A recording of one of the final performances by the American jazz musician Louis Armstrong has been made available to the public for the first time. It was made in Washington in 1971, just five months before Armstrong died. Despite his failing health, he performed five songs, including hits such as Mack the Knife and Hello Dolly. He can be heard both singing and, against his doctors' advice, playing the trumpet in his own

unmistakable

style.

BBC News

第二页：中英双语听力稿

The Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has appealed to the central government for justice after making a dramatic escape from house arrest. One activist told the BBC that Mr Chen, who's blind, was helped to climb the garden wall at his rural house and was taken to the US embassy last Monday. There's been no confirmation or denial from the US State Department. Charles Scanlon reports.

Activists have told of a daring rescue mission, in which the blind campaigner was smuggled out of his home in a rural village which has been surrounded by plain-clothes agents. He was driven across country, and then transferred to another car and taken to an undisclosed location in Beijing. From there, Chen Guangcheng recorded a video making a direct appeal to the Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who's seen as the most liberal member of the leadership. Mr Chen said he and his wife had been beaten and abused by local officials, and he wanted to know if this was part of the government's policy.