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BBC新闻100篇 BBC News Item 1

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[00:00.00]The BBC has learned that the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

[00:03.44]has decided that the British general election will take place on May 6th.

[00:07.56]Mr. Brown will go to Buckingham Palace tomorrow Tuesday

[00:11.41]to ask Queen Elizabeth to dissolve parliament,

[00:13.53]and then make a formal announcement of the election date.

[00:16.34]That will start the official election campaign,

[00:18.96]which, a BBC correspondent says,

[00:21.32]will be dominated by issues of taxation and spending

[00:24.31]in the wake of the global recession.

BBC新闻100篇 BBC News Item 2 [ti:]

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[00:00.00]Less than six months before a general election in Britain,

[00:04.71]the governing Labour Party is embroiled again in internal strife.

[00:08.20]Two former cabinet ministers have called for secret ballot of members

[00:12.11]to decide whether the Prime Minister Gordon Brown

[00:14.66]should continue as party leader.

[00:16.53]Mr. Brown has called a general election by June this year.

[00:19.27]Our political correspondent Rob Watson reports.

[00:22.44]The two former cabinet ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt

[00:26.98]had stunned everyone at Westminster

[00:29.22]with their last-minute efforts to challenge Gordon Brown's leadership.

[00:32.64]But Downing Street and Labour Party officials

[00:35.81]have moved quickly to quash any revolts.

[00:38.18]Most importantly, current cabinet ministers

[00:42.03]have come out and backed the prime minister,

[00:44.40]orbiting some cases with little apparent enthusiasm.

[00:48.19]So the latest challenge looks likely to be short lift.

[00:51.86]Although many within the Labour Party doubt

[00:54.60]Mr. Brown's leadership qualities,

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[00:56.28]they also seem to think it would only make things worse

[00:59.58]to get rid of him before the general election.

[ti:] BBC新闻100篇 BBC News Item 3

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[00:00.00]The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

[00:03.89]is offering to scale back Britain's nuclear deterrence

[00:06.81]if an international agreement is reached

[00:09.30]to cut the world's nuclear arsenals.

[00:11.35]Mr. Brown is expected to tell a special

[00:13.72]session of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday

[00:17.14]that he'll be willing to give up one of four royal navy submarines

[00:21.24]that carry Trident nuclear missiles.

[00:23.23]Officials are insisting that cost isn't a factor here.

[00:26.47]Here's our defence correspondent Nick Childs.

[00:28.58]Gordon Brown is saying he'll be ready to

[00:31.51]throw part of the trident force into the port

[00:33.37]in the context of a much bigger global disarmament deal.

[00:35.92]He said so in general terms before.

[00:38.60]This offer though is more concrete.

[00:40.59]There is a growing sense that to avoid what some fear

[00:44.07]could be a sudden cascade of new nuclear states,

[00:46.50]the established nuclear powers need to do more

[00:48.99]in terms of disarmament

[00:50.35]to keep the proliferation regime intact.

[00:52.34]The Prime Minister will hope his move

[00:54.40]will be seen as an important gesture.

[00:56.08]But the key to the process will be the actions of the big players,

[00:59.44]the United States and Russia.

BBC新闻100篇 BBC News Item 4

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[00:00.00]The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to confirm

[00:04.60]that he is sending hundreds more troops to Afghanistan,

[00:07.09]bringing the total number of British troops there to about 9,500.

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[00:10.76]Britain has the second largest NATO contingent in Afghanistan

[00:15.12]after the United States.

[00:16.92]Our defense correspondent Caroline Wyatt reports.

[00:19.41]In his statement on Afghanistan,

[00:21.90]it's believed Mr. Brown will say he's agreed in principle

[00:24.26]to send around 500 extra British troops to Helmand.

[00:27.74]The military advice says that extra forces are needed

[00:30.67]to help maintain progress

[00:31.97]and dominate the ground more effectively

[00:34.03]to keep the Taliban out of key areas.

[00:36.08]However, there will be caveats.

[00:38.50]The Prime Minister will want assurances from military chiefs

[00:41.37]that the extra troops will be properly equipped.

[00:44.10]But he'll also expect Britain's NATO partners to follow suit

[00:47.27]by offering more forces themselves.

[00:49.33]NATO defense ministers are likely to discuss troop levels

[00:52.69]on a meeting formally in Bratislava next week.

BBC新闻100篇 BBC News Item 5

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[00:00.00]Stock markets in Europe and the United States have fallen sharply

[00:04.11]in response to further signs that the debt crisis in Greece is intensifying

[00:08.46]and could spread to other countries.

[00:10.51]Share prices in New York, London, Frankfurt and Paris

[00:13.81]fell by more than 2% after a major international credit rating agency

[00:18.41]Standard & Poor's downgraded Greek debt

[00:21.40]to a level known informally as junk.

[00:23.33]Nils Blythe has more.

[00:24.82]Standard & Poor's downgraded its assessment

[00:27.56]of Greek bonds to the so-called junk status

[00:30.04]because of the growing danger

[00:31.97]that the bond holders will not be paid back in full.

[00:34.59]Many big investment funds have rules

[00:37.45]that forbid them from holding junk bonds,

[00:39.13]says the move is likely to trigger a further round of selling.

[00:42.17]Share markets have taken fright,

[00:44.16]fearing that if Greece does default on its debts,

[00:46.78]it would hit many European banks which hold Greek bonds

[00:50.01]and could trigger a wider financial crisis.

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[00:52.75]Already pressure is mounting on Portugal

[00:55.86]which has also seen its credit rating downgraded today,

[00:58.84]although it remains above junk status.

BBC新闻100篇 BBC News Item 6 [ti:]

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[00:00.00]The International Monetary Fund

[00:02.91]has told governments across the world

[00:04.46]that further action is needed

[00:06.08]to help return the global financial system to stability.

[00:08.75]In a fresh estimate of the scale of the problem,

[00:11.37]the IMF says global losses on toxic assets

[00:14.35]could total four trillion dollars. Andrew Walker reports.

[00:18.02]This report does identify

[00:20.26]what it calls some early signs of stabilization in financial systems,

[00:23.56]but there are not many of them.

[00:25.55]And the IMF says further action will be needed

[00:27.79]if they're to be sustained.

[00:29.41]In two key areas, it says that progress by governments

[00:32.45]has been piecemeal and reactive,

[00:34.44]dealing with the problem assets held by financial institutions

[00:37.43]and how to handle banks that need extra capital.

[00:40.67]For that problem the report says

[00:42.97]temporary government ownership may sometime be necessary.

英语名篇名段背诵精华 07 Shakespeare

Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life. His characters are not modified by the customs of particular places,

unpractised by the rest of the world; by the peculiarities of studies or professions, which can operate but upon small numbers; or by the accidents of transient fashions or temporary opinions: they are the genuine progeny of common humanity, such as the world will always supply, and observation will always find. His persons act and speak by the influnce of those general passions and principles by which all minds are agitated, and the whole system of life is continued in motion. In the writings of other poets a character is too often an individual; in those of Shakespeare it is commonly a species.

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Except from The Major Works by Sammuel Johnson

参考译文

莎士比亚的才华高于一切作家，至少高于当今的所有作家。他是一位自然的诗人，他的作品将人间百态真实地展现在读者眼前。他的人物塑造并不拘泥于只为一部分人所遵循的某个特定地区的习俗，也不局限于一小部分人所从事的特定的研究或职业，也不追随短暂的潮流或暂时的思想观点：他们据有人们一贯具备的、普遍的人性特点。就像世界能永不竭地供应，眼睛能永不停地发现。他笔下人物的一言一行都受那些能够触动所有人的大众化的情感和能使整个生命体系得以延续的普遍原则所影响。在其他诗人的作品中，一个人物往往就是一个个体，而莎翁笔下的人物通常代表着一类人。

奥巴马每周电台演讲:Weekly Address: On Thanksgiving, Grateful for the Men and Women Who Defend Our Country Download Mp3|Download Mp4

Thursday, November 24, 2011

From my family to yours, I’d like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Like millions of Americans, Michelle, Malia, Sasha and I will spend the day eating great food, watching a little football, and reflecting on how truly lucky we truly are.

As Americans, each of us has our own list of things and people to be thankful for. But there are some blessings we all share.

We’re especially grateful for the men and women who defend our country overseas. To all the service members eating Thanksgiving dinner far from your families: the American people are thinking of you today. And when you come home, we intend to make sure that we serve you as well as you’re serving America.

We’re also grateful for the Americans who are taking time out of their holiday to serve in soup kitchens and shelters, making sure their neighbors have a hot meal and a place to stay. This sense of mutual responsibility – the idea that I am my brother’s keeper; that I am my sister’s keeper – has always been a part of what makes our country special. And it’s one of the reasons the Thanksgiving tradition has endured.

The very first Thanksgiving was a celebration of community during a time of great hardship, and we have followed that example ever since. Even when the fate of our union was far from certain – during a Civil War, two World Wars, a Great Depression – Americans drew strength from each other. They had faith that tomorrow would be better than today.

We’re grateful that they did. As we gather around the table, we pause to remember

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the pilgrims, pioneers, and patriots who helped make this country what it is. They faced impossible odds, and yet somehow, they persevered. Today, it’s our turn.

I know that for many of you, this Thanksgiving is more difficult than most. But no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for that most American of blessings, the chance to determine our own destiny. The problems we face didn’t develop overnight, and we won’t solve them overnight. But we will solve them. All it takes is for each of us to do our part.

With all the partisanship and gridlock here in Washington, it’s easy to wonder if such unity is really possible. But think about what’s happening at this very moment: Americans from all walks of life are coming together as one people, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country.

If we keep that spirit alive, if we support each other, and look out for each other, and remember that we’re all in this together, then I know that we too will overcome the challenges of our time.

So today, I’m thankful to serve as your President and Commander-and-Chief. I’m thankful that my daughters get to grow up in this great country of ours. And I’m thankful for the chance to do my part, as together, we make tomorrow better than today.

Thanks, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

奥巴马每周电台演讲Opening the Door to a Clean EnergyEconomy

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama praised the House of Representatives for passing the energy bill on Friday evening. This historic piece of legislation will not just lessen our dependence on foreign oil, but also spark a clean energy transformation in our economy that will create millions of new American jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced. Clean energy and the jobs it creates are critical to building a new foundation for our economy.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

The White House

June 27, 2009

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a historic piece of legislation that will open the door to a clean energy economy and a better future for America. For more than three decades, we have talked about our dependence on foreign oil. And for more than three decades, we have seen that dependence grow. We have seen our reliance on fossil fuels jeopardize our national security. We have seen it pollute

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the air we breathe and endanger our planet. And most of all, we have seen other countries realize a critical truth: the nation that leads in the creation of a clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. Now is the time for the United States of America to realize this too. Now is the time for us to lead.

The energy bill that passed the House will finally create a set of incentives that will spark a clean energy transformation in our economy. It will spur the

development of low carbon sources of energy – everything from wind, solar, and geothermal power to safer nuclear energy and cleaner coal. It will spur new energy savings, like the efficient windows and other materials that reduce heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer. And most importantly, it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs.

Make no mistake: this is a jobs bill. We’re already seeing why this is true in the clean energy investments we’re making through the Recovery Act. In California, 3000 people will be employed to build a new solar plant that will create 1000 permanent jobs. In Michigan, investment in wind turbines and wind technology is expected to create over 2,600 jobs. In Florida, three new solar projects are expected to employ 1400 people.

The list goes on and on, but the point is this: this legislation will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy. That will lead to the creation of new businesses and entire new industries. And that will lead to American jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced. I have often talked about the need to build a new foundation for economic growth so that we do not return to the endless cycle of bubble and bust that led us to this recession. Clean energy and the jobs it creates will be absolutely critical to this new foundation.

This legislation has also been written carefully to address the concerns that many have expressed in the past. Instead of increasing the deficit, it is paid for by the polluters who currently emit dangerous carbon emissions. It provides

assistance to businesses and families as they make the gradual transition to clean energy technologies. It gives rural communities and farmers the opportunity to participate in climate solutions and generate new income. And above all, it will protect consumers from the costs of this transition, so that in a decade, the price to the average American will be just about a postage stamp a day.

Because this legislation is so balanced and sensible, it has already attracted a remarkable coalition of consumer and environmental groups; labor and business leaders; Democrats and Republicans. And I want to thank every Member of Congress who put politics aside to support this bill on Friday.

Now my call to every Senator, as well as to every American, is this: We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past. Don’t believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth. It’s just not true.

We have been talking about energy for decades. But there is no longer a disagreement over whether our dependence on foreign oil is endangering our security. It

is. There is no longer a debate about whether carbon pollution is placing our planet

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in jeopardy. It’s happening. And there is no longer a question about whether the jobs and industries of the 21st century will be centered around clean, renewable energy. The question is, which country will create these jobs and these

industries? I want that answer to be the United States of America. And I believe that the American people and the men and women they sent to Congress share that view. So I want to congratulate the House for passing this bill, and I want to urge the Senate to take this opportunity to come together and meet our obligations – to our constituents, to our children, to God’s creation, and to future generations. Thanks for listening.