历史上的今天-Today in History 2013-08-14

 August 14th, 1945. “This is a victory of more than arms alone; this is a victory of liberty over tyranny.”

In Washington, President Harry¹ Truman announces Japan’s unconditional² surrender, ending WWII. Weeks later, a surrender ceremony on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay formally concludes 6 years of fighting in Europe and the Pacific.

2003. 50 million people lose power as a huge blackout hits the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. An Ohio-based utility later receives much of the blame for the outages, which highlight the condition of North America’s power grid³.

1935. “Today a hope of many years' standing⁴ is in large part fulfilled.”

In Washington, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act. The law provides retirement⁵ income to elderly Americans and other government benefits to this day.

1969. British troops arrive in Northern Ireland. They’re sent there to intervene amid a surge in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics. But that violence continues to flare⁶ in the troubled province until a peace process emerges decades later.

1980. During the Cold War, workers begin a strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. The job action leads to the Solidarity⁷ labor⁸ movement, the first in dependent union behind the Iron Curtain. Solidarity helps topple Communism in Poland by the end of the decade.

And 1945. “Excue me.”

Steve Martin, actor, comedian⁹, writer and producer is born in Waco, Texas. Today in History, August 14th. Camille Bohannon, the Associated Press.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

3 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

6 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 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。