Buffer Zone: 缓冲地带 UN Peacekeepers Moved in on Tuesday to Create a Buffer Zone Between Rival

Buffer zone: 缓冲地带
UN peacekeepers moved in on Tuesday to create a buffer zone between rival factions of the Congolese army.
2004-12-24
Ration: 定量配给
The agency has been steadily cutting rations to more than 2.8 million people in Southern Africa over the last six months, many of them living with HIV/AIDS and many of them children. Most have been surviving on half a normal ration, or less.
2004-12-23
Casualty: 伤亡（人数）
While a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, 70 percent of Americans think these gains have come at an "unacceptable" cost in military casualties, the poll shows.
2004-12-23
Head off: 阻止，拦截
In setting up a Commission on Truth and Friendship, the two countries hope to head off a parallel initiative by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is weighing his own expert commission to review whether justice was done after the 1999 violence, their foreign ministers said after talks with Annan.
2004-12-22
Bravado: 虚张声势
Protected by U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, Britain's Tony Blair flew into Iraq on Tuesday in a surprise show of political bravado designed to boost prospects for Iraqi elections and cheer UK troops before Christmas.
2004-12-22
Round up: 围捕，使集拢
Police rounded up dozens of suspects on Monday after twin suicide car bombings killed 66 people in Iraq's Shi'ite holy cities, attacks that intensified fears of sectarian violence during elections on Jan. 30.
2004-12-21
Pharaoh: 法老，暴君
Now, following a 20-year re-examination of historical records and uncovering new evidence, Vassil Dobrev, a French Egyptologist, claims to have proved that the largest single stone statue on Earth is the work of a forgotten pharaoh.
2004-12-21
Brief: 辩护状
Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, has prepared a 50-page brief which contains advice to take the case to US courts to ensure he receives a fair trial, the Sunday Times reported after saying it had seen the document.
2004-12-20
At will: 随意，任意
The deadly strikes highlighted the apparent ability of the insurgents to launch attacks almost at will, despite confident assessments by U.S. military commanders that they had regained the initiative after last month's campaign against militants in Fallujah.
2004-12-20
Overturn: 否决
Caitriona Ruane, who heads the "Bring Them Home" campaign that sought the Irishmen's release, said the court overturned an earlier decision clearing James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley of terrorism-related charges.
2004-12-17

Ebbed: 退潮，衰落
Israeli troops killed nine Palestinians during a raid into Gaza, the bloodiest in two weeks, where fighting has not ebbed despite expectations that moderate Mahmoud Abbas will win a presidential poll to replace Yasser Arafat next month.
2004-12-31
Laser beam: 激光束
Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet traveling at more than 8,500 feet.
2004-12-31
Warplane: 军用机
US troops backed by Warplanes have killed 25 guerrillas in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul after facing a fierce coordinated assault by two suicide bombs and dozens of insurgents, the military say.
2004-12-30
Ward off: 防止，挡住
Bodies were piled into mass graves in the belief that burial would ward off disease. Paramedics in southern India began vaccinating thousands of survivors against cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and dysentery, and authorities sprayed bleaching powder on beaches where bodies have been recovered. In Sri Lanka, reports of waterborne disease such as diarrhea caused fears of an epidemic.
2004-12-30
Mudslide: 泥流
A powerful storm moved along the California's Coast Monday and Tuesday, causing highway-blocking mudslides, flooding and power outages.
2004-12-29
Shiite: 什叶派教徒
A main Sunni Muslim political party withdrew from Iraq's upcoming elections on Monday, and a suicide bomb attack on the nation's largest Shiite party killed at least six people and wounded 33 others, police said.
2004-12-29
Sanitation: 公共卫生设施
The disaster could be the costliest in history as well, with "many billions of dollars" of damage, said U.N. Undersecretary Jan Egeland, who is in charge of emergency relief coordination. Hundreds of thousands have lost everything, and millions face a hazardous future because of polluted drinking water, a lack of sanitation and no health services, he said.
2004-12-28
Fraudulent: 欺骗性的，欺诈的
"We have been independent for 14 years but we were not free," Yushchenko told the festive crowd in Kiev's central Independence Square, the center of weeks of protests after the fraudulent and now-annulled Nov. 21 ballot in which Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych had been declared the winner.
2004-12-27
Tsunami: 海啸
The earthquake hit at 6:58 a.m.; the tsunami came as much as 2 1/2 hours later, without warning, on a morning of crystal blue skies. Sunbathers and snorkelers, cars and cottages, fishing boats and even a lighthouse were swept away.
2004-12-27

Fahrenheit: 华氏度
Two hit films that have been snubbed this awards season in Hollywood snared top People's Choice honors on Sunday as anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" was named best film and "The Passion of The Christ" best film drama.
2005-01-11
Pragmatic: 实干的，注重实效的
The victory of the staid and pragmatic Abbas, who has spoken out against violence and has the backing of the international community, was expected to usher in a new era, after four decades of chaotic and corruption-riddled rule by Yasser Arafat who died Nov. 11.
2005-01-10
Curfew: 宵禁
Emergency powers allow the government to impose curfews, close borders and airports and detain suspects without following normal legal procedures. The emergency applies to all regions of Iraq except the Kurdish north, which has been relatively stable.
2005-01-07
Unseat: 使失去资格
High humidity, poor air quality and some of the nation's longest commute times also helped Texas' most populous city unseat Detroit, the 2004 heavyweight champion, the magazine said.
2005-01-07
Congeniality: 趣味相同，意气相投
Bullock, whose screen credits include "Miss Congeniality," "While You Were Sleeping" and "Speed," contacted the American Red Cross last week, the organization said Monday.
2005-01-06
Catastrophe: 异常的灾祸
The president was criticized for his initial reaction to the catastrophe when he pledged $15 million from the United States, with some critics pointing out that this was less than half what will be spent on Bush's inauguration. The pledge has since risen to $350 million.
2005-01-06
Beef up: 加强，补充
But experts warn the high-tech network of sensors and buoys would be useless unless countries like Indonesia beef up communications links to the coastal communities that would be hit by giant waves.
2005-01-05
Payroll tax: 工资税
The Bush administration is focusing on a Social Security proposal that would allow younger workers to invest nearly two-thirds of their payroll taxes in private accounts, with contributions limited to about $1,000 to $1,300 a year, an administration official said Tuesday.
2005-01-05
Indigenous: 本土的；土产的
The shooting started before dawn on a bridge on the other side of town from the captured police station in Andahuaylas, 275 miles southeast of Lima, Radioprogramas radio reported. The station was seized Saturday by followers of Antauro Humala, a retired army major who, along with his brother, seeks to establish a nationalist indigenous movement modeled on the ancient Incan Empire.
2005-01-04
Spearhead: 充当先锋，带头
Although the United States was not among the first at the scene after last week's natural disaster thousands of miles from American shores, it is now spearheading the international relief effort and delivering more supplies than any other nation. A U.S. warship strike group carrying thousands more Marines was headed in to help.
2005-01-04

Enclave: 被包围的领土
The top Palestinian security official Wednesday ordered troops deployed along the Gaza-Israel frontier in an attempt to curb attacks from the Arab enclave, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reversed course again, approving a "security meeting" that for the time being headed off a possible large-scale Israeli invasion to curb the surging violence.
2005-01-20
Give no ground: 毫不让步
Secretary of State nominee Condoleezza Rice gave no ground in Senate confirmation questioning Tuesday, insisting the United States was fully prepared for the Iraq war and its aftermath and refusing to give a timetable for U.S. troops to come home.
2005-01-19
Thwart: 阻挠，妨碍
Insurgents in Iraq threatened yesterday to kill eight Chinese hostages as Baghdad officials said they would close land borders and restrict traffic across the country in a bid to thwart attacks during next week's election.
2005-01-19
Archbishop: 大主教
The Iraqi Catholic archbishop of Mosul was kidnapped at gunpoint on Monday and the Vatican demanded his quick release and deplored what it branded an act of terrorism.
2005-01-18
Inauguration: 就职典礼，开幕式
An unprecedented level of security is planned for George W. Bush's inauguration on Jan. 20, including six thousand police officers, 2,500 military personnel, and dozens of federal security agencies on patrol.
2005-01-17
Malaria: 疟疾，瘴气
Health officials plan to go door to door and tent to tent with mosquito-killing spray guns beginning Friday to head off a looming threat that one expert says could kill 100,000 more people around the tsunami disaster zone: malaria.
2005-01-14
Convoy: 护送队
The White House on Wednesday said the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has ended without any evidence of the banned weapons, while guerrillas attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi convoy in Mosul, killing two Iraqi National Guard.
2005-01-13
Comet: 彗星
A NASA spacecraft with a Hollywood name Deep Impact blasted off Wednesday on a mission to smash a hole in a comet and give scientists a glimpse of the frozen primordial ingredients of the solar system.
2005-01-13
Hamlet: 小村庄，部落
Rescuers with listening devices sensitive enough to pick up a whimper or a faint tapping searched on Tuesday for victims feared buried in a mudslide that sent a thunderous cascade of trees and dirt onto this seaside hamlet.
2005-01-12
Escalate: 冲突逐步升级
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is one of the more heavily armored U.S. military vehicles, suggesting that the roadside bomb was more powerful than those typically used in recent months. The Defense Department said last week that insurgents were increasing the size and power of the bombs they plant as they escalate their attacks before the Jan. 30 election.
2005-01-11

Lay out: 制定，设计
The Massachusetts Democrat, who opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, became the first senator to lay out a plan for Bush to start withdrawing troops a day after the Pentagon warned lawmakers that strikes by insurgents may increase after Sunday's elections.
2005-01-28
Normalcy: 标准，常态
More than 100 schools reopened throughout the province, to give surviving pupils some kind of normalcy.
2005-01-27
Corpsman: 医务兵，海军看护兵
Thirty Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed in a helicopter crash near Iraq's border with Jordan, bringing the number of U.S. troops killed Wednesday to 37 -- the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the start of the war in Iraq.
2005-01-27
Stampede: 蜂拥，惊跑
A stampede of religious pilgrims, packed along a narrow road leading to a Hindu shrine, killed at least 215 people in western India Tuesday afternoon, Indian officials said.
2005-01-26
Cheerleader: 啦啦队队长
For his part, Bush played cheerleader in chief at a rally before the march, telling tens of thousands of anti-abortion protesters on the Ellipse that their approach to the debate this year would "change hearts and minds" of those still favoring abortion rights.
2005-01-25
In custody: 被拘留
An al-Qaida lieutenant in custody in Iraq has confessed to masterminding most of the car bombings in Baghdad, including the bloody 2003 assault on the U.N. headquarters in the capital, authorities said Monday.
2005-01-25
A state of panic: 恐慌状态
"Iraqi women face more stress than they can handle," another candidate, Widjan al-Khuzri told ABC News recently. "We live in a state of panic."
2005-01-24
Abductee: 被绑架者
"My biggest wish now is to hear my son's voice on the phone, the newspaper quoted Wei Shoulong, the father of one abductee, as saying.
2005-01-24
Quadrennial: 四年一次的
More than 100,000 people gathered outside the Capitol in chilly weather as the traditional pomp and ceremony of the quadrennial presidential inauguration took place under unprecedented security.
2005-01-21
Staggering: 令人惊愕或沮丧的
Indonesia is reporting a staggering new death toll from the tsunami disaster as recovery efforts slowly resolve the fates of tens of thousands of missing people.
2005-01-20

Skewed: 倾斜的，弯曲的
Officials haven't tallied results yet from Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish areas, and the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq cautioned the early data on how the Shiite region voted cannot be used to interpret the final election results because of the skewed demographics.
2005-02-05
Disclose: 揭露，透露，泄露
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld disclosed Thursday that he had offered President Bush his resignation twice during the height of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal last year. He said he wanted the decision on his future to be placed in Bush's hands.
2005-02-04
Emaciated: 消瘦的，衰弱的
The five men, two women and two children were found in a forest on Great Nicobar on Wednesday, according to a police source. The survivors were hungry, weak and emaciated, the source said.
2005-02-03
Homemade: 家庭自制的，本国制的
Leftist rebels attacked a Colombian marine post in southwest Colombia with homemade rockets early Tuesday, killing at least 14 soldiers and wounding about 25, the commander of the Colombian navy said.
2005-02-03
Minefield: 布雷区
The newly discovered minefields, some of which border on Honduras and Costa Rica, were probably laid by U.S.-backed Contra rebels who fought to overthrow Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista government of the time, the Defense Ministry said.
2005-02-02
Mafioso: 黑手党成员
Italian police raided houses and hideouts around the Sicilian city of Catania on Monday and arrested 45 Mafiosi accused of cocaine trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.
2005-02-01
Inmate: 同住者，同室者
American troops opened fire to put down a riot Monday at a prison camp in southern Iraq that left four inmates dead and six wounded, U.S. military officials said.
2005-02-01
Ransack: 到处搜索，洗劫
Nearly three dozen people roared up on motorcycles to the main building of Karachi's largest news group Saturday, overpowering the security staff and ransacking the reception area, offices and a relief camp set up to collect goods for tsunami victims.
2005-01-31
Resounding: 彻底的，极大的
In Washington, President George W. Bush said the election was a ``resounding success'' and ``the world is hearing the voice of freedom'' from the Middle East. ``By participating in free elections, the Iraqi people have firmly rejected the anti- democratic ideology of the terrorists,'' Bush said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's main ally in Iraq, later praised the ``courage'' of Iraqi voters.
2005-01-31
Hominid: 原始人类
Fossil hunters in Ethiopia have discovered the remains of at least nine primitive hominids, nearly 4.5 million years old, which scientists claim could help fill some of the gaps in early human evolution.
2005-01-28

Torrential: 奔流的、湍急的
Rivers of mud, rocks and uprooted trees scarred the landscape in a mountain valley where dozens of people were missing Monday after devastating floods and landslides, the latest victims from torrential rains across Venezuela and Colombia that have killed at least 86 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
2005-02-16
Procession: 行列，队伍
In Lebanon, noisy street processions mourned former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri a day before the funeral that will bring international leaders to Beirut. Angry Lebanese attacked Syrian workers in his hometown of Sidon, injuring several and shattering the windows of a Syrian-owned bakery.
2005-02-16
Al Jazeera: 半岛电视台
In the survey of almost 2,000 ad executives, brand managers and academics by online magazine Brandchannel, Apple ousted search engine Google from last year's top spot, but the surprise to many will be Al Jazeera's entry into the top five.
2005-02-13
Migrate: 移居，移民
Unskilled foreigners will find it harder to migrate to Britain under new proposals, which also call for stricter screening of asylum seekers and tighter border controls.
2005-02-11
Hospitalization: 住院治疗
The 10-minute appearance at an open window gave the public its first glimpse of the 84-year-old pontiff since his hospitalization, which rekindled questions about his ability to carry on.
2005-02-08
Rosy: 光明或愉快的
Bolstered by a humming economy and widespread approval of his response to the December tsunami tragedy, Thaksin's projected win surpassed even his and his party's rosiest expectations.
2005-02-07
Clash: 冲突，战斗
Fourteen attackers also died in the clash that broke out about 10:30 p.m. in Mahawil, 50 miles south of Baghdad, police Capt. Muthana Khalid Ali said. The dead included five Iraqi national guardsmen and 17 policemen, he said.
2005-02-07
Stave off: 挡开，延迟
Hungry Zimbabweans are staving off starvation by selling property and getting money from relatives abroad, but rights groups fear food may still become a political weapon ahead of elections in March.
2005-02-06
Embolden: 壮胆，鼓励
That could embolden Kurds in southeastern Turkey, where the Turkish army has been battling Kurdish rebels since 1984, a fight that has left 37,000 dead.
2005-02-06
Snatch: 攫取，抢夺
An Italian journalist was snatched from her car Friday in Baghdad, police said.
2005-02-05

Low-key: 低调的
The queen planned to stay away to respect the couple's wish for a low-key wedding, the palace said. But some royal watchers said the move would further embarrass the royal family and add to an air of farce around the April 8 ceremony.
2005-02-23
Flatten: 夷为平地
Under a cold, driving rain, survivors wailed over the bodies of the dead and dug through the ruins of mud-brick houses searching for their loved ones after a powerful earthquake flattened villages in central Iran on Tuesday, killing at least 420 people.
2005-02-23
Authenticity: 真实性
CNN could not confirm the authenticity of the video.
2005-02-22
Avalanche: 雪崩，山崩
Avalanches and slides triggered by heavy weekend snowfall in India's portion of Kashmir have killed at least 154 people and left 200 missing, an official said Monday.
2005-02-22
De facto: 事实上的
Prospects for peacemaking in the Middle East have strengthened since Abbas was elected to succeed Yasser Arafat on a platform of non-violence and persuaded the armed factions to follow a de facto truce.
2005-02-21
Unilateral: 单方面的，单边的
With the vote, an Israeli government agreed for the first time since capturing the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war to dismantle some of the dozens of Jewish settlements it has built there. However, approving the route of the barrier, Israel acted unilaterally on what was to be a key issue in peace talks with the Palestinians, and signaled it will keep a chunk of prime West Bank land close to Jerusalem, including two large Jewish settlement blocs.
2005-02-21
Atone: 弥补（过错），赎（罪）
Facing a brewing revolt by some undergraduate faculty, Summers posted a transcript of his remarks on his Web site ( along with a letter in which he again atoned for the things he said.
2005-02-18
Besiege: 包围，团团围住
President Bush named John Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, as the government's first national intelligence director Thursday, turning to a veteran diplomat to revive a spy community besieged by criticism after the Sept. 11 attacks.
2005-02-18
Mosque: 清真寺
Giuliana Sgrena, who was abducted in front of a mosque on February 4, talked in Italian and in French, saying that action to end the occupation is the only way she can be freed.
2005-02-17
Concur: 同意，赞成
Otari concurred, saying, "The challenges we face in Syria and Iran require us to be in one front to confront all the challenges imposed (on us) by others."
2005-02-17