CNN 2009-01-14

Hello, I am Melissa Long. Here at the CNN center in Atlanta. It's Tuesday, January 13th. Here’s some of the headlines that are NOW IN THE NEWS.

Israel is pressing Hamas from two sides in Gaza. Having already cut Gaza in two, Israeli ground forces are now pushing into the densely¹ populated Gaza city. Palestinian medical sources say 47 people have been killed in Gaza today. Thirteen of those were militants². Casualties continue mounting on both sides with Palestinian medical sources saying nearly one thousand are dead in Gaza and Israeli defense³ forces reporting 13 deaths.

The conflict continues despite a call from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying: Just stop. The UN Secretary General says he is frustrated⁴ at the ongoing⁵ violence in Gaza. Moon is headed to the Middle-east now to try to help push for a ceasefire.

Secretary of State Nominee⁶ Hillary Clinton gave her thoughts on the recent violence in Gaza at a Senate confirmation⁷ hearing this morning. Senator Clinton said despite the problems in the region, United States cannot give up on peace. Clinton is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of State.

President-elect Barack Obama continues to talk up his plans for the economy. This morning he met with Senate Democrats⁸ on Capitol Hill. He is still telling how he wants to spend the remaining 350 billion dollars from the financial industry bailout. President Bush made a formal request at Congress Monday for the bailout money on Obama’s behalf.

The woman who allegedly was assaulted, sexually assaulted by film director Roman Polanski more than 30 years ago wants the case against him dismissed. Polanski has lived in exile in France since fleeing in the country after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse⁹ with the 13-year old. Samantha Geimer filed the papers in Los Angeles on Monday declaring she's overcome the difficulties of being a victim.

Those are the headlines making news at this hour. Just stay with CNN and CNN.com for more on these stories or other news of the day.

1 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

2 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。

3 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。

4 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

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 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》

9 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。