美联社一分钟新闻 2008-07-05
时间：2019-01-07 作者：英语课 分类：美联社新闻一分钟2008年(七)月
1. Thousands of Americans are celebrating the Fourth of July in the nation's capital. Washington's annual celebration takes place on the National Mall.
2. Former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms has died at the age of 86. Helms was a favorite of conservatives and a nemesis 1 of liberals. Helms served in Congress for 30 years.
3. Robert Mugabe says the world must deal with the reality that he is Zimbabwe's president. Mugabe was reelected last week after the opposition 2 withdrew from the election.
4. The annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island came down to an eat-off．American Joey Chestnut 3 successfully defended his title defeating his rival Takeru Kobayashi.
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. the Fourth of July
In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating 4 the adoption 5 of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals 6, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.
2.the National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Officially termed by the National Park Service the National Mall & Memorial Parks, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center.
3.Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was a five-term United States Senator from North Carolina, and a member of the Republican Party. He served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was an outspoken 7 conservative who opposed communism, tax increases, abortion 8, homosexuality, and affirmative action.
4.favorite/favourite n.
one that is treated or regarded with special favor or liking 9; especially : a person who is specially 10 loved, trusted, or provided with favors by someone of high rank or authority.
5.nemesis[singular]n.
an opponent or enemy that is likely to be impossible for you to defeat, or a situation that is likely to be impossible for you to deal with
e.g.meet/face your nemesis
6.come down to (something) idiom
to be recognized as the most important thing.
e.g. It comes down to simply teaching the basics to these kids--they don't know anything.
- Uncritical trust is my nemesis.盲目的相信一切害了我自己。
- Inward suffering is the worst of Nemesis.内心的痛苦是最厉害的惩罚。
- The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
- The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
- We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
- In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。
- He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网
- An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
- The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。
- The Venice Carnival is one of the oldest and most famous international carnivals in the world. 威尼斯嘉年华是世界上最古老、最富盛名的国际嘉年华会之一。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
- A few exceptions would be made, he said, such as for carnivals. 他说一些免责条款将被制定出来，例如嘉年华会。
- He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
- She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。
- She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
- A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。
- The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
- I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。