CNN 2009-02-23

Hello to you, I'm Creshon Saunders at the CNN.com newsroom in Atlanta. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

President Obama is unveiling his budget this week. The President wants to cut the federal deficit¹ by half over the next four years. To do this, though, he plans to raise taxes on businesses and also on people, making more than 250,000 dollars a year. He also plans to reduce spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meantime, a gas explosion inside a large coal mine in northern China has killed at least 74 people. Dozens are trapped underground and the death toll² is expected to rise. State-run media says the mine has not reported any major accidents in the past five years.

To Australia now it is a national day of mourning to honor and remember more than 200 people who died in huge wild fires earlier this month, you may remember that. At a ceremony in Melbourne, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd promised to rebuild the cities and towns that were devastated³.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed back home after wrapping up her first overseas trip as the top US diplomat⁴. She attended church services in Beijing this morning. Clinton talked with Chinese leaders over the weekend to urge them to continue to invest in the US to help end the global financial crisis.

All right, tonight Hollywood will hand out the Oscars to the industry's best. But last night, the awards went to the worst of the worst at the annual Razzies, and it was Paris Hilton, believe it or not, and Mike Myers taking bottom honors with three awards each, Paris for her performance in the "The Hottie & the Nottie", Myers for his role in "The Love Guru".

Those are the headlines this hour, for more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV, even when you are on the go.

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

4 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。