历史上的今天-Today in History 2010-08-24

 August 24th, 79 B.C. Catastrophe¹ strikes as the long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupts east of Naples in what's now Italy. Volcanic² ash buries the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, killing³ an estimated 20,000 people.

1992Hurricane Andrew smashes into Florida, causing record damage for that time. 55 deaths in Florida, Louisiana and Bahamas are blamed on the storm. 1814British troops invade Washington during the war of 1812. They burn the White House and the US Capitol, forcing President James Madison to flee the city. 1932Amelia Earhart begins the journey that makes her the first woman to fly solo non-stop from coast to coast. The aviator⁴ takes off from Newark, New Jersey⁵ and lands in Los Angeles 19 hours later.

2006Astronomers remove Pluto⁶ from the solar system’s list of planets, reclassifying it as a dwarf⁷ planet. And 1989Baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose is banned from the game for life. The move follows allegation that he bet on games while manager the Cincinnati Reds. Years later Rose finally admits his gambling⁸ while pressing for his ban to be lifted. “I'm interested in getting back down to the field and teaching the game of baseball, because I don’t think baseball is being played in a right way today.” Today in history, August 24th, Sandy Kozel, the Associated Press.

1 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

2 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 Pluto   

n.冥王星

参考例句：

• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun.冥王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Pluto has an elliptic orbit.冥王星的轨道是椭圆形的。

7 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

8 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。