Hourly News 每日新闻 2013-07-25

 At least 35 die in train accident in northwestern Spain

At least 35 people are dead and over 100 others hurt in a train derailment in northern Spain.

The train jumped the tracks while pulling into the city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain's northwest Wednesday evening.

The train, which was travelling from Madrid to Ferrol, derailed on a bend shortly after coming out of a tunnel. 

The track itself was recently upgraded to allow for high-speed trains.

At least 13 carriages came off the rails, with several of them catching¹ fire. 

Around 240 people are thought to have been travelling on the train.

The train itself was full, as Thursday is the start of a four-day weekend in the region.

 

China to suspend VAT² for small businesses

The central government has rolled out another round of policies to try to give a lift to the economy amid the current slowdown.

The new measures include suspending taxes for small businesses, simplifying customs clearance³ procedures and further opening up the country's railway sector⁴.

The State Council has decided⁵ to suspend the value-added tax and turnover⁶ tax for small businesses with monthly sales of less than 20-thousand yuan starting in August.

The policy statement has been issued following an executive meeting headed by Premier⁷ Li Keqiang.

The State Council says the move will benefit more than 6-million small companies and boost the income for tens of millions of people.

 

U.S. seeking clarity on Snowden's status

US officials are now trying to clarify the status of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The White House has been talking with Russian officials following conflicting reports about the 30-year old's status.

It was intially reported on Wednesday that Snowden has recieved the necessary papers to leave the Moscow airport where he's been marooned⁸ for nearly a month.

However, Snowden's lawyer later issued a statement, saying the NSA contractor⁹ still remains¹⁰ stuck at the airport.

 

Egypt has started war against terrorism: presidency¹¹

Egyptian authorities have launched what they're calling their own "war on terrorism."

The statement follows a meeting among interim¹³ President Adli Mansour and his top advisors¹⁴.

This comes after the country's defense¹⁵ minister and military chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi put out a call for the liberal elements to take to the streets to support the military in its fight against terrorism.

Supporters of ousted¹⁶ President Mohamed Morsi are blasting the new call, describing it as rallying cry for a civil war.

 

U.S. halts delivery of F-16s to Egypt

The US government has decided to suspend the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Egypt.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon says given the current situation in Egypt, it would "not be appropriate" to move forward with the delivery.

The decision to suspend the jet deliveries has been made by US President Barack Obama and with the full support of his national security team.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon says while they've halted delivery of the fighter jets, the US remains committed to its defense relationship with Egypt.

The US provides billions of dollars in military assistance to Egypt every year.

 

6 killed as suicide bombers¹⁸ storm intelligence agency in S. Pakistan

At least 6 people are dead and close to 3-dozen others hurt after a suicide attack on a building home to Pakistan's spy agency.

A suicide bomber¹⁷ rammed¹⁹ a vehicle full of explosives into the front of the Inter¹² Services Intelligence complex in the city of Sukkur in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh.

Following the initial explosion, 4 more militants²⁰ entered the facilty.

Three managed to detonate their suicide vests.

A fourth has been arrested.

So far no group has claimed responsibility.

 

U.S. offshore²¹ rig on fire after gas blowout, platform collapses²²

There's been another well explosion in the Gulf²³ of Mexico.

This time a natural gas well has caught fire and collapsed²⁴ off the coast of Louisiana.

All 44 workers on the platform were evacuated²⁵ before the well collapsed because of the heat of the fire.

Environmental authorities say they've not seen any sheen on the surface of the water, meaning the still-burning natural gas well is not ejecting any oil or other hydrocarbons²⁶ into the water.

The companies which operate the rig are planning to send out a relief rig to try to bring the natural gas discharge under control.

 

Royal Baby name announced

Officials from Buckingham Palace has revealed the name of Britain's new prince.

George Alexander Louis, the Prince of Cambridge, will be the third in line to the throne. 

The name of six previous Kings, the name was a favourite of bookmakers ahead of the announcement.

 

China to curb²⁷ superfluous²⁸ talent shows

China's TV regulator has announced it's going to cap the number of singing competitions that can be broadcast.

The move is to try to prevent these programs from clogging²⁹ airwaves this summer.

New new directive says satellite broadcasters have to stop investing in any new singing competitions.

Shows that have already been produced, but have not yet aired, can't be aired until after the summer school vacation.

Series currently being aired are going to be put on different schedules.

This year has seen a huge surge in singing talent shows following the popularity and commercial success of the first season of "The Voice of China."

 

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 vat   

n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶

参考例句：

• The office is asking for the vat papers.办事处要有关增值税的文件。
• His father emptied sacks of stale rye bread into the vat.他父亲把一袋袋发霉的黑面包倒进大桶里。

3 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

7 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

8 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

9 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

12 inter   

v.埋葬

参考例句：

• They interred their dear comrade in the arms.他们埋葬了他们亲爱的战友。
• The man who died in that accident has been interred.在那次事故中死的那个人已经被埋葬了。

13 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

14 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

15 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

16 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

17 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

18 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

21 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

22 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

23 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

24 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

25 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

26 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

27 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

28 superfluous   

adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的

参考例句：

• She fined away superfluous matter in the design. 她删去了这图案中多余的东西。
• That request seemed superfluous when I wrote it.我这样写的时候觉得这个请求似乎是多此一举。

29 clogging   

堵塞，闭合

参考例句：

• This process suffers mainly from clogging the membrane. 这种过程的主要问题是滤膜的堵塞。
• And you know that eyewitness that's been clogging up the airwaves? 你知道那个充斥着电视广播的目击证人？