CNN 2009-01-04

Hi, everyone. I'm Asieh Namdar at the CNN. com newsroom in Atlanta. Here's a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

An Israeli airstrike at a mosque¹ in Gaza, the latest in a round of attacks kills at least nine people. The attack comes at the start of Israel's second week of air assaults. Today leaflets from Israeli defense² forces litter the Gaza in skies, urging residents to leave their homes for their safety. Israeli tanks  waiting at the border and a ground attack on the Palestinian territory could start anytime.

In the meantime, protests and demonstrations³ continue around the world over the conflict. This morning thousands came out of London to march for an end to the Israeli military action. The march eventually ending in Trafalgar Square follows a week of protest outside the Israeli Embassy. Several other events are planned today by different groups around the world.

President Bush says Hamas is to blame for instigating⁴ the violence in Gaza. In his weekly radio address, the president again accused militants⁵ of waging a campaign of violence against Israel. He went on to say, since Hamas's violent takeover, living conditions have worsened for Palestinians in Gaza.

The president-elect will have that crisis and several others to deal with after he takes over the White House. But first Barack Obama and his family have to move to Washington, they'll do that on Sunday. They won't be staying at the usual spot of transition, the Blair House. It's all booked up according to the Bush administration. Instead, the president-elect and the family will stay in the Hay-Adams Hotel just across the street.

Celebrations for NASA today, the Mars rovers are spending their 5th year on the Red Planet. During their time, NASA says the rovers have made important discoveries about ancient Mars. The two rovers landed in January of 2004, lasting⁶ four years longer than planned, and they are still up and going.

And those are the headlines at this hour. For more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV or when you're on the go.

1 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

2 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。

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 instigating   

v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Distant but clear Longyin instigating the eardrums of every person. 遥远却清晰的龙吟鼓动着每一个人的耳膜。 来自互联网
• The leader was charged with instigating the workers to put down tools. 那位领导人被指控煽动工人罢工。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。