New Delhi
Indian health officials say a Dengue fever outbreak has claimed at least 106 lives. Officials say more than 5700 people in 11 Indian states have been affected by the fever since early September. India’s capital, New Delhi, is the worst hit. Dengue is a violent infection transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It can cause a severe flu-like illness and can lead to internal bleeding. Outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses are common in India during and after the monsoon season, which ended in September. (80 words)
London
Pushed up by soaring oil prices, Britain’s trade deficits surged to a record high in the summer. But analysts predicted a slowly improving imbalance in the months ahead. The current account trade deficit increased 2.8% to an all-time high of 118.6 billion pounds in the July-September quarter. The trade department reported Monday that a third-quarter deficit was equaled to 6.8% of the total economy, up from 5.5% of GDP in the second quarter. (73 words)
Gaza City
Palestinian gunmen in Gaza have kidnapped a Spanish photographer working for the Associated Press. Emilio Morenatti was abducted early Tuesday morning in Gaza city as he left an apartment building to get into an AP car. The driver of the car says four masked gunmen restrained him and shoved Morenatti into a white Volkswagen and drove away. No one has claimed responsibility so far. (64 words)
(http://www.ept-xp.com/?ID=2204031017 )
South Africa
The hunting of lions and other big cats bred in captivity purely to die at the barrel of a gun will be outlawed under legislation that comes into force next year, the government said Wednesday. The Department of the Environment said the new regulations will make it illegal for anyone to kill large predators raised in an enclosed reserve to blunt their survival instincts. It said it would also ban the shooting of lions, cheetahs and leopards in a "controlled environment," where hunters had an unfair advantage over the beasts, as well as forbidding the killing of tranquilized animals. (99 words)
http://bigcatnews.blogspot.com/2 ... ing-of-animals.html
Hawaii
The U.S. Pacific state of Hawaii has been declared a disaster area after a strong earthquake early Sunday, causing damage but no serious injuries. The disaster declaration by Hawaii's governor allows her to mobilize the state's National Guard and makes Hawaii eligible for federal emergency funds. The U.S. Geological Survey says Sunday's 6.6 magnitude earthquake was centered in the Pacific Ocean just off the sparsely-populated west coast of the island of Hawaii - the largest in the archipelago. The quake was felt in Honolulu, 250 kilometers away on the chain's most populated island of Oahu. The earthquake triggered landslides, and damaged numerous roads, bridges and buildings. Airports were closed to outgoing flights. Widespread electric outages across the state make communications difficult. (121 words)
http://www.ept-xp.com/?ID=2204031011
简评：0809高口新闻题整体难度一般，每篇字数分别为80，73，64，99，121，似乎没有严格按照以往每篇95词左右的标准，平均字数87字，也有较大的下降。第六题为数字题，较易。第七题关于贸易逆差，较难。第八题较易，美联社记者在加沙遭绑架。第九题较难，南非禁止捕杀圈养动物的规定。第十题关于夏威夷发生地震，本身难度不大，但非常少见地考察Which of the following statements is true这样需要逐条排查的题型，而不局限于首句或细节信息，可能是今后新闻题的出题又一趋势。
Question No. 6: How many lives has the Dengue fever outbreak claimed in India?
答案C, 106，首句Indian health officials say a Dengue fever outbreak has claimed at least 106 lives. 这里claim…lives表示夺走…性命。干扰项A，11，指殃及印度11个省，干扰项B，57，来自于共有5700人收到登革热的影响，注意这里5700读为57 hundred，可能产生干扰。
Question No.7: Which of the following statements best describes Britain’s current economic situation?
答案A，首句Pushed up by soaring oil prices, Britain’s trade deficits surged to a record high in the summer. 核心信息trade deficits surged to a record high=…all-time high
Question No. 8: What is reported to have happened in Gaza city early Tuesday morning?
答案D，首句Palestinian gunmen in Gaza have kidnapped a Spanish photographer working for the Associated Press. 核心动词kidnap=take away，注意选项B强干扰，a Spanish businessman…其中businessman与原文不一致。
Question No.9: What do the new regulations stipulate according to South African Department of the Environment？
答案B，首句The hunting of lions and other big cats bred in captivity purely to die at the barrel of a gun will be outlawed under legislation that comes into force next year. Be outlawed=be made illegal，注意选项C核心动词与原文一致，be outlawed，但throughout the whole country偏离原文。
Question No. 10: Which of the following statements is true about Hawaii’s disaster early Sunday?
答案D
选项A中的at short notice未提及，原文只说allows her to mobilize…
选项B中的extensive damage and serious injuries，局部正确，但serious injuries与原文but no serious injuries不符。
选项C表示已经收到联邦救助，但原文只提及makes Hawaii eligible for federal emergency funds，有资格领取救助。
（责任编辑:秩名）
