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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
It's Paul James with you on this Thursday, February 12, 2015.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
A dramatic hostage-taking has reportedly come to an end in Taiwan.
It's been announced Chinese President Xi Jinping will be making a State Visit to the US in September.
A critical round of peace talks to try to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine is underway in Minsk.
In business... orders are already being taken for cars being sold through the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.
In Sports... Liaoning and Qingdao set for a semi-final showdown in the CBA playoffs.
In entertainment.... Chinese authorities planning a major investment in overseas cultural centers.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...
Weather
Shanghai is cloudy with a high of 12 and a low of 5 degrees Celsius.
Chongqing, sunny to cloudy with a high of 18.
Elsewhere in Asia.
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 31.
Kabul, cloudy with a high of 16.
Over to North America.
New York, snowy to windy with a high of 4 degree Celsius.
Washington, windy with a high of 5 degrees Celsius.
Honolulu, cloudy, with a high of 25.
Toronto, windy to cloudy with a high of minus 9.
Finally, in South America,
Buenos Aires will have shower, 35.
And Rio de Janeiro, sunny, with a high of 37 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Six inmates who had taken a warden3 and another correction officer hostage at a prison in southern Taiwan have reportedly committing suicide.
The two hostages are said to have escaped unharmed.
The prisoners, under the guise4 of needing medical care, managed to over-power their guards before taking them hostage.
No other casualties have been reported.
The six inmates involved had been serving long-term sentences for burglary, murder and drug crimes.
Authorities say the ring-leader, Cheng Li-te, was a member of a notorious mafia-type organization known as the Bamboo Union.
He was serving a 28-year sentence for murder.
Cheng, in-contact with a local media outlet8 during the hostage taking, said he and his group were prepared to die, and had been planning to escape for a long time.
They had been demanding safe passage out of the prison in Kaohsiung.
President Xi to Pay State Visit to U.S. in Sept.
It's been announced Xi Jinping's first state-visit to the United States as President is going to take place sometime in September.
US President Barack Obama has offered an official invitation to Xi Jinping to visit the US to, among other things, take part in activities leading upto the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
The two sides have already been making preparations, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi sitting down to hammer out agenda items with Deputy US Secretary of State Tony Blinken in Beijing this week.
"Just a short while ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama. Both presidents affirmed again what we have achieved in 2014 and they had an extensive exchange of views on how to deepen strategic mutual10 trust between the two countries, how to promote practical cooperation, how to respect each other's concerns and properly address the differences we have."
Xi Jinping made an informal visit to the United States to meet privately11 with US President Barack Obama in California shortly after taking office.
China and the US to talk possible extradition12 treaty in August
Anti-corruption14 officials from China and the United States have announced plans for a meeting in August to talk about the possibility of creating an extradition treaty between the two countries.
The proposed talks are a follow-up from an anti-corruption commitment made by both Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama at the APEC meeting in Beijing in November.
"China encourages all APEC economies to follow through on the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption, enhance practical cooperation on the repatriation16 of corrupt13 officials, recovery and return of proceeds of corruption and other areas. It is necessary for both China and the United States to explore effective and new means to carry forward the current cooperation. We will keep in touch with the American side in this regard."
China currently has extradition treaties with 36 countries.
The lack of an extradition treaty between China and the United States, along with Canada and Australia, has made them attractive destinations for economic fugitives17 or corrupt officials fleeing China.
China's graft-busters hit more SOEs
Chinese discipline authorities say the first round of inspections18 this year are going to cover 26 centrally-administered state-owned enterprises.
The inspections themselves are set to begin after Spring Festival.
Chinese state-owned companies have been criticized for, among other things, the selling and buying of positions and forming cliques19.
A previous round of inspections led to the dismissal of 70 different executives last year.
Four-way talks underway in Minsk as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine
The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine has begun a new round of Ukranian peace talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
The Franco-German brokered20 talks are pressing for a lasting21 ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and rebel forces.
Key sticking points at the talks include drawing a line of division, the withdrawal22 of troops and heavy weapons, as well as securing the Ukrainian-Russian border and giving the regions in the east of Ukraine more autonomy.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says "noticeable progress" has already been made in advance of the peace talks.
However, he contends it's "unrealistic" for Kiev to demand full-control along its border with Russia.
"Without any doubt, if now, when fighting is continuing, there is a desire to put at the top the issue of reclaiming24 control by the Ukrainian authorities over the full length of the border between Ukraine and Russia, then in those parts that are controlled by the rebels they need to agree on it with the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics. I think it is obvious."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is warning if no deal can be struck at this round of talks, the situation in eastern Ukraine could spin out of control.
"The entire world is waiting to see whether the situation moves toward de-escalation, weapons drawdown, ceasefire, and if there won't be any deaths. And if Minsk won't become this symbol, then this situation will explode. I'm convinced that it will spin out of control."
Fighting in eastern Ukraine has been intensifying25.
The uptick in violence has prompted the US and some of its other NATO allies to suggest they may be considering passing along weapons to Ukranian authorities.
However, a number of countries in Europe, particularly Germany, have warned against such moves.
Moscow has also warned of consequences if NATO begins shuttling arms into Ukraine.
Obama send Congress request for authorization26 for the use of military force
Anchor:
US President Barack Obama sent a formal request to the US Congress for authorization for the use of military force in the fight against the Islamic State.
CRI's chief Washington correspondent Xiaohong has more.
Reporter:
In a letter to Congress, President Obama contends that if left unchecked, ISIL will pose a threat beyond the Middle East, including the United States.
But in making the symbolic27 request to Congress, Obama is also ruling out any large-scale ground combat operations involving US troops.
"The resolution we submitted today does not call for the deployment28 of U.S. ground combat forces to Iraq or Syria. It is not the authorization of another ground war like Afghanistan or Iraq."
The Obama administration has insisted that any ground combat operations should be left to local forces.
His proposal to Congress contains an operational limit of 3-years.
"I do not believe America's interests are served by endless war or by remaining on a perpetual war footing."
But in setting the timeline, he says the move shouldn't be viewed as timetable for completing the mission, but rather an opportunity for Congress to revisit the situation at the beginning of the next President's term.
The request is already creating political waves.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner has issued a statement, saying -quote- "any authorization for the use of military force must give military commanders the flexibility29 and authority they need to succeed and protect our people."
Boehner contends the request by Obama doesn't meet that standard.
If US lawmakers do approve the request, it would be the first time in 13 years Congress has authorized31 a President's use of force.
Lawmakers voted to give then-President George W. Bush the green light to invade Iraq in 2002.
300 migrants feared dead after boats sink: UNHCR
More than 300 migrants are feared dead after their flotilla was caught up in rough weather in the Mediterranean32 this week.
A group of boats set off from Libya on Saturday in an attempt to reach Italy's Lampedusa Island, which is located a few hundred kilometers off the northern coast of Libya.
However, it’s feared all four of the boats in the floatilla have gone down.
Carlotta Sami is with the UN High Commissioner33 for Refugees office in Italy.
"They confirmed what other survivors34 previously35 said, that there were 203 people with them that have disappeared. They have been swallowed by the sea, but in addition to that, they confirmed that there was a fourth dinghy, so we do not know about the fate of another hundred people."
Earlier this week, the Italian coast guard pulled more than 100 people out of the water.
However, 29 of them died of hypothermia in the 18 hours it took the coast guard to ferry them to Lampedusa.
Britain's opposition is using the latest scandal involving HSBC to score some political points in the run-up to the election in May.
Opposition leader Ed Miliband has used the latest Q&A session in Parliament to question Prime Minister David Cameron about the appointment of Stephen Green as a senior trade official in 2010.
Green had been the head of HSBC during the time the British banking38 giant is accused of helping39 its wealthy customers avoid millions of dollars in taxes.
"When I appointed Stephen Green every proper process was followed. I consulted the cabinet secretary, I consulted the director for propriety41 and ethics42 and of course the House of Lords appointments commission now looks at someone's individual tax affairs before giving them a peerage. I made the appointment, it was welcomed by Labour and three years later they were still holding meetings with him."
Green is no longer part of the British government.
This follows revelations the bank helped thousands of its customers avoid taxes and shield assets in its Swiss operations.
A murder trial has begun in the US state of Texas for the man accused of killing46 the US Navy SEAL depicted47 in the movie "American Sniper".
Making his opening statements, Eddy49 Ray Routh's lawyer says his client was suffering from severe mental strain when he fatally shot Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield.
But prosecutor51 contends Routh's history of mental illness shouldn't absolve52 him of being accountable for the deaths.
Kyle and his friend were killed at a shooting range in February 2013 while trying to help Routh recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder53.
If convicted, Routh faces life in prison without parole.
The case has drawn54 intense interest, largely because of Kyle's memoir55 about being a Navy SEAL sniper who served four tours in Iraq.
The Oscar-nominated film "American Sniper," based on the book, has grossed nearly 300 million US dollars.
The case has also renewed discussion in the US about the mental struggle former members of the military face.
Families of Taiwan Air Crash Reject Compensation Offer
Families of the victims of last week's dramatic plane crash in Taipei have rejected compensation offer put forward by TransAsia Airlines.
The airline and the families met for around 3-hours on Wednesday to discuss the compensation.
"We offered 13.5 million New Taiwan dollars to each victim's family. There is also another 1.2 million New Taiwan dollars being offered as a funeral allowance, on top of an additional 200-thousand New Taiwan dollar condolence payment. All together, the compensation we've offered is 14.9 million New Taiwan dollars. This is around 3 million yuan."
TransAsia made similar payouts to the families of passengers killed in another crash off the coast of Taiwan in July.
Despite the rejection57 of the offer, Liu Zhongji says the company is going to remain in-contact with the families.
"Apart from the destination of our direct routes to the mainland, we are also willing to send our people to the victims' hometown to offer help to their families. We're also going to help them get lawyers so that their rights can be fully58 guaranteed."
42 people were killed in the crash.
Initial indications are the plane lost power in one of its engines shortly after takeoff, clipping a bridge with its wing before coming down in the Keelong River.
Fifteen onboard did manage to survive.
The body of one of the passengers is still missing.
Meanwhile, 29 pilots from Transasia Airlines have been suspended for failing or missing safety tests.
The local aviation regulator in Taiwan ordered the tests after the crash.
0212car Car-transport Train Service for Spring Festival Available
Anchor:
Rail officials in Beijing have coined the term "car-carrying train service" to describe the program for this year's Spring Festival.
CRI's Yu Yang has more.
Reporter:
The now-described "car-carrying train service" is simply the transport of a person's vehicle to their preferred destination by train.
This allows vehicle owners to have their car available for them when they arrive during the Spring Festival holiday, rather than driving the vehicle there themselves.
Li Yuchun lives in Beijing.
He's sending his car ahead of him to Guangzhou.
"I once used motor carriers to transport my car. This is the first time I'll be sending it by train. It's faster. It takes less than a week. If I drive to Guangzhou by myself, it will be terribly tired."
Once Li Yuchun puts his vehicle on the train, it will arrive in Guangzhou 4-days later.
All he needs to pick it up is his ID card, his drivers license60, his vehicle registration61 and the service contract.
For a small car like Li Yuchun's, a one-way package costs 3-thousand yuan from Beijing to Guangzhou.
It will cost him 56-hundred yuan to send his vehicle on a round-trip.
The price does not include his own travel costs to get to Guangzhou.
Zhu Dianping with the Beijing Railway Bureau says there are a number of routes being made available for this holiday.
"We've opened six routes for the Spring Festival. From Beijing, we can send your vehicle to Haikou, Guangzhou, Kunming, Fuzhou, Wenzhou and Harbin. The price is fixed62 based on the distance and other related services."
To ensure security, all goods loaded in a person's vehicle will have to undergo thorough checks.
Beijing Rail officials do caution that any items you wouldn't be allowed to take on a train yourself won't be allowed in your vehicle.
"Wine with an alcohol content lower than 36 percent is allowed. But only two bottles. For transport security, strong liquors and fragile articles are banned."
The service was first launched in October during the National Day holiday.
For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Anchor:
First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, Luo Wen.
Reporter:
U.S. markets saw a sluggish63 day on Wednesday, as investors65 continue to watch for developments in negotiations66 between Greece and euro zone finance ministers.
Energy stocks were among the biggest decliners, as the price of oil continues to fall.
U.S. Crude oil dropped 2.4-percent to close at at around 48 U.S. dollars a barrel.
The Nasdaq got a lift following a 2.3 percent gain in Apple shares after investor64 Carl Icahn issued a letter saying the company should be traded at 216 U.S. dollars a share.
The letter comes as after Apple revealed it has a market cap of some 700 billion U.S. dollars.
Lions Gate shares rose 8 percent on news the entertainment company has entered into a stock agreement with affiliates67 of billionaire John Malone.
Pepsi shares finished up 2.5 percent after the soft drink maker30 reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and announced share buyback plans.
At close,
Both the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 closed virtually unchanged.
While the Nasdaq ticked up close to a third of a percent.
European stocks declined before the meeting among Greece's Finance Minister and his euro-area counterparts in Brussels.
At the closing bell,
The UK's FTSE 100 trimmed a fraction of a percent.
Germany's DAX ended flat.
And Finally France's CAC 40 dipped about one third of a percent.
Anchor:
Orders for new vehicles are already being taken by the 17 car dealers who have been given approval to sell cars imported into the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.
These dealers are being allowed to sell vehicles under the so-called "parallel import scheme."
The program allows dealers to avoid purchasing their vehicles from 3rd-party import collectives, which are all controlled by the automakers themselves.
In theory, the new program should make the vehicles 10-percent cheaper to purchase.
For more on the program, we're now joined live by CRI's Financial Commentator69 Cao Can.
China Eyes High-speed Rail Deals with 28 Nations
Chinese trainmaker CNR says it's in talks with 28 different countries, including the US, Russia and Brazil, on new high-speed rail projects.
The revelation comes amid suggestions from the central government that it wants to see high-speed rail be one of the cornerstones of Chinese overseas expansion.
The Chinese government is offering increasing financial support through its policy banks.
Li Wen is with the Export-Import Bank of China.
"By the end of January, Export and Import Bank provided financial support to 35 overseas railway construction projects and railway equipment export projects in loans up to $ 13 billion, supporting the railway construction projects with as long as 3,500 kilometres."
China's railway equipment exports accounted for 10 percent of the global market share last year.
Total exports of railway equipment hit 4 billion US dollars last year.
This is a liquidity support tool which covers small and medium-sized banks across the country.
The SLF provides fixed-rate loans to the banks so they don't have to get cash injections from the inter-bank lending market.
In expanding the lending facility, the central bank says it hopes it will address liquidity fluctuations72 ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and help stabilize73 the country's money market.
SLF was brought in by the central bank at the beginning of 2013 to meet liquidity needs from banks, especially before holidays.
FAW-Volkswagen is boasting that a production base it plans to set up in Tianjin is going to be the biggest joint-venture investment the city's manufacturing sector74.
The base, to be established in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, is said to be an investment of 2.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Construction is due to start this year.
It's expected to be operational by 2018.
China is Volkswagen's largest market worldwide.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk76 is reportedly going to fire some of his overseas executives in the wake of weak sales of the company's electric cars in China.
Tesla reportedly only sold 120 cars in China last month, well below the company's aggressive targets.
Two of the company's top China managers left Telsa last year.
It's being reported Musk has sent out an internal e-mail, warning its managers in China that their jobs may be on the line.
Tesla is planning to increase its annual production from a projected 50-thousand cars this year to 500-thousand by 2020, with the US and China as the company's two largest markets.
Headline News
Six inmates commit suicide after taking hostage in Taiwan prison
Six inmates who had taken a warden and another correction officer hostage at a prison in southern Taiwan have reportedly committing suicide.
The two hostages are said to have escaped unharmed.
The prisoners, under the guise of needing medical care, managed to over-power their guards before taking them hostage.
They also managed to secure guns and ammunition from the prison armory.
It's being reported the six eventually turned the guns on themselves after a lengthy standoff.
No other casualties have been reported.
China's graft-busters hit more SOEs
Chinese discipline authorities say the first round of inspections this year are going to cover 26 centrally-administered state-owned enterprises.
The inspections themselves are set to begin after Spring Festival.
Chinese state-owned companies have been criticized for, among other things, the selling and buying of positions and forming cliques.
A previous round of inspections led to the dismissal of 70 different executives last year.
China Confirms 100 H7N9 Human Cases
Chinese health authorities now say the number of H7N9 bird flu cases in humans in China has reached 100 this year.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu are among the most heavily infected areas.
The latest case has emerged in the city of Shantou in Guangdong.
That province has recorded 43 bird flu cases so far this winter.
However, they say that process won't be complete until June.
Costa Concordia captain guilty of manslaughter
The captain of Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Captain Francesco Schettino was at the helm when the ship when it hit rocks and sank off the Italian coast in 2012, killing 32 people.
He's been convicted of taking the ship too close to shore, on top of abandoning ship with passengers and crew still on board.
The ship was ripped open when it hit the shore, eventually capsizing, leaving 32 of the roughly 4-thousand people onboard trapped below.
An explosion at an offshore oil and gas platform off the coast of Brazil has left at least 3 people dead.
Six others are listed as missing.
The fire caused by the explosion has been contained, and officials with Petrobras say the platform has been stabilized79.
Brazil's state-run oil giant says no oil has leaked from the rig.
An explosion on British Petrolium's Deep Water Horizon rig in the Gulf80 of Mexico in 2010 eventually led to the worst oil spill in US history.
Newspaper Picks
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Water cut in dispute
Summary
Water supplies have reportedly been cut off for an entire county in Henan amid a dispute between the local government and a water company.
The local government is being accused of embezzling81 the subsidies82 provided in agreement for a sewage processing, leaving the company with no money to pay its workers and suppliers.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Forbidden city schedule
Summary
Authorities with the Palace Museum are going to shut down the tourist site on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, which is on the 18th.
The Forbidden City will also be shut down on Lunar New Year's morning.
Visitors are encouraged to book tickets in advance online.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
China's most dangerous highways
Summary
The Ministry of Public Security has published a list of this country's 10-most dangerous highway sections.
The 80th to 90th kilometers on China National Highway 102, near the border between Tianjin and Hebei, tops the list.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
More cross-Strait offices
Summary
The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office has announced plans to open two more economic and trade offices.
This is to coincide with the creation of a new Free Trade Zone in Xiamen, which is the hub of mainland trade with Taiwan.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Summary
Subway police in Shanghai say they've been getting around 60 tip-offs a day about violations84 on the city's subway network.
This comes after its official WeChat account was upgraded this year.
The account now allows passengers to tap in the line number, the carriage number, the direction the train is headed and the name of the next station to report violations, such as beggars.
Special Reports
Rising tourist market cries for better performance of China airlines: industry insiders
Anchor:
A new survey conducted by travel information firm Travelsky and English.China.com is suggesting expats planning to travel around China remain concerned about the quality of service on domestic airlines to the point where it may affect where they decide to travel.
CRI's Xu Fei has more.
Reporter:
Leading Chinese aviation and tourism information provider TravelSky used the analysis method of big data in this survey.
In the survey, several second-tiered Chinese cities, including Urumqi, Xiamen and Qingdao are among the most popular tourist destinations.
Many expats say they plan to travel around China during this holiday season.
"Harbin in this weather is very interesting, and I like Kashgar, very interesting, nice carpets, good food."
"This Chinese new year I'll travel around the south of China. I would like to go to Xiamen. I would like to go to Guilin and the area of Sichuan."
However, at the same time, the TravelSky survey is also suggesting the passenger satisfaction for domestic carriers remains85 not optimistic.
One of the most common complaints is the sometimes poor on-time performance.
Aviation expert Zhang Jing says the experience of air travel is one of the elements that will have a direct impact on tourists' decision process.
"Most of China's tourist cities are under heavy influence of seasonal86 factors, which means season will be the top consideration for foreign tourists. Besides, the on-time performance of carriers, on-flight service and ground transit87 will also have an impact on air travelers."
Apart from flight delays, passengers and industry insiders say on-plane service is another thing that Chinese carriers should pay extra attention.
Air Canada staff Kramer has this to say.
"I work for Air Canada, so I always choose Air Canada. A friend I work with also travels with Air China and other airlines. He says the service of Air Canada is above China's airline service."
"We encourage competition among carriers in order for them to improve safety and service standards to meet the diversified88 needs."
Industry insiders say with the demand of domestic air travel rising, China's airlines still have a lot of things to do to better explore the market.
Back anchor:
Sports
Basketball: Liaoning and Qingdao to Face off in CBA Semi-Finals After Wins
Liaoning beat Guangsha 120-112 through overtime89 and won the best-of-five series 3-0 on Wednesday, setting up a semifinal clash against Qingdao in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Qingdao closed up their series against Shanxi with a same 3-0 sweep after wining their second home match 108-96.
Liaoning lost their reputation as "the king of the fourth quarter" as they were taken into overtime, with the score and 103-103.
But He Tianju's two three-pointers in the beginning of the overtime secured Liaoning's berth90 in the semifinals.
Liaoning made it to their first semifinals in eight seasons, thanks also to CBA MVP Lester Hudson's triple double of a match-high 40 points, 15 rebounds91 and 13 assists.
Liaoning's semifinal opponent will be Qingdao, who had snapped Liaoning's 17-game run in their first meet of the season.
The first match of Liaoning-Qingdao best-of-five series will be played in Qingdao.
Defending champions Beijing made it to the semifinals on Tuesday with a 3-0 tally50 against Jilin, while Guangdong are 2-1 up in their quarterfinal against Dongguan.
NBA Preview
Over in the NBA, 12 games are on schedule this morning:
Tipping off at about 8 a.m., Beijing time:
Atlanta will face Boston;
San Antonio will battle Detroit;
Washington take on Toronto;
Sacramento hit the court against Milwaukee;
Golden State are away at Minnesota;
New Orleans host Indiana;
Memphis and Oklahoma City will mix it up;
Miami will face Cleveland;
Utah will meet Dallas;
The Los Angeles Lakers take on Portland;
and Houston are out west to face the L.A. Clippers.
Tennis: ATP and WTA Recap
Britain's Andy Murray beat qualifier Nicolas Mahut in straight sets at the World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam on Wednesday.
Murray did not face a single break point in the opening set as Mahut was outplayed from every part of the court.
Mahut claimed two games after Murray pushed to a comfy 5-0 lead. Murray finally closed out the match 6-3, 6-2 after one hour and 33 minutes on court.
"I started the match very well and the serve was working very well. Obviously, it's an important part of the game when you play indoors because conditions are very quick and if you serve well you can get a lot of free points there. So yeah, I served well in the first set and in the second set, both of us started to return better and started to put more pressure on each others' serves. Even though he didn't break me, he had chances throughout and me as well--so yeah, it was a good match."
He will face 24-year-old Canadian Vasek Pospisil in round two.
Earlier, Sergiy Stakhovsky became the first player to seal his spot in the quarter-finals by defeating sixth-seed Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-3.
Italy's Andreas Seppi advanced to the second round with a hard-fought 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3 over wild card Robin92 Haase - and will next play defending champion Tomas Berdych.
And fourth-seed Stan Wawrinka is through after beating Jesse Hut Gulang.
In Women's action over at the Diamond Games in Antwerp:
Sixth-seed Dominika Cibulkova downed Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-2;
Czech Karolina Pliskova beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-4, 7-6
and down at the Pattaya Open:
Top-seeded Chinese Peng Shuai lost to unranked Japanese Misaki Doi 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
Football: Copa del Rey, EPL recap
Over to football;
In English Premiere League action:
Chelsea beat Everton 1-0;
Man U dumped Burnley 3-1;
and Southampton and West Ham went scoreless in their 0-0 tie.
Over in La Liga's Copa del Rey:
Barcelona wins its first leg against Villareal 3-1. Lionel Messi opened up scoring for Barca in the 41st minute, but Manu Trigueros equalized four minutes into the second half.
Barca answered back almost immediately with another goal to maintain their lead. A third goal in the 64th minute ensured Barcelona the victory.
And Atletic Bilbao vs Espanyol
Entertainment
Happy Chinese New Year 2015 celebrated94 globally
More than 800 programs of the "Happy Chinese New Year 2015" have been staged around the world so far.
The show has been performed in 320 cities in 118 countries and regions.
Activities of the Chinese New Year celebration began half a month ahead of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and will end after the Lantern Festival, lasting about a month.
By then, China will have joined hands with numerous governments, cultural organizations and enterprises, offering blessings95 and good wishes to people around the world.
As well as celebrating Chinese New Year on the mainland, China is taking its famous New Year's Gala television show to an international audience for the first time.
State broadcaster CCTV, which has broadcast the Spring Festival Gala on the eve of the Lunar New Year annually96 since 1984, will license the rights to foreign television stations for free.
China's investment in overseas cultural centers expands in 2015
The Chinese government plans to channel almost 60 million U.S. dollars to its overseas cultural centers in 2015.
According to the Ministry of Culture, it's an increase of 181 percent from 2014.
There were 20 China culture centers in operation by the end of last year. The first two were set up in Mauritius and Benin in 1988.
Yan Dongsheng, deputy director of the ministry's finance department, said centers in Brussels and Singapore are slated97 for opening later this year, and the government plans to have 50 centers across the globe by 2020.
The cultural centers host exhibitions, provide Chinese historical and social development information, and host courses in Chinese martial98 arts, music, language and cuisine99.
Jackie Chan & John Cusack attend Dragon Blade premiere in Malaysia
Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrian Brody attended the premiere for their new movie "Dragon Blade" in Malaysia lastnight.
The action film is a tale of two great historical forces, the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire, who square off in an epic48 battle in 206-220 AD.
At the premiere in Kuala Lumpur, Cusack talked about his love of movies from the Far East and working with one of Asia's biggest stars.
"For me I grew up loving Asian cinema, and grew up loving Mr. Jackie Chan and he sort of hates this but everybody sort of says 'Jackie Chan is so great. Jackie Chan is so great. It such an honor to work with Jackie Chan.' He hears that all the time but, it happens to be true."
Chan plays a commander who's framed and later enslaved while Cusack
plays a Roman soldier who escapes to China after rescuing the Prince.
"Dragon Blade" was written and directed by Daniel Lee with a budget of 65 million U.S. dollars, making it one of the most expensive Chinese films ever made.
The movie is set for release in China on February 19.
Netflix accidently leaks "House of Cards" season 3
Fans of the U.S. drama "House of Cards" got a pleasant surprise after ten episodes from the highly anticipated season three, were accidentally released on Nextflix.
Shortly after word emerged on social media about the release, a search of Netflix's site showed the newer episodes had been pulled off.
Ten out of thirteen episodes were leaked.
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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5
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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6
armory
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| n.纹章，兵工厂，军械库 | |
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7
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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8
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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9
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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10
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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11
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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12
extradition
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| n.引渡（逃犯） | |
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13
corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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14
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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15
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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16
repatriation
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| n.遣送回国，归国 | |
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17
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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18
inspections
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| n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅 | |
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19
cliques
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| n.小集团，小圈子，派系( clique的名词复数 ) | |
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20
brokered
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| adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排… | |
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21
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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22
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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23
auto
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| n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车 | |
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24
reclaiming
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| v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救 | |
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25
intensifying
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉 | |
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26
authorization
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| n.授权，委任状 | |
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27
symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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28
deployment
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| n. 部署,展开 | |
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29
flexibility
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| n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性 | |
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30
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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31
authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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32
Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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33
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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34
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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35
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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36
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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37
alleges
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| 断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 ) | |
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38
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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39
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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40
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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41
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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42
ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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43
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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44
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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45
killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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46
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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47
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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48
epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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49
eddy
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| n.漩涡，涡流 | |
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50
tally
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| n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致 | |
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51
prosecutor
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| n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人 | |
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52
absolve
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| v.赦免，解除（责任等） | |
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53
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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54
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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55
memoir
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| n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录 | |
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56
AIRWAYS
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| 航空公司 | |
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57
rejection
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| n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃 | |
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58
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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59
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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60
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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61
registration
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| n.登记，注册，挂号 | |
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62
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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63
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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64
investor
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| n.投资者，投资人 | |
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65
investors
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| n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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66
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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67
affiliates
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| 附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 ) | |
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68
dealers
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| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 | |
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69
commentator
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| n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员 | |
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70
liquidity
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| n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产 | |
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71
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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72
fluctuations
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| 波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 ) | |
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73
stabilize
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| vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定 | |
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74
sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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75
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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76
musk
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| n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫 | |
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77
poultry
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| n.家禽，禽肉 | |
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78
offshore
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| adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面 | |
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79
stabilized
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| v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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81
embezzling
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| v.贪污，盗用（公款）( embezzle的现在分词 ) | |
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82
subsidies
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| n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 ) | |
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83
metro
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| n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售) | |
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84
violations
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| 违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸 | |
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85
remains
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|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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86
seasonal
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|
| adj.季节的，季节性的 | |
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87
transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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88
diversified
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|
| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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89
overtime
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| adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地 | |
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90
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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91
rebounds
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| 反弹球( rebound的名词复数 )； 回弹球； 抢断篮板球； 复兴 | |
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92
robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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93
stomped
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| v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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94
celebrated
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|
| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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95
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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96
annually
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| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
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97
slated
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| 用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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99
cuisine
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| n.烹调，烹饪法 | |
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100
rectified
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| [医]矫正的，调整的 | |
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101
glitch
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| n.干扰；误操作，小故障 | |
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102
sneak
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|
| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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