历史上的今天-Today in History 2014-12-29

 December 29th 1916Noblemen in Russia murder Grigori Rasputin, a monk¹ with powerful influence over the country's royal family. But Rasputin proves hard to kill. First, he's poisoned, then shot twice before he finally dies from drowning after being thrown into an icy river. The Russian Revolution topples the monarchy² the following year.

1890. In South Dakota, the Wounded Knee massacre³ takes place as some three hundreds Sioux Indians are killed by US troops sent to disarm⁴ them.

1845. "There is a yellow rose in Texas that I'm going to see." Texas, a former Mexican territory turning an independent republic, joins the United States as the 28th state for the dispute between the US and Mexico over Texas, leads to war the following year.

1989. In what's then known as Czechoslovakia, a sign that The Iron Curtain of the cold war is crumbling⁵ in Eastern Europe. Dissident playwright⁶ Vaclav Havel is elected as his country's president, the first non-communist to attain⁷ that post in more than four decades.

And 1851. The first American Young Men's Christian⁸ Association, the YMCA, is organized in Boston.

Today in history. December 29th. Ed Donahue. The Associated Press.

1 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

2 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

3 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

4 disarm   

v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和

参考例句：

• The world has waited 12 years for Iraq to disarm. 全世界等待伊拉克解除武装已有12年之久。
• He has rejected every peaceful opportunity offered to him to disarm.他已经拒绝了所有能和平缴械的机会。

5 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

6 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

7 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。