美国有线新闻 CNN 2015-04-05

 For the first time in Nigeria's history, an incumbent¹ president has been defeated in an election. Welcome to CNN Student News.

 

One major challenge facing the African nation is the Boko Haram terrorist group. Nigerian voters apparently² felt that the nation's former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari, would be more effective at fighting them. Buhari is set to replace outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

To Switzerland. A deadline came and went between Iran and six other countries, including the U.S. The goal? Reaching an agreement concerning Iran's controversial nuclear program. The deadline was extended to today. Talks on this issue have happened several times before in several cities. One sticking point, the international sanctions on Iran's economy. Iran wants those lifted, other countries don't want to lose their leverage³ in getting Iran to freeze its nuclear program.

 

U.S. sanctions against the Iran date back decades and include a ban on oil, weapons and, of course, anything that might further Iran's nuclear program. The long list essentially⁴ cuts off trade and investment between the two countries. In recent years, the United Nations and the European Union have joined the U.S. in pressuring Iran to halt its nuclear ambitions, targeting Iran's energy and financial sectors⁵ through a tightening⁶ web of sanctions. Since 2006, the U.N. Security Council has passed six resolutions targeting Iran's nuclear program, but perhaps the biggest impact on Iran came in 2012, when the EU agreed to stop buying their oil. Iran's oil exports dropped dramatically. Their currency plummeted⁷ in value and their economy lost hundreds of billions of dollars. 

 

All told, sanctions have deprived Iran of more than 200 billion dollars in lost revenue.

 

The sanctions don't stop there. Both the U.S. and EU limit Western firms from doing business in Iran and have increasingly isolated⁸ Iran's banks, denying them access to Western markets. Also, millions of dollars in assets from dozens of Iranian nationals, organizations and businesses have been frozen, including top members of Iran's government and military.

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

7 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。