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(单词翻译)
Sometimes, what does not happen is what matters most.
By the evening of February 25 this year, Russia's troops had reached the edge of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. The day before, Russian troops had crossed into Ukraine in the largest military attack in Europe since World War II.
Ukraine's defense1 ministry2 urged its people to build bombs to fight off the invaders3. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy filmed himself on the streets of the city, promising4 to defend his country.
"Tonight, they will launch an assault," Zelenskyy said. "All of us must understand what awaits us. We must withstand this night."
Many had expected a quick Russian victory. But the assault never came. And 10 months later, Russia has pulled back its "special military operation" in some places.
Russian forces still control large areas of Ukraine's east and south. At least 40,000 civilians5 have been killed and 14 million displaced in the conflict. But Ukrainian forces, supported by billions of dollars in Western weapons, have effectively fought against the Russians.
U.S. politics
In the United States, the sitting president's party, in this case, President Joe Biden's Democrats6, usually loses many seats in the midterm elections.
So, many observers had predicted a large victory for the Republican Party. The Republicans did win control of the House of Representatives. But it was a small victory with a majority of fewer than 10 seats.
The Republicans ended up losing one seat in the Senate and several more races for governor.
Economy
In economics, most of the world's big central banks waited until March to begin raising interest rates. The European Central Bank did not move until July. Some complained that the delay enabled inflation to increase. And some feared that it could be costly7 in the long term.
There are early signs that inflation may have reached its highest point in some economies. The price of oil has gone down but could increase as European nations established a price limit on Russian oil products.
Climate change
At the United Nations climate talks in Egypt, countries agreed to create a fund to help poor nations threatened by climate disasters. But they failed to agree on plans to cut emissions8 faster.
Meanwhile, there have been record heatwaves in China, floods in Pakistan and Europe, and glacier9 collapses11 in India, Italy and Chile. They were reminders12 of how fast our planet's climate is warming.
Protests in Iran
This was also the year that protests exploded in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the morality police for wearing an "improper13" head covering called the hijab. Witnesses said she was beaten, though Iranian officials denied that.
The protests, led mostly by women, spread throughout the country. They represented a threat to the government. In recent weeks, fewer morality police officers have been seen in Iranian cities. And more women have been walking the city's streets without wearing the hijab.
What else happened?
What else happened in 2022?
Cryptocurrencies greatly dropped in value following the collapse10 of FTX, one of the world's largest digital money exchanges.
Elon Musk14 bought Twitter. The billionaire cut half of its workforce15 and the social media company is in disorder16.
It was the year Latin America moved to the political left, a ceasefire finally came in Ethiopia's civil war, and North Korea launched more missiles. It was also the year Britain lost a queen, gained a king, and saw three Prime Ministers.
Words in This Story
assault — n. a military attack
emissions — n. the act of producing or sending out something
glacier — n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land
exchange — n. a place where things or services are traded
1 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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2 ministry | |
n.(政府的)部;牧师 | |
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3 invaders | |
入侵者,侵略者,侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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4 promising | |
adj.有希望的,有前途的 | |
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5 civilians | |
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓 | |
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6 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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7 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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8 emissions | |
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体) | |
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9 glacier | |
n.冰川,冰河 | |
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10 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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11 collapses | |
折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 ); 倒塌; 崩溃; (尤指工作劳累后)坐下 | |
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12 reminders | |
n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 );提醒…的东西;(告知该做某事的)通知单;提示信 | |
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13 improper | |
adj.不适当的,不合适的,不正确的,不合礼仪的 | |
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14 musk | |
n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物,香猫 | |
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15 workforce | |
n.劳动大军,劳动力 | |
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16 disorder | |
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
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