Hourly News 每日新闻 2014-06-03

Gov't building blast kills five in Ukraine's Lugansk
At least five people have been killed in an explosion at a rebel-held local administration building in Ukraine's eastern city of Lugansk.
Leaders of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic say a "fighter jet attack" is possibly behind the explosion.
Witnesses say Ukrainian fighter jets were seen flying over the building prior to the incident.
However, a spokesman of the government's military operation in eastern regions has ruled out the possibility of Ukrainian troops attacking insurgents¹.
Meantime, Russia has circulated a draft resolution on the humanitarian² situation in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine among members of the UN Security Council.
It calls for an immediate³ halt to the violence and practical negotiations⁴.
However, the US has reacted to Russia's proposal, announcing it will double military assistance to Ukraine.
 
Russia gives Ukraine more time to pay gas bill
Russia' gas giant Gazprom has given Ukraine more time to settle its gas bill after receiving a partial payment of 786-million US dollars.
The company had previously⁵ threatened to halt shipments of gas unless Ukraine paid its bill in full and agreed in future to pay in advance.
Gazprom says Ukraine still owes it almost 2.5-billion US dollars.
Negotiations between the two sides will resume now that the payment has been made.
Ukraine has refused to settle the full amount in protest against Gazprom's recent 80-percent price increase.
Almost 15-percent of gas used in Europe comes from Russia through Ukraine.
 
Palestinians end 7 years of internal division
Palestinian authorities have sworn-in a new unity⁶ government, ending 7 years of internal division.
Shortly after the government was announced, Israeli authorities announced a series of sanctions, including an end to negotiations with the Palestinians.
The current Palestinian leadership says it will respond to the Israeli sanctions, saying it cannot let them pass without taking action.
The US, which has been attempting to broker⁷ a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians for several years, says it will work with the new unity government.
 
Syrian Presidential Election kicks off soon
Presidential election is due to set off in Syria later today,
Ahead of the voting, people on the streets in Damascus have expressed that the election was a move towards democracy and peace.

Despite a boycott⁸ from the oppositions⁹, the polling for overseas Syrians last week saw tens of thousands of voters casting their ballots¹⁰.
A large portion of them are in support of the current President Bashar al-Assad.
 
King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicates¹²
King Juan Carlos of Spain has decided¹³ to abdicate¹¹ after almost 39 years on the throne.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced that the king's son, 45-year-old Crown Prince Felipe, will take over the throne.
Rajoy said the 76-year-old king is stepping down for personal reasons.
For much of his reign¹⁴, Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world's most popular monarchs¹⁵, but recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him.
His reputation has been tarnished¹⁶ by a long-running corruption¹⁷ investigation¹⁸ into his daughter and her husband.
Support for the king fell further when it was discovered he had been on a lavish¹⁹ elephant hunting trip to Botswana in the middle of Spain's financial crisis.
 
Nigerian military urges football fans to be vigilant²⁰ during world cup tournament/xinhua
Football fans in Nigeria are urged to be vigilant during the World Cup.
Military officials in the country are asking people to be on the lookout²¹ for suspicious persons or objects around them as they gather to watch matches.
The advice comes barely 24 hours after an explosion at a bar in a northern province. 18 football fans were killed and 19 others injured as they watched a game on TV.
Military operations in the north, where Boko Haram militants²² have been active, have been intensified²³.
The World Cup in Brazil begins in less-than two weeks.
 
Sanstorm kills at least 4 in Iran
A heavy dust storm roared into Iran's capital, killing²⁴ at least four people and injuring 30.
The storm struck Tehran with winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour.
The storm caused power outages in some districts of the capital.
Some international flights have been cancelled.
Authorities have asked children and the elderly, as well as those with heart problems, to remain indoors.
 
More trains arranged for record holiday railway traffic
China railways have added an extra 290 trains to manage a record number of passengers on Monday.
People visited tourist attractions or went to their hometowns during the three days of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
The China Railway Corporation estimated the number of trips made by railway passengers nationwide would hit 8.1 million.
 
Apple unveils new operating system and apps
At its annual conference for software developers, Apple updated both its mobile and desktop²⁵ operating systems.
The latest version of Apple's system for desktops²⁶ and laptops, entitled OS X 10.10 Yosemite will allow users to make and receive calls and text messages from their iPhone on their desktops or laptops.
It also unveiled iCloud Drive, HealthKit and other app software upgrades.
Apple boss Tim Cook also showcased the tech giant's forthcoming mobile operating system, iOS 8, and emphasized cross-device integration²⁷. One feature, Handoff, allows users to start a task on one device and instantly pick it up on another.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

7 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

8 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

9 oppositions   

（强烈的）反对( opposition的名词复数 )； 反对党； （事业、竞赛、游戏等的）对手； 对比

参考例句：

• That's fine because all perihelic oppositions of Mars are spectacular. 但它和最近的几次区别不大，因为火星所有的近日对冲都很壮观。
• He tried his best to bear down all of his oppositions. 他尽全力击败一切反对意见。

10 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 abdicate   

v.让位，辞职，放弃

参考例句：

• The reason I wnat to abdicate is to try something different.我辞职是因为我想尝试些不一样的东西。
• Yuan Shikai forced emperor to abdicate and hand over power to him.袁世凯逼迫皇帝逊位，把政权交给了他。

12 abdicates   

放弃（职责、权力等）( abdicate的第三人称单数 )； 退位，逊位

参考例句：

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

15 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分

16 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

17 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

18 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

19 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

20 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

21 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

22 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

23 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

25 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

26 desktops   

桌面( desktop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You switch between these virtual desktops by clicking on the one you want to make active. 只需单击你所希望激活的桌面就可以在这些虚拟桌面之间进行切换。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Laptops outsell desktops for the first time in the United States. 膝上型电脑首次在美国销售量胜过桌上型电脑。

27 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。