美联社一分钟新闻 2009-03-22
时间：2019-01-11 作者：英语课 分类：美联社新闻一分钟2009年(三)月
1. Iran's supreme 1 leader is dismissing overtures 2 from President Barack Obama. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says even though Obama congratulated Iranians on the Persian new year, US policy toward Iran hasn't changed. Obama has offered to ease relations if Iran tones down its combative 3 rhetoric 4.
2. President Obama has listed his budget priorities in his weekly radio and Internet address. Obama says any budget Congress approves must cut the deficit 5, reform health care, invest in education and reduce US dependence 6 on foreign oil.
3. The Pope is in Angola on his first pilgrimage to Africa. Pope Benedict has appealed to people to reach out and convert believers in witchcraft 7 to Catholicism. Eighty percent of the country's population is Christian 8.
4. Round two of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament gets underway today and more upsets could be on tap. Last night, 13th-seed Cleveland State pulled off the big shocker by knocking off fourth-seed Wake Forest 84 to 69.
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. overtures: [plural] n.
an attempt to begin a friendly relationship with a person, country etc
2. offer to do something:
to say that you are willing to do something
3. tone down: phr v.
If you tone down something that you have written or said, you make it less forceful, severe, or offensive.
4. witchcraft: n.
the use of magic powers, especially evil ones, to make things happen
5. upset: n.
when a person or team defeats an opponent who is considered to be much better than them
6. be on tap:
informal something that is on tap is ready to use when you need it
7. pull off: phr v.
If you pull off something very difficult, you succeed in achieving it.
8. shocker: n.
a film, news story, action etc that shocks you - used especially in news reports
- It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
- He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
- Their government is making overtures for peace. 他们的政府正在提出和平建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. 最近他开始主动表示友好，样子笨拙却又招人喜爱。 来自辞典例句
- Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
- She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。
- Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
- Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。
- The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
- We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。
- Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
- He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。
- The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
- All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。