历史上的今天-Today in History 2010-07-04

 July 4th, 1776In Philadelphia, the birth of the United States of America, the Continental¹ Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming Britain's 13 colonies to be free. 1826,Former Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson each die on the same day. It happens fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson wrote and Adams helped shape. 1976,Israeli commandos conducted a daring raid at Entebbe airport in the central African nation of Uganda. They rescue almost all the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers. 1802,The United States Military Academy officially opens at West Point in upstate New York. 1939,“Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

Lou Gehrig, baseball's “Iron Horse”, says farewell to his fans at New York's Yankee Stadium. Gehrig, afflicted² with the degenerative disease that eventually bears his name, dies two years later.

And 1927,“I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was about 14 and 15.” Neil Simon, the playwright³ and screenwriter whose works include The Odd Couple, is born in New York. Today in History, July 4th, Sandy Kozel, the Associated Press.

1 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

2 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

3 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。