BBC News Review 古巴抗议：数百万人断电

2026-03-21 浏览(1)
From BBC Learning English,
this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
In this programme,
protests in Cuba as millions without power.
Hello, I'm Becca.
And I'm Pippa.
In this podcast, we look at one big news story
and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.
You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,
as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
So, let's hear more about this story.
Five people were arrested in Cuba
after a small protest destroyed the offices
in the central city of Moron overnight last weekend,
Cuba's Interior ministry said.
These protests come as a reaction to electricity blackouts and shortages
of food, fuel and medicine,
which have been worsened by a US blockade on oil.
Yes, a blockade happens when certain goods, such as oil,
are stopped from coming into a place.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Friday
that no fuel had entered the country in three months.
The capital, Havana, has seen blackouts of up to 15 hours a day.
This has affected hospitals, public transport, education, rubbish collection
and heavily impacted Cuba's economy.
Let's have a look at our first headline.
This headline is from BBC News.
Cuban protesters ransack Communist office as energy crisis deepens.
That headline again from BBC News.
Cuban protesters ransack Communist office as energy crisis deepens.
This headline is about the protest that was held at the entrance
to the Communist office building on Friday.
It's been reported that the protest began peacefully,
but grew more destructive as people started throwing rocks
and starting fires.
Yes, and the word we're looking at describes this kind of action.
The headline says that protesters ransacked
the office. Now, to ransack is to search a place in a violent or careless way.
Imagine if your house is broken into,
burglars might ransack the place looking for valuables and leave it in a mess.
In this story, it's not mentioned whether protesters were looking
for something in particular,
but we also use ransack to describe just breaking into something
and causing destruction.
You can also use ransack in a less serious way to mean looking
for something in an energetic or desperate way.
For example, I was late for work and I couldn't find my car keys,
so I ransacked the drawers looking for them.
We've had ransack, to search a place in a violent or careless way.
For example, the police ransacked the office looking for evidence.
This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.
We're talking about the energy crisis in Cuba.
As we've discussed,
Cuba has not received oil shipments since early January
because of the US blockade, worsening the humanitarian and energy crisis.
Since the Cuban revolution in the 1950s,
the US and Cuba have had a difficult relationship.
Sanctions and trade restrictions have been in place since the early 1960s.
Cuba was receiving a third of its oil from Venezuela
until a US operation removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
As the island nation experienced total darkness
after its national power grid collapsed,
US President Donald Trump made it clear that he wants a change
in Cuba's leadership.
He said on Monday that Cuba was in "deep trouble"
as he threatened what he described as a "friendly takeover".
Let's have our next headline.
This headline is from Al Jazeera, an international news organisation.
Trump threatens to 'take' Cuba as island grapples with nationwide blackout.
That headline again from Al Jazeera.
Trump threatens to take Cuba as island grapples with nationwide blackout.
This headline mentions how President Trump says he'll take Cuba.
Yes, it adds that the island is currently grappling
with a nationwide blackout.
What can you tell us about this phrasal verb, Becca?
Well, the verb to grapple means to physically hold onto someone
with the intention of fighting or harming them.
For example, in sports like wrestling,
opponents will grapple with each other.
However, we can use it metaphorically to express dealing with
or trying to understand a difficult problem or idea.
Yes. So, right now Cuba is grappling with or trying to deal
with these forced blackouts.
We can also say that they're wrestling with these problems.
We can use grapple with for more everyday situations as well.
For example, I tried my best to grapple with the difficult maths problem.
We've had grapple with, try to deal with,
or understand a difficult problem or idea.
For example,
many politicians are still grappling with the impacts of social media
on young people.
This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.
We're talking about the impact of the recent blockade of oil to Cuba
by the US.
The Cuban government has been trying to improve the economy in the country.
As of Monday, Cuba has extended an invitation to Cuban Americans
and other Cubans living abroad to invest in and own businesses on the island.
Yes, they're saying that the "doors are open" to this community.
Before, Cubans living on the island had been allowed to open
and operate private businesses since 2021.
But Cubans living off the island were not permitted the same businesses.
More than one million Cubans have migrated from the island since 2021,
and so it is thought that there is a lot of business potential there.
If the change goes ahead,
Cubans living abroad could fully participate in business activity,
which may help the economy.
Let's have another headline.
This is from Reuters, an international news agency.
Cuba invites exiles to invest in businesses on the island.
And that headline again from Reuters.
Cuba invites exiles to invest in businesses on the island.
This headline is about Cubans who have moved away from the island.
And the word we're looking at is exiles.
Yes, an exile is someone who has been sent away or leaves their own country,
often for political reasons.
You might hear it in its verb form
to exile, which means to send someone away from a place.
We can also describe someone as being in exile,
which means they've been sent or kept away.
For example,
the opposition leader returned home as a hero after ten years in exile.
We often hear the phrases forced exile, political exile and internal exile,
this is the forced relocation of a person to a part of their own country,
rather than being sent to another country.
Beyond the political meaning,
you can also be exiled from something other than a country.
For example, you might be exiled from your family after a big disagreement.
We've had exile, someone who has been sent away
or leaves a place, often for political reasons.
For example, he's been living as an exile for years
after being threatened with arrest for his political views.
That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.
We'll be back next week with another news story.
Try the worksheet on our website to test what you've learned,
bbclearningenglish.com.
And you can follow us on social media @bbclearningenglish.
Goodbye for now. Bye.
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