历史上的今天-Today in History 2011-06-18

 June 18th 1940 In London, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill tells his people to prepare for their struggle against Nazi¹ Germany during World War II. "If the British Empire and its Commonwealth² last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour."1815France's Napoleon Bonaparte meets his final defeat on the battlefield. He and his forces are beaten by British and Prussian troops at the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. The defeat forces Napoleon into exile³ for the second and last time.

1812The United States declares war on Britain just decades after winning its independence from London. What becomes known as the War of 1812 lasts more than two and a half years.

1928Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The aviator⁴ completes a non-solo flight from Newfoundland, Canada to Wales in about 21 hours.

1983Astronaut Sally Ride becomes America's first woman in space blasting⁵ off aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

And 1942"Yesterday, all my troubes seem so faraway."Singer-songwriter Paul McCartney, former member of the rock band The Beatles is born in Liverpool, England.

Today in History, June 18th, Camille Bohannon, the Associated Press.

1 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

2 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

3 exile   

n.流放，被流放者；vt.流放，放逐，使流亡

参考例句：

• After an exile of eight years her uncle returned to Cairo.她叔叔背井离乡8年后返回开罗。
• Napoleon was sent into exile on an island.拿破仑被流放到一个岛上。

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 blasting   

n.爆破（作业）v.（用炸药）炸毁( blast的现在分词 )；狠打；发出刺耳的高音；向…猛吹，（用水）向…喷射

参考例句：

• The road is closed because of blasting. 这条道路由于有爆破作业而被关闭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Danger! Blasting in progress! 危险，正在放炮！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》