===July.1.2009===
The Statue of Liberty has stood in New York Harbor for more than one hundred years. It was a gift from the people of France in eighteen eighty-four. Its full name is "Liberty Enlightening the World".
The Statue of Liberty is forty-six meters tall from its base. It is made mostly of copper. Throughout history, images of liberty have been represented as a woman. The statue is sometimes called "Lady Liberty."
The Statue of Liberty’s face was created to look like the sculptor’s mother. Her right arm holds a torch with a flame high in the air. Her left arm holds a tablet with the date of the Declaration of Independence – July fourth, seventeen seventy-six. On her head she wears a crown of seven points. Each is meant to represent the light of freedom as it shines on the seven seas and seven continents of the world. Twenty-five windows in the crown represent gemstones found on Earth. A chain that represents oppression lies broken at her feet.
I’m nuts about Zhang Manyu.
我对张曼玉很迷恋。
1. I really go for swimming in a river. 2. I am keen on dancing. 3. I fancy that girl. 我喜欢那个女孩。
===June.10.2009===
MICHELLE OBAMA: "There are few things that are more rewarding than to watch young people recognize that they have the power to make their dreams come true. You did just that. Your perseverance and creativity were on full display in your efforts to bring me here to Merced for this wonderful occasion."
That was part of a speech First Lady Michelle Obama gave last month at a graduation ceremony at the University of California, Merced.
The last flu pandemic was in nineteen sixty-eight, caused by the so-called Hong Kong flu. Scientists say the common name for the new disease, swine flu, is misleading. The virus combines human, bird and pig viruses. But, as Doctor Fukuda pointed out, eating meat from pigs has not been a danger.
pandemic:
(疾病)流行全国[全世界]的,(疾病)流行性的
a pandemic outbreak of malaria
疟疾流行全国
"Chicago Bears faces long odds in beating the Colts."
芝加哥熊队不太可能打败印第安那波利斯小马队
"The Democrats face long odds in passing the legislation."
对民主党人来说，议案通过的可能性不大
===June.9.2009===
The sociologist says she was looking for individuals who reported becoming jobless for reasons out of their control, such as a factory closing. She found that such individuals who did not have health problems were eighty percent more likely to report a new health problem after losing their job.
The most common problems were high blood pressure or other conditions linked to heart disease. Among all workers, the possibility of someone reporting fair or poor health rose forty-four percent after job loss and workplace closure.
"2007 is likely to be the warmest year on record."
2007可能是有记录以来最暖和的一年
"The winter was the warmest on record worldwide."
===June.8.2009===
"As easy as falling off a log" is one such expression. It describes a job that does not take much effort.
If you ever tried to walk on a fallen tree log, you understand what the expression means. It is easier to fall off the log than to stay on it.
===June.5.2009===
It is not easy to become a doctor in the United States. The first step is getting into a medical college. More than one hundred twenty American schools offer study programs for people wanting to be doctors.
People can get advice about medical schools from many resources. One of these is the Princeton Review. The publication provides information about colleges, study programs and jobs.
The Princeton Review says competition to enter medical schools is strong. American medical schools have only about sixteen thousand openings for students. But more than two times this many seek entry. Many of those seeking to be admitted are women.
Most people seeking admission contact more than one medical school. Some applicants contact many. An important part of the application usually is the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT.
The applicant is rated on reasoning, physical and biological sciences and an example of writing. Applicants for medical school need to do well on the MCAT. They also need a good record in their college studies.
A medical education can cost a lot. One year at a private medical college can cost forty thousand dollars or more. The average cost at a public medical school is more than fifteen thousand dollars. Most students need loans to pay for medical school. Many finish their education heavily in debt.Doctors are among the highest paid people in the United States. Big-city doctors who work in specialties like eye care usually earn the most money. But some other doctors earn far less. That is especially true in poor communities.
Most medical students spend their first two years mainly in classroom study. They learn about the body and all its systems. They also begin studying how to recognize and treat disease.
By the third year, students begin working with patients in hospitals. Experienced doctors who have treated many patients guide them as they work. As the students learn, they think about the kind of medical skills they will need to work as doctors.
During the fourth year, students begin contacting hospital programs for the additional training they will need after medical school. Competition to work at a top hospital can be fierce.
There are many medical specialties. Some people become cardiologists and care for the heart. Others become oncologists and treat cancer patients. Still others become pediatricians and take care of children. And some doctors go into medical research, either at a university or with a private company."They were subjected to constant psychological pressure."
他们受到很大的心理压力
"The plan was subjected to careful scrutiny."
计划受到严密的审查
"The Iranians denied that the British soldiers were subjected to inhuman treatment."
伊朗人则否认对他们有不人道的待遇
"The government should not lose its credibility with the people."
政府不要失去民众的信任
"Somebody is pounding at the door"
有人在砰砰地敲门
"A powerful storm has pounded the eastern coast of the United States, causing severe flooding in some areas"
美国东海岸地区四月份连续几天遭遇暴风雨袭击，一些地区洪水泛滥。
"His car stalled at an intersection."
他的车在十字路口抛锚了
"They were stalled in a traffic jam for an hour."
===June.4.2009===
"Industrialization of Africa without ecological conscious will bring ruin to the African continent," Ona said. "Africa still has vegetation to protect us from disasters like the tsunami and Katrina hurricane. If we destroy the African forest, the second largest forest in the world, we are heading to catastrophe."
In 2007, a Chinese company began building a road through the national park. Ona exposed the company’s secret agreement with the government to build a hydroelectric dam and expand iron mining operations within the park. There had been no environmental impact assessment.
a junk market
旧货市场
junk food
垃圾食品
"They urged the government to ban soft drinks and other junk food from schools."
他们敦促政府禁止在学校内出售含糖量很高的饮料等垃圾食品
"They will have three exams in a row."
学生接连有三场考试
"Cancer deaths in the United States dropped for the second year in a row."
美国的癌症死亡率连续两年下降
"Iraq remains the most dangerous place for journalists for the fourth year in a row."
伊拉克对记者来说是最危险的地方，这种情况已经持续了四年
They are taking steps to prevent campus shootings."
采取步骤、措施
Plead:辩护，抗辩
Plead for:请求、恳求
plead guilty或是plead not guilty
意思是被告表示服罪， 或是不服罪。
"He pleaded not guilty to the charges."
===June.3.2009===
On June 6, 1944 over 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, in northern France,
in a push to liberate Europe from Hitler’s Nazi forces. Now, 65 years later, the memories of that day
linger along that windswept coast and its quiet villages.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Russia to patch up the strained relationship between the two countries.
美国国务卿赖斯正在俄罗斯访问，努力修补紧张关系。
"Relations between the two brothers have become strained over the inheritance"
遗产让兄弟两人的关系出现紧张。
"There was a strained atmosphere throughout the negotiation"
谈判自始至终气氛都很紧张。
"Iran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program."
由于核项目问题，伊朗一直跟西方国家僵持不下
"the standoff between the police and the kidnappers ended peacefully."
警察跟绑匪之间的僵局终于和平解决
"The strike has entered the eighth day as the standoff between the union and the management continues."
大罢工已经进入第八天了，劳资双方还是互不相让
"His health has turned the corner"
他的健康出现了好转
"The team has finally turned the corner offensively."
一支球队终于走出了进攻乏力的低谷
"The explosion shattered the windows"
爆炸震碎了窗玻璃。
"Spiderman 3 shattered global box-office records."
上周末新上映的电影蜘蛛人的第三部打破了全球票房纪录，媒体报道说
"the silence was shattered."
打破沉默
"The scandal shattered his reputation"
意思是这起丑闻破坏了他的声誉。
"Although the disease shattered his health"
虽然疾病损害了他的健康
"nothing could shatter his dream of becoming a writer,"
没有任何事情能够动摇他成为作家的梦想。