听力教程2news (unit 1—5)文本.docVIP

Unit 1 News Item 1 The Japanese electronic giant Sony has slashed* its annual earnings forecast again. It’s expected to report an annual operating loss of almost three billion dollars. The company had previously forecast a profit of two billion dollars. If confirmed, this would be Sonys first loss in 14 years, the second only since the company was listed on* the Tokyo stock exchange in 1958 Like other Japanese exporters, Sony is taking a beating* from the global slump*. The yens appreciation* also means less profit --- as the company gets 80 percent of its sales from overseas. News Item 2 World Trade Organization ministers are meeting in Montreal*, Canada. The trade ministers have been debating the issue of reducing import taxes and government aid for certain services, especially farming. Major agricultural exporters like the United States, Australia and Brazil want all import duties cut to an average of 25%. Importers such as the European Unions, Japan and some developing countries say import taxes should be cut by some reasonable percentage based on the country. The United States and European Unions are under pressure to reach a farming agreement that other WTO members can support. The WTO is also divided on the issue of providing necessary drugs to poor countries. News Item 3 Russian gas could soon be flowing back into Europe. A spokesman for Naftogaz, the Ukrainian state energy company, told the BBC that Ukraine would accept the presence of Russian monitors as part of a broader EU mission to check the volume of Russian gas entering and exiting Ukraine. This appeared on Thursday night to be the key demand from Moscow, the condition on which Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, would agree to turn on the taps. But, even if the deal is accepted by all sides and gas flows to Europe resume*, there are still difficult negotiations ahead on the underlying issue* that caused the switch-off in the first place: how much Ukraine should pay Russia for the gas it consumes, and