New broadband for Africa?

Just fifteen years ago hardly anyone幾乎沒有人 had a mobile phone in Africa. Today they can be seen in almost every market and on almost every street.

But the next big thing, predicts預測 Moez Daya, will be cheap, fast broadband寬頻. This will allow streaming - live access to television, radio and other media via the internet.

Some will come through cables that have been laid around the coast. But Mr Daya, formerly chief executive of one of Africa's largest cell-phone operators, Celtel, and now working with Satya Capital, says broadband can also be delivered交付 by satellite.

Local operators will then redistribute再分配 the product through aerials天線 on the roofs of their customers. Mr Daya says this should be commercially商業 feasible可行.

Moez Daya: "I would imagine that a twenty dollar subscription for a bandwidth頻寬 of somewhere around four megabits a second is entirely完全地 achievable實現的 and feasible可行的, and probably commercially商業 sensible合理的".

Within two years, says Mr Daya, this could mean African children playing internet games, just like their Chinese or American counterparts同行, while their fathers sit and enjoy football on their mobile phones.

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Voting for God

"If you do not vote in the upcoming elections God will punish you." That's what Algerians have been told by a prominent突出 Muslim cleric教士, Sheikh Chemseddine Bouroubi.

Parliamentary議員 elections are being held舉行 in May and it's believed many Algerians are going to abstain from棄權 a vote they view as irrelevant無關. The authorities are so concerned about a low turnout投票率 that the state phone operator has been sending out text messages urging督促 people to cast投 their ballot選票.

Sheikh Bouroubi said Algerians should vote to maintain維護 stability穩定 and prevent防止 foreigners from fomenting煽動 revolution. Conditions in Algeria are similar to that in other Arab countries when it comes to widespread普遍 poverty貧困, corruption腐敗 and high youth unemployment失業率 and protests calling for democratic change did take place last year, but they did not turn into a full-scale大規模 uprising起義.

This vote is being seen as被看作是 a test of the reforms promised by the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to stem阻止,攔住 further進一步 discontent不滿. He has approved允許 over twenty new political parties and says the country is moving gradually逐步 towards走向 democracy.

But Parliament is widely廣泛 considered a rubber stamp橡皮圖章 body. Power is concentrated集中 in the president, who has ruled since 1999 and the military has a key role in a country which was until last year under emergency law緊急狀態法.

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Explaining Hitler

Unlike public displays公開展示 of the Nazi salute敬禮, the sale of Mein Kampf is not actually banned禁止 by law in Germany. After the war, the ownership歸屬 of the copyright was given by the victorious勝利 Allies盟國 to the state of Bavaria, and the Bavarian government simply只是 bans its reproduction and sale. But that copyright expires過期 in 2015. In readiness, historians are preparing an edition with notes explaining where Hitler's crazed瘋狂 ideas led領導.

One of the historians, Edith Raim of the Institute of Contemporary現代的 History in Munich, said: "Our book won't find any buyers in the Neo-Nazi scene現場, 場面. It's going to be a solid固體, 堅厚, 深厚 scientific work."

The president of Germany's Central Council of Jews猶太, Dieter Graumann, said he would prefer German citizens to be able to read a copy with notes of explanation. After all, the book is already freely自如 available on the Internet.

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A spanner in the works

Jen: Hi, I'm Jennifer and I'm on the lookout for Helen – someone said they saw her going into the basement地下室 earlier… Oh wait, there she is, with… a tool kit? What on earth are you doing? There are pipes管子 all over the floor!

Helen: Oh hi Jen! I'm quite busy down here trying to fix these pipes.

Jen: Fix the pipes? But you're not a plumber水管工人, you don't know anything about pipes!

Helen: I know, but the boss asked me to try and fix them.

Jen: Really? Are you sure that's what he said? It seems strange he'd ask you to turn your hand to plumbing.

Helen: I knew you'd say that, so I printed off his email to show you. Look, it says "About the project - someone has thrown扔進 a spanner板手 into the works, and I'd like you to sort it out"…

Jen: But Helen…

Helen: ….so I'm looking for the spanner in the works!

Jen: Oh Helen, you shouldn't take it literally! In English, if someone throws a spanner into the works, it means they do something to spoil破壞 a plan or make it more complicated.

Helen: Oh… A spanner in the works… So there isn't a real spanner in here.

Jen: I don't think so… Let's hear some examples to help explain the phrase.

• This hospital appointment on the 15th has thrown a real spanner in the works讓事情更複雜 for our holiday – we'll have to come back early.

• The budget cuts have thrown a real spanner in the works for the future of the project.

Helen: So this is a phrase we can use to describe something which has gone wrong. The boss said that someone had thrown a spanner in the works of our project…

Jen: He means that something has happened that will make the project more complicated. Perhaps you should talk to him to find out what the problem is before you start taking the building to pieces!

Helen: You're right. So I suppose we'd better clear up some of this mess… But I can't remember where all the pipes go!

Jen: Oh no! Well let's just try and fit them in as best we can.

V/O: Some time later…

Jen: Well the pipes are all in, but nothing's working. We're going to be in so much trouble.

Helen: We're not defeated yet. Stand back…

Jen: Helen… what are you doing with that huge spanner….

Helen: I'm throwing… it… into… the… works…

Helen: It works! I did it!

Jen: You did! With a real life spanner in the works!

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Football crosses ocean

This is a well-travelled旅行 football!

Identified thanks to the names written on it, the ball was set adrift飄流 by the tsunami that hit Japan over a year ago. It was washed衝 ashore上岸 in Alaska!

Its proud owner is Misaki Murakami: he received this treasured珍貴 possession所有物 from his schoolmates when he got transferred to another school. The teenager became a minor celebrity小有名氣 after it was located.

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Drugs scandal hits China

The mass confiscations沒收 of suspect懷疑 capsules show the authorities' determination決心 to be seen to be acting promptly及時 after the scandal was uncovered破獲 a week ago.

Chinese television reported then that several companies were making drug capsules膠囊 from industrial gelatin明膠, containing potentially toxic levels of chromium and retrieved from discarded丟棄 scraps of leather皮革.

The safety of food and drugs is a constant public worry in China, with frequent outcries民怨吶喊 over fake medicines and substandard不合格 products. Government investigators have now been sent to Zhejiang, Hebei and Jiangxi provinces省; state media said large amounts of industrial gelatin were confiscated there and in the province of Shandong.

Among those detained拘留者 are a local official and a sales manager from Hebei, who are suspected of ordering a factory to be burned down燒毀 to destroy the evidence證據

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Carnival climax高潮

Billed as the biggest street party in the world, Rio de Janeiro's annual一年一度 carnival has drawn to a colourful conclusion結論.

The city's best samba schools paraded遊行 amid在…之中 Brazil's carnival festivities節慶活動.

The venue場地 for this event was the newly-renovated裝修 Sambadrome.

Thousands of dancers and musicians showed off their costumes and artistic skills to entertain招待, 宴請 the crowds that gathered聚集 to enjoy the spectacle奇觀.

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Acid酸 attacks

She has been scarred傷痕累累 for life with burns on fifteen percent of her body. Her name is Shama, meaning candle蠟燭. And like many other Pakistani women her husband doused澆上 her in acid. She was too proud of her beauty he said.

Shama:

"I feel pain at what I was and what I've become. All the colours have gone from my life I feel like I am a living corpse屍體. I can't say anything about the future. I will try to get back to how I was. I have to work to build a future for my kids. If I can't I'll do what one or two other girls have done. They killed themselves."

In this hospital alone there are one or two new cases of acid attacks every week. The laws here have been tightened收緊. Offenders罪犯 can be sentenced判刑 to between 14 years and life imprisonment徒刑. But campaigners say most of these women never get justice正義.

This former MP who sponsored贊助 the new law says most attackers still get off scot-free逍遙法外.

Marvi Memon, MP:

"It's the easiest way to punish懲罰 a woman because if the woman does not want to agree to what the man wants to do then you can just throw acid and destroy摧毀 her entire life in one second and that's all it takes. And then even if he gets caught he'll pay the police off and he'll get away with it in most of Pakistan."

The government admits承認 it needs to do more and says implementing實施 the new law is a major challenge. Doctors told us many victims受害者 are forced to return to their tormentors折磨, to the husbands or in-laws who disfigured毀容 them because of social pressure社會壓力 or money problems.

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Monitoring the internet

"The worry is that this information is very powerful information because it's such intimate私人的,親密的 information. People actually tell to the web, in a way, sometimes more intimate than they tell to the people in their own family. So the worry is that this powerful information will be recorded and will be sitting there and there won't be much control on how it is used. Whereas鑑於 in the past if the government had wanted to go and search somebody's house then they would have to go and get a court order法庭命令 to go and do that."

"This is critical嚴重 infrastructure基礎設施. This is something we have to keep open; we have to keep it neutral中性. It's like, interfering with Her Majesty's mails. It's a no-no. For the country to work the mail has got to work, you've got to send a letter from A to B. Similarly同樣的 if I connect to the internet at A and you connect at B we've got to be able to talk without either無論 large companies or governments intervening干預 and that's going to be a battle and I think it's going to be a battle戰鬥 until we establish建立, 創立 some very strong rules of behaviour from governments and agreements about how the internet will be used."

"Talk to your friends; make sure they are aware知道 of this concern. And if necessary get out there in the streets waving banners橫幅. Unless it is significantly顯著 altered改變 to preserve保存 the rights of the citizen then I think it will be necessary to protest."

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Thickening glaciers

Glacial decline冰川下降 and the gradual循序漸進 loss of polar極地 ice caps has been a worrying trend over recent decades, but scientists have been aware察覺 of an apparently似乎, 表面上 curious好奇的 anomaly異常 with the Karakoram, which contains包含 some of the world's biggest mountains including the second highest, K2. It has about 20,000 square kilometres of glaciers, accounting for three percent of the total area of ice outside the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.冰原

Now a team of French scientists has carried out a detailed survey over a large area of the range using sophisticated複雜 remote-sensing遙控 measurements測量. Writing in the scientific journal, Nature, they say they found that in the first years of this century the Karakoram's glaciers had actually expanded擴大 by a small amount, while in the neighbouring Himalayas they'd been shrinking縮.

It's unclear why this is happening, but it seems that by a quirk怪僻 in the weather pattern that's not fully understood, less heat is being delivered to the Karakoram and the mountains are receiving heavier falls of snow.

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Sleepy teenagers

This bedroom is a battleground. Morgan's 17, and like most other teenagers, she struggles鬥爭 to surface起床.

Noelle Delaney, Mother:

Some days it is very difficult…you know I have to go in there two, three times. I have been known to pull her by her feet out of her bed.

Morgan Delaney, Student:

It's too early to get up in the morning, especially in the winter when it's quite dark out. It just seems like you're getting up in the middle of the night, you just want to be back in bed.

And that's why sleep scientists studied Morgan and her friends for two weeks. These wrist-mounted sensors傳感器 monitored their every move – waking and sleeping.

Analysis of that data surprised the scientists. They found that consistently一貫 the teenagers get just six and a half hours sleep a night. Most adults need at least eight. When the clocks moved forward to British Summer Time the youngsters got even less – just six hours a night.

Joanne Bower, University of Surrey:

You've got something inside you called your circadian rhythm晝夜規則 [body clock] which insures保證 the same thing happens the same time every day and one of those things is the secretion分泌 of melatonin褪黑激素 which is the hormone激素 that makes you sleepy. Now for an adult you expect that to be early evening, in teenagers it happens much later so even if you put your teenager in bed at say ten at night it may be that they don't secrete分泌 their melatonin until midnight, one o'clock, so they're staring盯著 at the ceiling天花板 just not sleepy.

Consistent sleep deprivation剝奪 can affect concentration, memory or even mood. The scientists behind this study say more research is needed because, like Morgan, most teenagers have busy lives - what they're not getting is enough rest.

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Olympus camera scandal

The arrests逮捕 are the latest step in investigations by the Japanese authorities into one of the country's biggest corporate企業 scandals.

The former chairman of Olympus Tsuyoshi Kikukawa is being held under suspicion懷疑 of violating違反 the Financial Instruments and Exchange law.

The company's former executive vice president副總裁 and its former auditor檢查員 have also been arrested.

An independent panel set up by Olympus blamed the men for orchestrating編排 the cover-up of more than $1.5 billion in investment losses.

The company has lost nearly half its value since the scandal became public last October.

Olympus is suing 19 current and former executives管理人.

And there's speculation推測 it may need to merge or form new alliances聯盟 with its rivals競爭對手 to rebuild its battered焦頭爛額 balance sheets資產負債表

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Motorcycle diaries日記

The roar咆哮 of vintage復古 motorcycles in Cuba...

The town of Varadero has hosted舉辦了 the country's first ever Harley-Davidson convention會議.

The American brand品牌 was favoured by the authorities before the 1959 Revolution. Almost all of the country's remaining models date from that time.

But because of the US trade embargo貿易禁運, Cuban bikers have had to pull out all the stops渾身解數 to keep their machines running.

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Call it a day

Jen: Hello, and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Jennifer, and with me in the studio is... yawn... Helen.

Helen: Hi Jen... are you a bit tired?

Jen: Oh yes, I really am. I've been here since seven this morning - I think I'm ready to call it a day now.

Helen: What do you want to call it? Monday? Tuesday?

Jen: Oh no, I don't mean...

Helen: How about Saturday? That's my favourite day. Or we could call it a new day altogether集合體. What about Cake-day! Or Coffee-day.

Jen: I don't want to rename the day. In English, if you're ready to call it a day, it means that you want to finish whatever you're doing - and usually go home.

Helen: So you want to call it a day now? We haven't finished the programme yet.

Jen: That's true. In that case, let's hear some examples of the phrase in action.

• We're getting nowhere with this – shall we call it a day and start again tomorrow?
• I'm getting picked up from work at five, so I think I'd better call it a day.

Helen: I see... so if you call it a day, you decide that it's time to finish the work you're doing.

Jen: That's right, so let's call it a day right now.

Helen: Alright then. Do you fancy a quick drink after work?

Jen: Well, I'm feeling pretty tired, but I suppose I could come out for one drink.

Helen: Let's go then!

Voice: Some time later...

(Nightclub music)

Helen: Jen, look at the time - we've been here seven hours!

Jen: I know! I don't know where the evening went. It's probably time to call it a night.

Helen: I thought the phrase was 'call it a day'?

Jen: We can also say 'call it a night' if you've been somewhere in the evening and you know it's time to go home.

Helen: Well, I definitely think that you need to call it a night, then. Although look...

Jen: What?

Helen: The sun is coming up already. We've been out on the town all night. Perhaps we should call it a day instead?

Jen: That means it's nearly time for work again! Can I call in sick, please?

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Titanic 100 years on

It's been a blustery大風大浪的 voyage航程 at times for the MS Balmoral crossing the Atlantic carrying 1300 passengers.

Some of them relatives親屬 of people who travelled the same route on Titanic a century ago; others, just fascinated by the history and mystery神秘的 of what happened to her.

Now they are all coming together at the very spot現場 where Titanic sank to be led in prayer on the decks overlooking the stern船尾 of the cruise ship郵輪.

Wreaths花圈 of flowers will be thrown into the ocean directly above在..之上 the wreck失事 site and then this ship's band will play 'Nearer My God To Thee你', the hymn聖歌 said to have been played by Titanic's band as she sank into the cold, dark, icy water exactly 100 years ago.

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Thai Macbeth

The film, entitled題為 "Shakespeare Must Die", is a Thai-language adaptation of the play in which an ambitious雄心勃勃 Scottish general murders the king and kills again to hold onto his throne王位. Thailand's censors檢查員 said it had content內容 that caused divisiveness分歧 among其中, 之間 the people.

Its themes主題 of greed貪婪 and power appear出現 to have unnerved不安 officials in a country polarised偏振 in 2006 by a coup政變 that removed the prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office. The film's director told the BBC the ban禁令 was ridiculous: she said Thais were living in a climate氣憤 of fear恐懼.

The film, set in a fictional虛構的 country, contains footage鏡頭, of real-life political protests抗議. Much use is made of the colour red - evoking喚起 memories in Thailand of the red-shirted demonstrators, most of them Thaksin supporters, who brought part of Bangkok to a standstill停頓 two years ago in a protest that ended in bloodshed.流血事件

The Thai government at the time granted給予 funding for the film. But it was submitted提交 to the censors under a new administration - led by Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Thaksin's sister, whose party swept橫掃 to power in elections last July.

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Bad manners means bad coffee!

Little Red Roaster is a bit of an upmarket高檔, market stall攤位. Here they don't do bad coffee or bad manners壞習慣. The owner has put his foot down because he got fed up厭倦 with having to compete for the attention of certain某些 customers…

Darren Groom, shop owner:
They order it by going 'I'll have a cappuccino' and we then can't ask the relevant questions, do you want sugar, would you like a lid蓋子? We just had an increase提高 in people doing it and being upset when we said we wouldn't serve them until they finished their call, so we put the sign up.

Most of his clientele客戶 say he's absolutely right…

Vox pops of customers:
I think it's a really good idea. I think. I've worked in pubs before and I think it's quite rude when you're talking to customers and making eye contact and then, suddenly the phone goes or they're on the phone talking to you.

Everybody's got a mobile phone so you tend往往 to get sort of sidelined割一邊,休戰 and the mobile phone becomes a priority, whereas actually it becomes a secondary issue.

If people on the stalls did it to the customer then the customer would probably walk off.

Darren and his wife have a coffee shop too where the same ban prevails盛行 albeit儘管 not to universal approval…

Darren Groom, shop owner:
Some people turn their nose up at and snarl咆哮 and think it's ridiculous and that we're being a bit precious寶貴的 but you can't please取悅 everybody.

Darren insists he's not out to start a campaign - he just wants to make his life a little easier.

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Herbal medicines and cancer

For thousands of years the aristolochia馬兜鈴 plant with its reddish-yellow flowers has been a mainstay支柱 of Chinese herbal medicine草藥. Sometimes referred簡稱 to as birthwort馬兜鈴 in Europe, the toxic有毒 nature性質 of the plant was discovered in the 1990s when dozens of Belgian women began developing kidney failure腎衰竭 and urinary tract泌尿道 cancers. They had been using aristolochia-based slimming aids(減肥藥) at clinic.

Now scientists say that the key element, aristolochic acid酸, is responsible for the very high levels of kidney disease and urinary tract tumours in Taiwan. It's estimated估計 that about one in three of the population there have used herbal medicines containing含有 the toxin. The country has the world's highest incidence發生率 of cancers of the upper上 urinary tract - and in their study the scientists say more than half can be directly linked to the ingredient成分.

While products containing aristolochic acid are banned禁止 in many countries, one of the big concernse關注 is China. In 2004 a study suggests Chinese farmers produce enough of the plant to dose 100 million people. Scientists are concerned擔心 that in the decades to come, disease caused by the aristolochia will create an international public health problem of considerable相當 magnitude.大小規模

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Take the weight off your feet

Rob: Hello, it’s Rob here.

Helen: And me, Helen. This is The English We Speak. Rob I don’t know why we have to stand up when we present this programme – it’s quite tiring.

Rob: Really? I thought standing up would give us more energy and sitting down makes us a bit lazy.

Helen: But I’ve been standing up all day, this is my only chance to sit down.

Rob: Why didn’t you say. Here, have a chair, take the weight off your feet.

Helen: The weight?! Take the weight off my feet – that’s a bit rude! Do you mean I’m heavy and my feet can’t carry the weight?

Rob: Helen don’t be so sensitive. I was being kind. It’s a way of saying, relax, sit down, especially after standing up for a long time. It's got nothing to do with your actual weight.

Helen: Oh I see. I that case, I will.

Rob: Here are some other ways of saying that phrase….

• We’ve been shopping all day, let’s take the weight off our feet, sit down and have a cup of coffee.

• Don’t walk to work today, go on the bus and take the weight off your feet.

Rob: Those are different situations where you can take the weight off your feet.

Helen: I have to admit Rob, it’s very comfortable sitting down. I feel quite relaxed I think I’ll put my feet up too.

Rob: That’s another expression we use – to put our feet up. Again it means rest and relax and literally, put your feet up on the sofa, or in your case, on the desk. Helen you could have taken your shoes off!

Helen: Sorry. So to put your feet up is all about relaxing and resting our feet. Ahh, lovely! Can we hear some more examples please?

Rob: Yes Helen!

• You’ve been gardening all day, come inside and put your feet up.

• After working for the company for 30 years, Jim has decided it’s time to finally put his feet up and retire.

Rob: If he’s retiring he’ll be putting his feet up for a long time. But Helen we’ve got work to do, so back on your feet.

Helen: You want me to put the weight on my feet now?

Rob: I’m afraid so. It’s time to go shopping.

Helen: Shopping! Why didn’t you say. Look, I’m back on my feet now.

Rob: That was quick. OK, best foot forward全力以赴, off to the supermarket we go – left, right, left, right…

Helen: Shopping at the supermarket!

Rob: Yes, the supermarket Helen. Bye!

Helen: Bye.

Rob: Come on – left, right, left right, keep moving those feet.

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Comfort zone

Rob: (ON PHONE) OK Helen, sounds interesting…I’ll be right over. Bye! Helen has something interesting to show me, so I’m off to see it now.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Rob: Err, hi Helen.

Helen: Hello Rob. Welcome to my comfort zone.

Rob: Your what?

Helen: My comfort zone. I’ve made a very comfortable area for relaxing in. Don’t you think it’s relaxing Rob?

Rob: Well yes. Nice cushions靠墊, a very cosy舒適 sofa and soft lighting – but Helen, why did you want to show me this relaxing and comfortable room – are you up to something?

Helen: No! You said we were doing a programme about comfort zones – so I decided to make one.

Rob: I see. Well we could describe this room as our comfort zone but usually the term refers to how someone feels.

Helen: Oh! So it’s not just a place, but a state of mind(精神狀態).

Rob: Yes. If someone is in their comfort zone, they feel secure and comfortable, they might even feel in control. Maybe these examples will help to explain more…

• John isn’t going for the promotion - he wants to stay in his comfort zone and doesn’t want the extra stress.

• Jane stays in her comfort zone when booking her holiday and will never travel overseas.

Rob: So those examples describe people who are happy doing something they’ve always done. They feel safe and secure.

Helen: It sounds like a nice place to be.

Rob: It is but it can also imply暗示, 意味著 you won’t take risks and move out of your comfort zone…

Helen: …into your un-comfort zone you mean or your non-comfort zone?

Rob: Exactly. Listen to these examples…

• Sally is dressing outside her usual comfort zone; have you seen the dress she’s wearing tonight?!

• Bob’s working outside his comfort zone by agreeing to run the accounts department.

Rob: A comfort zone can also describe the ideal temperature of a room. It’s just the right conditions to feel comfortable in – not too hot, not too cold.

Helen: Well Rob, I think we’re in just the right comfort zone now.

Rob: We are but come on, let’s step outside and get some fresh air.

Helen: Sorry Rob, I’m staying in my comfort zone. Mmm, it’s so cosy and I feel so secure here and anyway, it might be raining out there.

Rob: You don’t take any chances Helen! Oh well, see you later. Bye.

Helen: Bye! Oh this sofa is so comfortable, mmm...

this report is from bbc learning english

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2012/04/120403_tews_65_comfort_zone.shtml

Eating 64-year-old food

In the late 1940's the United States was helping Germany overcome the hardships艱辛 of the second World War. Food parcels包裹 were a vital重要 part of the rebuilding重建 effort工作, 成就 and Swift's bland平淡 lard豬油 was one of the less exciting令人興奮 ingredients成分. But it was apparently似乎 durable耐用,耐久. The tin with its red, white and blue label still intact完好 survived in Hans Feldmeier's cupboard櫃子. So the 87-year-old retired chemist decided to test its edibility可食性:

(Clip of Hans Feldmeier with voiceover in English) "I didn't open it because I thought the situation could get even worse. I hope that we are not running into tough times like we had after World War II, even despite儘管 the financial crisis we are facing."

And his gamble賭博, 冒險 paid off. The tests run by scientists in his home town of Rostock showed it was indeed的確 fit for consumption消費(可食),saving Mr Feldmeier a precious珍貴,  few Euros. But he did fork out花錢買 on a loaf麵包 of black bread on which it was spread傳播 before he and the scientists ate it. So what did it taste like?

(Clip of female employee of Office of Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries with voiceover in English) "I thought it would taste rancid腐臭的, but it doesn't. I'm totally surprised that it shows absolutely no sign of rancidity."

The tin罐頭 bore顯示 no expiry date, so to adapt an old saying, it seems the proof of the lard, if not the pudding, really was in the eating.

this text is from bbc learning english

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/02/120206_witn_lard.shtml

Europe's cold snap

Most of the deaths have occurred in Poland and Ukraine, where 65 mainly homeless people have died from exposure曝光 over the last week as temperatures have fallen to -30C.

In many Ukrainian cities the authorities當局 have erected豎立 heated tents with hot tea and food.

Outdoor coal煤炭 braziers火爐 have been placed beside bus stops in Polish cities and the police are urging督促 the public to report sightings of people sleeping rough in train stations or allotments撥款 so they can be offered beds in shelters庇護.

The extremely cold weather is forecast預測 to continue for the next week. Rising上升 demand需求 for gas has led Ukraine to increase its imports from Russia, and Poland to introduce rationing配給 to some industrial plants, due to fears that stocks will run out.

this text is from bbc learning english 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/02/120203_witn_cold.shtml

Cruise巡航 disaster

The major inquiry(疑問) into how this disaster(災難, 意外) came about is now gathering(蒐集) momentum(氣勢)=蓄勢待發, and more and more, the actions of the captain are coming under suspicion(懷疑).

He's maintained that his vessel(船隻) was far enough out to sea and that whatever it struck擊中 was not marked on his charts.

The coastguard(海岸警衛隊) however says the vessel was just too close to this rocky(岩石) shoreline(海岸線) and a statement by the captain's employers says that he may have made what it described as "significant errors(重大錯誤)".

Meanwhile the search of the wreck沈船 has continued through the night and at around 2 am, one of the teams working its way through the maze迷宮 of cabins小木屋, 船的房間 and other rooms, found the body of a man lying in a corridor走廊.

He's yet to be identified but he's believed to have been a passenger rather than a member of the crew船員.

The discovery of this latest body brings to six the number of people confirmed to have died in the disaster.

Alan Johnston

this text is from bbc learning english

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/01/120116_witn_cruise.shtml

Swallowing the dictionary

In the past, people who have used too many complicated words to get their messages across have been accused(被告) of swallowing(吞) the dictionary. Now, thanks to the pioneering(開拓) works of scientists at the Linguistic Institute of Artificial(人工) Replication(複製), it's become possible to eat - and then regurgitate(噴回, 反渠) - the whole of the English language.

The drug, called Verbumisol, triggers a chemical reaction in the brain which creates a stockpile(儲存) of words. Electrical impulses(電脈衝) are then fired directly at the larynx(喉). The mucous(粘膜) membranes stretch(伸展) causing the air modulation(調節) to realign(重新調整) according to the patterns(模式) of English pronunciation(發音). Within an hour, a person with no knowledge of English, can produce the vocabulary of a native speaker(母語).

Professor Leugenaar, who is in charge of the trial, demonstrates with a volunteer from Indonesia:

"Stephani here took this pill(丸) just 59 minutes ago, so she should be able to simply think in her own language yet produce perfect English when the clock hits 60 minutes. Please start Stephani."

L. I. A. R. claim(聲稱) this invention(發明) has the potential(潛力) to change human history, end all wars, and put a stop to boring grammar lessons. However, critics of the drug say that it has some serious side effects, such as verbal(口頭) diarrhoea(腹瀉), a tendency(傾向) to talk endlessly(不休) about the weather and a habit of apologising(道歉) for no reason.

BBC learning english 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/03/120331_witn_swallowing_dictionary.shtml