1、二级新闻听力印刷版American Orchestras Performance in North Korea 01VOCABULARY1. orchestra 管弦乐队2. symphony 交响曲3. concert 音乐会4. performance 表演5. Antonin Dvorak（1841年9月- 1904年5月）德沃夏克是十九世纪捷克最伟大的作曲家之一，捷克民族乐派的主要代表人物6. George Gershwin乔治格什温（GeorgeGershwin,18981937），美国著名作曲家，写过大量的流行歌曲和数十部歌舞表演、音乐剧，是百老汇舞台和好莱坞的名作曲家。1924年
2、为保尔怀特曼的爵士音乐会写了蓝色狂想曲获得巨大成功，影响了美国和其他国家的作曲家在作品中运用爵士的手法。接着，创作了管弦乐曲一个美国人在巴黎、第二狂想曲、古巴序曲，并以描写黑人生活的歌剧波姬与贝丝达到创作的顶点。 The New York Philharmonic orchestra performed in North Koreas capital, Pyongyang, this week. It was the first performance by an American symphony orchestra交响乐团 in the communist state社会主义国家. Mor
3、e than one hundred performers made the trip to Pyongyang, led by the Philhamonics musical director, Lorin Maazel. The historic event was broadcast live on television and radio in North Korea. It can also be seen on the Internet.More than one thousand North Koreans attended the concert Tuesday night.
4、 North Korean leader Kim Jong II did not attend. However, other top North Korean officials did. The New York City orchestra performed the North Korean national song and Americas national anthem国歌, The Star-Spangled Banner. The musicians played famous music, including Antonin Dvoraks New World Sympho
5、ny新大陆交响曲and George Gershwins An American in Paris. The performance ended with a ersion of Arirang, a Korean folk song that is considered an unofficial national anthem in both North and South Korea.Online Wedding Ceremony 02VOCABULARY1. complex a. 复杂的，难懂的2. costly a. 昂贵的，代价高的3. religious a. 宗教的4. jud
6、ge n. 裁判员，评判员，鉴定人5. ceremony n. 典礼，仪式6. dude n. 花花公子，纨绔子弟7. officiant n. 司仪牧师8. monastery n. 修道院9. spiritual humanism 精神人道主义 Wedding in America are often big, complex and costly events. Usually a religious leader or judge performs the marriage ceremony. But now people can choose a friend or family m
7、ember to perform the ceremony. The person can become an official marriage officiant online through some unusual Web sites. One Web site is called Church of the Latter-Day Dude.Its members do not believe in telling people what to do. In fact, they do not believe in doing much at all. But they are hap
8、py to provide people with a “certificate of ordination圣职之任命.” The Web site says the document legally permits a person to perform a wedding ceremony in most states. But it also says a person should check with the local government to see if this is permitted.Other Web sites offering free and immediate
9、 ordination services include the Universal Life Church Monastery and the Church of Spiritual Humanism. The Universal Life Church says it welcomes all people who show interest in becoming ministers, whether they are religious or not. The church claims to have ordained 任命.为牧师more than twenty million m
10、inisters online around the world. 波音抗议美国空军新合同 03VOCABULARY1. supplier 供应商2. dispute 争端，争执，争论3. tanker 加油机4. refuel 加油5. Boeing 波音公司6. Northrop Grumman 诺斯罗普格鲁门公司7. parent 母公司8. the Government Accountability Office 政府责任办公室9. anger 使愤怒Must a country buy from its own defense suppliers? This is one of th
11、e questions in Washington in a dispute over a deal worth at least thirty-five billion dollars. The contract will supply the Air Force with one hundred seventy-nine tankers.The Air Force says it has a serious need for new planes to refuel aircraft in mid-flight. Boeing has a long history of supplying
12、 tankers to the Air Force.But on February twenty-ninth, the Air Force awarded the contract to another American company, Northrop Grumman, teamed with EADS. EADS is the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, the parent of Airbus.This week, Boeing protested the decision. The Government Account
13、ability Office will study the appeal and expects to have a report by June nineteenth.Boeing says it found problems in the process used to reach the decision. The Air Force has called the process fair and open.But the decision not to give the contract to the Chicago-based company has angered lawmaker
14、s in Congress from states with Boeing factories. These include Washington state and Kansas.Election Campaign 04VOCABULARY:1. Pennsylvania n. 宾夕法尼亚州2. democratic adj. 民主的3. campaign n. 竞选4. at the end of 在的末端5. debt n. 债务；负债Hillary Clinton is still behind Barack Obama in the delegate count after the
15、Pennsylvania primary of Tuesday. But her ten-point victory kept her supporters hopes alive in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.Attention is now directed to Indiana and North Carolina, where the next primaries will be held on May sixth. Senator Obama is expected to win North Caroli
16、na, but he faces a close race for Indiana voters.In the race for donations, the Obama campaign had about forty million dollars at the end of March and no debt. The Clinton campaign had about nine million left to spend, and ten million of debt.But her campaign aid it raised more than ten million doll
17、ars in the twenty-four hours following her win Pennsylvania. A spokesman said eighty percent of the donors were first-time givers to the campaign.During appearances this week, Senator Clinton said more people have voted her than Barack Obama. She included the votes from Michigan and Florida, giving
18、her a lead of about one hundred thousand votes.The Baseball HeroJackie Robinson 05VOCABULARY1. anniversary n. 周年纪念（日）2. Robinson （美俚）爱独立工作、生活的人；人名3. league n. 联盟，社团，同盟4. uniform n. 制服5. Since then 自那以后6. planned a. 计划好的，根据计划的7. barrier n. 障碍，隔阂8. Los Angeles （美国城市）洛杉矶9. Latino n. 拉丁美洲人10. nonwhite n
19、. 非白人11. Dominican n. 多米尼加人12. minority n. 少数民族Sunday will mark an important anniversary in American society. Sixty years ago, Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in Major League Baseball.His uniform number, forty-two, was retired as an honor on the fiftieth anniversary. Since then, t
20、he only players who could wear that number were those already wearing it. But a special honor is planned this Sunday for the sixtieth anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. At least one player from every major league team will wear the number forty-two. That number every mem
21、ber of the Los Dodgers. Last year almost thirty percent of players were Latino. About two percent were Asian. In all, more than forty percent of professional baseball players were non-white. Almost one-third of all players last season were from other countries. Many players come from the Dominican R
22、epublic.The all-time high for minorities in the major leagues was forty two percent ten years ago. 金融危机蔓延到世界各地的银行06VOCABULARY1. inflation n. 通货膨胀2. central bank 中央银行（指代表政府经济利益的银行，多与其他银行交易而不直接与普通人民交易）3. interest rate 利率4. credit n. 信贷，赊欠5. demand n. 需要，需求（量）6. recession n. （经济的）衰退，衰退期7. monetary a. 货
23、币的，金融的8. FUND 基金，专款9. economic crisis 经济危机10. federal reserve （美国）联邦储备系统11. federal a. 联邦（制）的12. overnight a. 一整夜的13. Sweden n. 瑞典14. Switzerland n. 瑞士15. what is called 所谓的.16. commercial paper 商业本票，商业票据17. deal with 研究，讨论，处理 This week, economic worries turned from inflation. On Wednesday, central
24、banks in nations around the world acted together to lower interest rates. The fear is that a lack of credit and falling demand could cause a deep, worldwide recession. The International Monetary Fund has warned that the world is facing its most dangerous economic crisis since the nineteen thirties.
25、To fight slowing economic growth, the United States Federal Reserve cut its federal funds rate to one and one half percent. That is the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans. The European Central Bank also announced an interest rate cut. So did central banks in Britain, Canada, Sweden and
26、 Switzerland. Australia and China also cut interest rates. The action marked the first time that the Federal Reserve has joined with other central banks to cut interest rates. Tuesday, the Fed said it will make short-term loans by purchasing what is called commercial paper. Such loans usually come f
27、rom pools, or collections, of investment money. European countries are also taking steps to deal with the crisis.美国总统富兰克林 . 罗斯福 07VOCABULARY1. influential a. 有影响的，有权势的2. economic crisis 经济危机3. Winston n. 温斯顿（m.）4. Churchill 丘吉尔5. struck strike的过去式6. physical a. 身体的，肉体的7. shining a. 光亮的，华丽的8. come to
28、 an end 结束9. overpowered 压倒10. permanent a. 永久的Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the most influential presidents in American history. He was elected president four times. He served more than twelve years, longer than any other president. He led the nation through its worst economic crisis, and th
29、rough one of its worst wars. .Winston Churchill wrote about the day he heard the news of the death of his close friend: “I felt as if I had been struck with a physical blow. My relations with this shining man had played so large a part in the long, terrible years we had worked together. Now that had
30、 come to an end. And I was overpowered by a sense of deep and permanent loss.”Siemens Violating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. 08VOCABULARY1 Siemens 西门子 （总部所在地德国，主要经营电子电器）2 Corrupt 腐败的3 Commission 委员会4 Munich 慕尼黑5 Plead 为辩护6 Bribery 贿赂行为，行贿，受贿This week, the German engineering company Siemens pleaded
31、 guilty in Washington to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. That law makes it a crime for Americans and companies traded on United States markets to pay bribes in return for business. Investigators say Siemens paid one and a half billion dollars in bribes to government officials in Asia, A
32、frica, the Middle East and Latin America. Now, Siemens has agreed to pay a similar amount in fines and other punishments. Cases were brought by the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Munich Public Prosecutors Office. Eight hundred million dollars of the money will go to United States authorities- a record for such a case.Siemens cooperated exten
