历史上的今天-Today in History 2013-05-25

 May 25th, 1961. President John F. Kennedy challenges the United States to aim high in its Cold War Space Race with the Soviet² Union. “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

More than 8 years later, America reaches the moon when Apollo XI’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface. 1977. Star Wars, the classic sci-fi movie written and directed by George Lucas premieres. The story of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader reshapes how Hollywood makes movies and spawns³ a wave of sequels.

2006. Former Enron execs Ken¹ Lay and Jeffery Skilling are convicted of conspiracy⁴ and fraud for the energy giant’s downfall. Lay dies from heart disease a few months later, and his convictions are vacated. Skilling is sentenced to 24 years in prison.

And 1992. When I heard the new pope was German, I thought, Oh my god. Arnold can't be stopped. First governor.. Now, as you thought I can't believe it, I can't believe it's amazing." Comedian⁵ Jay Leno begins his run as host of NBC’s the Tonight Show, taking over from Johnny Carson. Today in History, May 25th. Camille Bohannon, the Associated Press.

1 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 spawns   

（鱼、蛙等的）子，卵( spawn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lava Spawns now require 15 attacks to replicate, up from 14. 火人现在需要攻击15下才会分裂，而不是14下。
• Idleness spawns discontent, whereas overwork leads to mental and physical exhaustion. 懒惰滋生不满，而过度工作导致精神和身体的疲劳。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。