洋碩美語【小班教學 口說聽力專家】

The 15 stories that had you talking in 2015

    時間很快的又來到2015年底，同時也到了各大國際媒體公布年度新聞回顧的時候了，CNN選出的15個年度新聞議題，位居前三名的分別是: 1.巴黎恐攻與ISIS的威脅層級提升。 2.在媒體前口無遮攔、爭議不斷的川普，如何在共和黨內初選支持率居高不下。 3.大量國際難民湧入歐洲地區與其影響。其他重要議題包括: 同性婚姻合法化、美國國內數起隨機槍擊屠殺案，造成反穆斯林情結、跨性別與變性者的身分認同、教宗訪美掀起熱潮、巴黎氣候變遷會議、NASA在冥王星和火星上的重大發現等。

…“ISIS was carrying out attacks and beheadings across the Middle East at an alarming rate this year. But then came the November 13 rampage in Paris, which killed 130 people and plunged the City of Light into temporary darkness. The attacks pierced the heart of a favorite European capital, sparkedanti-Islamic fervor, shook up the U.S. presidential campaign and raised new fears in the West about ISIS's ability to strike anywhere.”

1. carry out: 實現

2. beheading: (n.)斬首

3. rampage: (n.)(突然發生的)暴力事件或攻擊

4. plunge…into…: (v.)使…陷入…之中

5. pierce:(v.)刺穿

6. spark: (v.)閃爍、點燃 (此句為”點燃了反伊斯蘭的熱潮”)

7. fervor: (n.)熱潮

8. shook up: 動搖

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2. Donald Trump dominates GOP field

-> dominate: (v.)主宰

-> GOP: 美國共和黨(The Republican Party)亦稱為”Grand Old Party”，GOP為其縮寫。

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…“ When the year started, Jeb Bush was seen as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and Donald Trump was a tycoon-turned-reality TV star. But by midsummer, Trump had soared in the polls atop a crowded field, buoyed by lavish media attention and a restive electorate weary of career politicians. Despite a string of outrageous comments insulting everyone from women to Muslims, Trump has surprised pundits with his staying power -- portending an unruly GOP nomination fight in 2016.”

9. front-runner: 指”一路領先的人”

10. soar: (v.)原來是鳥類高飛的意思，也可引申為暴增或急速成長。

11. buoy: (v.)(n.)當名詞時指可浮在水面上的浮桶或浮球，此處為動詞，意思是”支持”或”鼓勵”

12. restive: (adj.)難以駕馭的、不願向前的

13. electorate: (n.)選民

14. weary: (n.)厭倦

15. pundit: (n.)學者、權威

16. portend: (v.)預知

17. unruly: (adj.)難以控制的

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3. Migrant crisis engulfs Europe

-> engulf: (v.)吞沒

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…“Hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and other countries poured into Europe, straining services and sparking tensions with EU citizens wary of the flood of outsiders. Many desperate refugees died crossingthe Mediterranean in overcrowded boats, a tragedy driven home by widely circulated photos of Aylan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on a beach in Turkey and put agrim face on the crisis.”

18. flee: (v.)逃亡、逃離

19. war-torn: 受戰爭摧殘的

20. strain:(v.)繃緊

21. desperate: (adj.)絕望的、不顧一切的

22. the Mediterranean: 地中海

23. circulate: (v.)流傳 (此處的widely circulated指”廣為流傳的”)

24. grim: (adj.)冷酷的、可怕的

Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/21/world/top-stories-year-talking-2015-feat/index.html