CNN 2009-01-09

Hello everyone, from the CNN headquarters here in Atlanta. I'm Catharine Calleway and thanks for checking in with us. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Israeli diplomats¹ have arrived in Egypt today for talks on the ending the Gaza offensive. Meanwhile fighting between Israel and Hamas has intensified² there. Israeli forces attacked some sixty targets across Gaza overnight. In a seperate development, four rockets fired from southern Lebanon landed in Israel. There was no claim of responsibility and Lebanese prime minister condemned³ the rocket attacks.

Barack Obama faces a trillion dollar challenge when he becomes president in just twelve days. He'll deliver what his transition team is calling "a major speech" on the economy coming up later this morning. He is expected to provide more details of his nearly 800-billion-dollar economic recovery plan that's aimed at creating jobs and consumer spending and also cutting taxes for individuals and businesses.

Macy's is the latest company to announce some cutbacks. Eleven locations will be shut down across the country after one of the weakest holiday shopping seasons in decades. Nearly a thousand employees will be affected⁴ by the closures. The company says that the move is normal pruning⁵ process to keep the corporation healthy.

Well the porn industry is begging for a bailout, that’s right. Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis and Husler's Larry Flynt say that they need about five billion dollars to save jobs in the adult entertainment industry. The request is believed  to be a bit of a tongue-in-cheek suggestion though. Both Flynt and Francis considered the porn industry, frankly⁶, is in no financial danger.

Confirmation⁷ hearing is beginning today. President-elect Obama's cabinet for, his cabinet choices in first step today is Tom Daschle,the choice for secretary of Health and Human services. The former South Dakota senator's expected to fill some questions on Obama's healthcare plans.

More than a foot of rain is forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate⁸ as flooding reaches historic levels in western Washington State. The problem’s even worse because unseasonably high temperatures are causing a lot of the snow to melt. Many roads and railways are closed because of flooding and landslides⁹ there.

Be sure to stick with CNN.com 24/7 for news around the world and of course we will have updates for you right here throughout the day.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 pruning   

n.修枝，剪枝，修剪v.修剪（树木等）( prune的现在分词 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分

参考例句：

• In writing an essay one must do a lot of pruning. 写文章要下一番剪裁的工夫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A sapling needs pruning, a child discipline. 小树要砍，小孩要管。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

7 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

8 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

9 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。