历史上的今天-Today in History 2010-08-27

 August 27th, 1883One of the world’s most devastating¹ explosions as the island volcano Krakatoa erupts in the South Pacific. The resulting tidal waves in Indonesia Sunda Strait kill some 36,000 people on the islands of Java and Sumatra.

1908“In your life, we have the opportunity to move not only towards the rich society and powerful society, but upward to the great society.” Lyndon Johnson, the first American President from the south to be elected since the Civil War, is born near Stonewall Texas. Johnson’s legacy² includes landmark³ Civil Rights Laws, Medicare and Medicaid, Antipoverty Programs and tragic⁴ escalation⁵ of the Vietnam War.

1910Mother Teresa, the missionary⁶ who earned a Nobel Peace Prize for her work on behalf of the poor, is born in present-day Macedonia.

1859Colonel Edwin Drake drills the first successful oil well in the United States near Titusville, Pennsylvania.

1979Britain’s Lord Louis Mountbatten is killed when his boat explodes off the coast of Ireland. The Irish Republican Army claims responsibility for the blast.

And 1967“I read the news today oh boy.”

Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, is found dead at his London flat after an overdose of sleeping pills. Epstein who help guide the Fab Four to Rock and Roll stardom was 32 years old.

Today is History, August 27th, Ed Donahue, the Associated Press.

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

6 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。