't seem during those years that there could be anyone else who might share my own peculiar tastes. 在那些年月里,似乎没有人会有我这样的特殊情趣。
类似的情况还有半助动词happen。例如:
He didn't happen to be at home. 他碰巧不在家。
三.以because引导的从句或because of引导的介词短语在句中作原因状语时,其否定常常转移。例如:
1.I don't teach because teaching is easy for me., and nor do I teach because I think I know answers, or I have knowledge I feel compelled to share with others. (= I teach not because… neither because…) 我当教师,并不是因为我觉得教书轻松……也
不是因为我认为自己能够解答各种问题,或者因为我有满腹学问,觉得非与别人分享不可。
2.I didn't go there because of his request. (=I went there not because of his request.) 我不是因为他的要求而去的。
在有些情况下,否定显然是在主句,而不在从句,并未转移。例如:
I couldn't concentrate because I was so hungry, because I hadn't had my breakfast. 我无法集中精力,因为我很饿,因为我没有吃早饭。
有时,特指否定和一般否定界线不明,因而产生歧义。例如:
I didn't go because I was afraid. 特指否定:我去了,但不是因为我害怕。一般否定:我没有去,因为我害怕。
当句子是一般否定时,为避免歧义,在口头表达时,需在because前稍作停顿。在书面表达时,可在because前用逗号将从句和主句分开。
例如:
He didn't go to school, because he was ill. 他没去上学,因为他病了。
2.Alabama is the first US state to sue since the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean and leased to BP, exploded in April and sent millions of gallons of oil into the sea.
这句话的主干是:Alabama is the first US state。to sue...是动词不定式做后置定语,修饰state。since引导时间状语从句。owned by and leased to是过去分词做后置定语,修饰Deepwater Horizon rig。
3.Sierra Leone's Human Rights Commission has called on South Africa to hand over uncut diamonds allegedly given to the supermodel Naomi Campbell by the former Liberian President Charles Taylor.
这句话的主干是前面半句。given to是过去分词做后置定语,修饰uncut diamonds。call on sb to do要求某人做某事。