BBC News with Iain Purdon.
European Union finance ministers have accepted the need for sanctions against EU countries whichrun uptoo much debt.At a meeting in Brussels on how totacklethe current financial crisis caused by large state debts and falling confidence in the euro, the ministers agreed to a German call for budget deficits to be brought under control.From Brussels, here is Ben Shore.
Europe's finance ministers have finally indicated how they will try to avoid the debt crisis that Greece has dragged much of the continent into.Amongstother measures, ministers will create a crisis mechanism designed to deal with another EU country that finds itself unable to pay its debts. Stronger economic governance will also ensure countries are honest about their budget numbers. Inpresenting the results of his first task force meeting, the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy emphasized that although the process had only just begun, there was a strong political will to improve the management of the European economy.
A car bomb in Iraq has killed at least 20 people at a market in a town north of Baghdad. And police said more than 50 people were wounded in the attack. Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.
The bomb went off in the early evening in the mainly Shia town of Khalis, about 80 kilometres north of Baghdad. The car containing the explosives had been parked in front of a café in a busy street market. It was detonated at the time when the area was sure to be crowded with peopletaking advantage ofthe evening cool after the heat of the day. Suchindiscriminateattacks against Shia areas have been a feature of the recent violence apparently aimed atprovokinga sectarian reaction against Sunnis.
The education board in the US state of Texas is due to vote on proposed changes to the school curriculum which critics say will politicize teaching. Religious Republicans on the board had been accused of trying to force their right-wing views into textbooks. But they say they are trying to correct an existing liberal bias. James Read reports.
The Texas Education Board has become the latest battleground in the ideological struggle between liberals and conservatives.The proposals being debated include teaching that the United Nations could be a threat to American freedom and that the Founding Fathers may not have intended a complete separation of church and state.They could alsorevisethe way slavery and the civil rights movement that covered. The board's decisions won't just affect how nearly five million students in Texas are taught, they'll also set atemplatefor textbooks that could be used across the entire United States.
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in China where she is expected to try to persuade the government to take a more critical approach to North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship. Earlier, she said the evidence that the ship had been struck by a North Korean torpedo wasoverwhelmingand scientific. Any action against North Korea at the UN will require China's backing.
World News from the BBC.
The Obama administration has defended itself against accusations that it hasn't done enough to deal with the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. At a news conference, President Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs said they had applied theutmostpressure on BP, which is struggling to contain the spill.
"We have taken every step. We have pushed relentlessly for BP to do what is necessary to contain what is leaking, to deal with both the environmental and the economic impacts of what, as the president said today, is unquestionably a disaster."
Morocco has defended its decision to expel a number of westerners over the past few months. The government accused them of trying toconvertMuslims to Christianity. Our religious affairs correspondent Christopher Landau reports.
The Moroccan constitution defends freedom of worship for non-Muslim citizens, but attempting to convert Muslims to other faiths is against the law. Ahmed Toufiq, the Moroccan Minister for Islamic Affairs, told the Reuters news agency that expelled foreigners had been undermining public order. He said that some hide their proselytism and religious activismunder the guise ofother activities.
Prosecutors at a trial in Francearising fromthe crash of an Air France Concorde in Paris 10 years ago have asked for a suspended prison term for the former head of the plane's development programme Henri Perrier. Mr Perrier has said he would not accept being held responsible.
Leaders of the Olympic and World Anti-Doping organizations have challenged the American cyclist Floyd Landis to produce hard evidence to back up his claim that the seven-time winner of Tour de France Lance Armstrong took performance-enhancing drugs. The President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge said Landis couldn't condemn Armstrong without proof.
BBC News.
欧盟各国财长接受需要对债务增长过快的欧盟国家实施制裁的必要性。在布鲁塞尔举行的会议上,财长们探讨了应对由国家债务巨大,对欧元的信心衰减导致的金融危机的方法,他们一致赞同德国提出的控制财政赤字的要求。布鲁塞尔,Ben Shore报道。
希腊将欧洲大陆大部分国家拖入债务危机,欧洲各国财长最终表明了避免再次发生这种危机的措施。除了其他措施之外,财长们还将创立危机应对机制,制裁其他难以偿还债务的欧盟国家。更强有力的经济管理也能够确保各国对财政数字实事求是。在递交第一次任务小组会议讨论结果时,欧洲委员会主席范龙佩(Herman Van Rompuy)强调,尽管该程序才刚刚开始,但是已经表现出了改善欧洲经济管理的强烈政治意愿。
巴格达北部一个城镇的市场发生汽车炸弹爆炸事件,造成至少20人死亡。警方称,超过50人在袭击中受伤。Jim Muir在巴格达报道。
傍晚时分,炸弹在巴格达北部80千米处主要的什叶派城镇卡里斯(Khalis)爆炸。装有炸药的汽车停放在人流拥挤的街市上一个咖啡馆前面。经过一天的酷热之后,傍晚终于迎来凉爽,这时候的人流肯定非常旺盛,炸弹就在这时候爆炸。最近发生的一系列暴力事件的特征就是对什叶派聚居地区进行不分皂白的袭击,目的显然是引发对逊尼派的宗派反应。
美国得克萨斯州教育委员会将针对学校课程改革提议进行投票。批评家称,这将使教育政治化。该委员会共和党人被指控试图将它们的右翼观点强加入课本。但是他们表示,他们试图纠正现存的自由主义倾向。James Read报道。
得克萨斯教育委员会现在成为自由主义和保守主义意识形态斗争的最新战场。备受争议的提议主要包括,联合国将成为美国自由的威胁,开国元老们可能并不想教堂和国家完全分离等教学内容。他们还将修正对奴隶制和民权运动的描述。该委员会的决定不仅会影响得克萨斯州接近500万学生接受教育的方式,同时还树立了教材的模板,可能会在整个美国范围付诸使用。
美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿抵达中国。在这里,她将试图说服中国政府对朝鲜击沉韩国军舰事件采取更加批判的态度。此前,她表示,关于韩国军舰被朝鲜鱼雷击沉的证据是科学的,有说服力的。联合国对朝鲜采取的任何行动都必须获得中国的支持。
BBC世界新闻。
有指控称奥巴马政府没有采取足够措施来处理墨西哥湾大规模的漏油事件,奥巴马政府为自己做出辩护。在新闻发布会上,奥巴马发言人罗伯特·吉布斯表示,他们已经对BP石油公司施加了最大的压力。BP目前正在竭尽全力控制漏油。
“我们已经采取了一切措施。我们已经严厉地向BP施压,要求他们采取必要措施控制漏油,应对环境和经济方面的双重影响。就像奥巴马总统说的,这无疑是一场巨大的灾难。”
过去几个月,摩洛哥驱逐了几名西方人。现在,摩洛哥为该决定作出辩护。摩洛哥政府指控他们试图将穆斯林转变为基督徒。我们的宗教事务记者Christopher Landau报道。
摩洛哥宪法保护非穆斯林公民的信仰自由,但是试图将穆斯林转变为其他信仰者是违法的。摩洛哥伊斯兰事务部长Ahmed Toufiq告诉路透社,被驱逐的外国人危害了社会秩序。他表示,这些人在其他活动的伪装和掩饰下实施他们的改信宗教活动。
10年前巴黎法航协和式飞机坠毁一案检控官要求对该飞机研发项目负责人裴里耶(Henri Perrier)缓刑。裴里耶表示,他不会接受自己承担责任。
奥运会和世界反兴奋剂机构领袖要求美国自行车手兰迪斯(Floyd Landis)拿出证据,支持他所说的赢得环法自行车赛七次冠军的兰斯·阿姆斯特朗(Lance Armstrong)服用禁用药物。国际奥委会主席雅克·罗格(Jacques Rogge)表示,在没有证据的情况下,兰迪斯不应谴责阿姆斯特朗。
1.tackle vt.解决; 应付
例句:I don't know how to tackle this problem.
我不知道该如何处理这个问题。
2.amongst prep.(表示排斥)除…之外(还有)
例句:The conference discussed, amongst other things, the problem of environmental protection.
除了其他问题以外,会上还讨论了环保问题。
3.present vt.出现; 出席; 显示
例句:The question naturally presented itself in my mind.
我的脑海中自然而然地出现了这个问题。
介绍
例句:Miss Smith, may I present Mr. Brown?
史密斯小姐, 让我把布朗先生引荐给你好吗?
4.indiscriminate adj.不加区别的, 不加选择的, 不加鉴别的, 不分好坏的
例句:Seventy protesters were killed by indiscriminate gunfire.
70 名抗议者被乱枪射杀。
5.provoke vt.激起; 惹怒;引起;引发
例句:Her constant nagging provoked him.
她不断地唠叨激怒了他。
6.revise vt.修订, 修改
例句:They are revising a dictionary.
他们在修订一部词典。
You should revise your opinion of him.
你应该纠正对他的看法。
7.template n.样板;模板;型板
8.overwhelming adj.势不可挡的, 压倒一切的; 巨大的, 压倒性的;无法抗拒的
例句:The act was adopted by an overwhelming majority.
该法案以压倒多数通过。
The flood was overwhelming and the city was soon drowned.
洪水来势凶猛, 很快这个城市就被淹没了。
9.utmost adj.极度的, 最大的, 最远的
例句:Without problem, the utmost problem.
没有问题是最大的问题。
He walked to the utmost edge of the cliff.
他走到悬崖的最边缘的地方。
10.convert vt.vi.(使)转变, (使)转化
例句:We convert him, and we capture his inner mind; we reshape him.
我们要改造他, 从思想上把他争取过来, 让他脱胎换骨。
皈依, 改变(信仰); 使)改变(宗教或信仰);(使)皈依, 归附
例句:Not surprisingly, he failed to convert her.
他没能使她改变看法并不奇怪。
1.European Union finance ministers have accepted the need for sanctions against EU countries which run up too much debt.
run up(使)增长
例句:His debts ran up alarmingly.
他的债务惊人地增长。
She ran up a big bill at a hotel.
她很快就积欠了一大笔旅馆的账。
2. It was detonated at the time when the area was sure to be crowded with people taking advantage of the evening cool after the heat of the day.
take advantage of利用,趁机利用,占…的便宜
例句:He took advantage of the situation.
他得天时地利。
3.He said that some hide their proselytism and religious activism under the guise of other activities.
under the guise of假借;以…为幌子
例句:One who betrays another under the guise of friendship.
叛徒假装友好暗地出卖他人的人。
4.Prosecutors at a trial in France arising from the crash of an Air France Concorde in Paris 10 years ago have asked for a suspended prison term for the former head of the plane's development programme Henri Perrier.
arise from产生于, 起因于
例句:The country's present difficulties arise from the reduced value of its money.
该国目前的困难起因于其货币的贬值。
1.At a meeting in Brussels on how to tackle the current financial crisis caused by large state debts and falling confidence in the euro, the ministers agreed to a German call for budget deficits to be brought under control.
参考翻译:在布鲁塞尔举行的会议上,财长们探讨了应对由国家债务巨大,对欧元的信心衰减导致的金融危机的方法,他们一致赞同德国提出的控制财政赤字的要求。
结构分析:这句话的主干是后半部分,前面是时间和地点状语。on how to tackle表明会议的具体内容。caused by是过去分词做后置定语,修饰financial crisis,by引出原因,共有两个,large state debts和falling confidence in the euro。
2.The proposals being debated include teaching that the United Nations could be a threat to American freedom and that the Founding Fathers may not have intended a complete separation of church and state.
参考翻译:备受争议的提议主要包括,联合国将成为美国自由的威胁,开国元老们可能并不想教堂和国家完全分离等教学内容。
结构分析:这句话的主语和谓语是:The proposals include...that the United Nations could和that the Founding Fathers都是teaching的同位语。may not have intended是对过去发生的事情表示不确定的猜测。
3.We have pushed relentlessly for BP to do what is necessary to contain what is leaking, to deal with both the environmental and the economic impacts of what, as the president said today, is unquestionably a disaster.
参考翻译:我们已经严厉地向BP施压,要求他们采取必要措施控制漏油,应对环境和经济方面的双重影响。就像奥巴马总统说的,这无疑是一场巨大的灾难。
语法学习:as the president said today是插入语。
大体而言,插入语可以分为以下几类:
1). 用简短的句子结构作插入语。这类短语有:I think, I hope, I guess, I believe, I suppose, I wonder, I tell you, I say, I'm afraid, I'm sure, you see, you know, as you know, that is, that is to say, what's more等等,它们可以置于句中或句尾。如:
I suggest you choose someone who you think is kind and friendly.
This diet, I think, will do good to your health.
It won't be raining long, I hope.
You will have to work harder, you know, if you want to succeed.
2). 副词或副词短语用作插入语,这类插入语一般放在句首或句尾。如:
Happily for him, his father's second wife was kind to him too.
You'll be able to pass the coming exam, surely.
Luckily for him, he didn't hurt in the accident.
Honestly, I don't need it at the moment.
3). 介词或介词短语作插入语,这类插入语一般放在句首,有时也可放在句中。如:
Like most of my schoolmates, I have neither brothers nor sisters-in other words, I'm an only child.
By the way, Bob sends his best wishes.
On the other hand, I didn't know you were there.
In short, things have begun to improve since schools were called on to reduce learning load.
4). 分词短语作插入语。如:
Judging from your accent, you must be from England.
Generally speaking, he is the best student in our class.
Compared with China, the USA is smaller.
5). 不定式短语作插入语。如:
To put it mildly, he was not up to the mark.
To tell you the truth, I don't want to see her.
To be sure, Jim is a faster skater, but he is not good at doing figures.
To conclude, it was a great success.