Senator Edward Kennedy dies at 77

He became a Democratic Massachusetts senator in 1962, replacing his brother when he resigned to become president, and was re-elected seven times.
　　Senator Kennedy had been a dominant¹ force in liberal US politics for almost half a century.
　　Recently, he was an active supporter of President Barack Obama.
　　He has championed issues like healthcare and education.
　　The liberal lion's mighty² roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall never dieHarry ReidSenate Majority leaderSenator Edward Kennedy: Your commentsKennedy family statementIn quotes: Edward Kennedy tributesIn 2006, Time magazine named him as one of America's "Ten Best Senators" saying that he had "amassed⁴ a titanic⁵ record of legislation affecting the lives of virtually every man, woman and child in the country".
　　The BBC's Richard Lister in Washington says Senator Kennedy, known affectionately as Teddy, will be remembered as one of the most effective and popular legislators in American history.
　　Our correspondent says he was also skilled at forging alliances across party lines: pushing an education initiative with President George W Bush, and immigration reform with Republican John McCain.
　　But he was also a fierce critic of the Bush administration, in particular over Iraq and the prisoner abuse scandal（丑闻）.
　　Senate Majority leader Harry³ Reid said the Kennedy family and the Senate had "together lost our patriarch".
　　"The liberal lion's mighty roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall never die," he said.
　　UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that Senator Kennedy would be "mourned not just in America but in every continent".
　　"Even facing illness and death, he never stopped fighting for the causes which were his life's work. I am proud to have counted him as a friend."'Joyous⁶ light'
　　The Kennedy family announced his death in a brief statement in the early hours of Wednesday.
　　EDWARD MOORE KENNEDY1932 Born, youngest of nine children1962 Becomes country's youngest senator1963, 1968 Brothers President John F Kennedy and Senator Robert F Kennedy both assassinated1969 "Chappaquiddick incident" - Kennedy flees scene after road crash in which his young passenger dies1980 Runs unsuccessfully for Democratic nomination⁹ against sitting President Jimmy CarterObituary: Edward Kennedy"Edward M. Kennedy, the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply, died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port (Massachusetts)," the statement said.
　　"We've lost the irreplaceable centre of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance¹⁰ will live on in our hearts forever."Edward Kennedy was the only one of four brothers to die a natural death.
　　His brother Joseph was killed in an air crash in World War II, and both President John F Kennedy and presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy were assassinated⁷ in the 1960s.
　　He was widely expected to be the next Kennedy in the White House, but he was never able to fully⁸ overcome the scandal caused in 1969, when he drove a car off a bridge at Chappaquiddick near his home, killing¹¹ his female passenger.
　　The incident helped derail his only presidential bid, more than a decade later.
　　But he remained active in politics right up until his death, famously endorsing¹² Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination during a tight race with Hillary Clinton last year.
　　At his death, he was the third longest serving senator in US history.
　　Last week, he asked the Massachusetts governor to change state law to allow a speedy succession when his Senate seat became vacant.
　　Analysts¹³ suggest that Senator Kennedy feared a lengthy¹⁴ gap could deny Democrats¹⁵ a crucial vote on Mr Obama's flagship health reform.
　　His death comes weeks after that of his older sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, on 11 August.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

2 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 amassed   

v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
• They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

6 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

7 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

10 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

15 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》