2017年雅思閲讀文章《匯豐銀行縮減運營成本》

雅思的閲讀理解出題內容廣泛，唯一可以確定的就是會涉及一些重要的社會現實新聞。下面為大家送上一篇2017年雅思閲讀文章，歡迎閲讀。

One of the world's biggest banks, HSBC, has announced the first details of a major cost-cutting exercise. It's to sell its businesses in Brazil and Turkey, reduce its asset base and shrink its investment bank. Kamal Ahmed reports.

“Europe's largest bank has announced that it wants to be significantly smaller. HSBC has revealed that its UK operations will be hit hard as it battles to find over 3.2 billion pounds of cost-savings. Stuart Gulliver, the bank's chief executive, said that it was time to recognize the world had changed, and the growth in Asia had to be the new focus. The bank is selling businesses in Turkey and Brazil, and will look to reduce the value of its risky assets by 290 billion pounds. HSBC also said that it will make a decision on whether it will retain its headquarters in London by the end of the year.”

The Islamic State group has created a network of booby-traps, tunnels and barricades in Mosul to defend the Iraqi city against an offensive by government forces. A BBC investigation into life there one year after its capture by IS has found that the group now controls most aspects of life, from dress codes to schools, which residents say have been used to indoctrinate children. Mahmud spoke to the BBC.

“I came home one day and saw my little brother drawing their Islamic State's flag and humming one of their chants. I went crazy, I took the drawing and tore it to pieces. We immediately removed him from school, as we'd rather he has no education at all than one such as IS is trying to spread. I’ve come to the conclusion that the goal of this organization is to plant the seed of violence, hate and sectarianism into children's minds.”

The Hong Kong government has issued a red alert against travel to South Korea because of the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome there. The warning advises against all non-essential travel, and indicates that the authorities believe visiting South Korea could pose a significant threat. The Health Ministry in Seoul says that seven people have now died from the outbreak of the respiratory disease.

A judge in the United States has ordered the release of Albert Woodfox, the last of the so-called “Angola Three” still in prison. Woodfox has been in solitary confinement for 43 years after the killing of a guard at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in 1972. Richard Hulls reports.

“Campaigners for the ‘Angola Three’ have always maintained there was no physical evidence to link them to the crime and all convictions have been overturned on numerous occasions. In his ruling, the judge said Albert Woodfox's poor health and the length of the time spent in solitary confinement had contributed to the decision to free him. No man in the US has ever spent as much time in solitary confinement as he has. With the exception of a six-month period in a secure dormitory in 2008, Albert Woodfox has spent all of the past 43 years incarcerated on his own.”

　　詞彙解釋：

y-trap n.餌雷 v.在微開的門上放一東西以驚打來人;設詭雷，布陷阱

Police were checking the area for booby traps.

警察在這一地區搜索餌雷。

ctrinate vt. 灌輸;教導

They have been completely indoctrinated.

他們完全被洗腦了。

arianism n. 宗派主義;教派意識

He condemned religious sectarianism.

他譴責宗派主義。

alert 緊急警報，紅色警報;應急狀況

All the St. Louis hospitals are on red alert.

所有的聖路易斯醫院都拉響了緊急警報。

inement n. 限制;監禁;分娩

She had been held in solitary confinement for four months.

她曾被單獨關押了4個月。

rcerate vt. 監禁;下獄;禁閉 adj. 監禁的';禁閉的

They were incarcerated for the duration of the war.

他們在戰爭期間被監禁。

chute n. 降落傘 vi. 跳傘，空投

They fell 41,000 ft. before opening their parachutes.

他們下落了41000英尺才打開他們的降落傘。

rsonic adj. 超音速的;超聲波的 n. 超音速;超聲波

There was a huge bang; it sounded like a supersonic jet.

發出一聲巨響;聽起來像一架超音速噴氣式飛機。