01

Palestine to cut relations with the US and Israel

巴勒斯坦与美以断交

The Palestinian Authority① has cut all ties with the US and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting a Middle East peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Feburary 1. Abbas was in Cairo to address the Arab League②, which backed the Palestinians in their opposition to Trump’s plan. The blueprint③, endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for the creation of a demilitarised④ Palestinian state that excludes Jewish settlements built in occupied territory and is under near-total Israeli security control. (Reuters)

2月1日,巴勒斯坦总统马哈茂德·阿巴斯表示,巴方拒绝接受美国总统特朗普提出的中东和平计划,并随后宣布,巴方与美国和以色列断绝包括安全合作在内的一切关系。阿巴斯在开罗向阿拉伯国家联盟宣布了这一决定,阿盟对巴方拒绝特朗普的计划表示支持。该计划主张建立去军事化的巴勒斯坦国,且巴勒斯坦领土不包括在占领区建立的犹太人定居点并要几乎完全处于以色列的安全控制之下。以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡对这一计划表示支持。

【注释】

① the Palestinian Authority = the Palestinian National Authority = the P(N)A: the governing body of the Palestinian autonomous regions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip established in 1994 巴勒斯坦民族权力机构

② the Arab League = the League of Arab States: a regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East, formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 阿拉伯国家联盟

③ blueprint: [ˈbluːˌprɪnt] n. a plan which shows what can be achieved and how it can be achieved 蓝图,行动计划

④ demilitarise: [diːˈmɪlɪtəˌraɪz] vt. to remove military forces from an area 使非军事化,使不用于军事目的

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Israeli Arabs carried a banner in a protest march against President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan in Baqa al-Gharbiya, Israel.

(Credit: UPI)

02

Lowa’s caucus① snafu②

美国艾奥瓦州党内选举乱局

The Iowa presidential caucuses were thrown into chaos late③ last Monday after the state Democratic Party said it found “inconsistencies,” delaying results and causing widespread confusion across the state. The Iowa Democratic Party said early last Tuesday that it would release the results of the Iowa caucuses later last Tuesday after “manually verifying all precinct④ results.” Party chair Troy Price said the party is “validating every piece of data we have against our paper trail⑤. That system is taking longer than expected, but it’s in place⑥ to ensure we are eventually able to report results with full confidence.” (NPR)

美国总统大选艾奥瓦州民主党内初选发现计票数据存在“矛盾”,以致计票结果推迟公布,并在全州造成大范围混乱。2月3日晚间,场面一度失控。2月4日早间,艾奥瓦州民主党宣布,将“手工核验所有选区票数”,并将于当日晚间公布预选结果。该州民主党主席特洛伊·普莱斯称,民主党正“根据书面材料核对每一项数据。系统花费的时间比预期长,但能确保我们最终得到的结果真实可靠”。

【注释】

① caucus: [ˈkɔːkəs] n. a meeting of the members or leaders of a political party to choose candidates or to decide policy(政党选定候选人或决定政策的)领导人(或代表)会议

② snafu: [snæˈfuː] n. a situation in which nothing happens as planned【美】【口】混乱,一团糟

③ late: [leɪt] adj. near the end of the day 近日暮的,近深夜的

④ precinct: [ˈpriːsɪŋkt] n. one of the parts into which a town or city is divided in order to organize elections【美】选区

⑤ paper trail: a series of documents that provide evidence of what you have done or what has happened(对某人活动所作的)纸上跟踪记录

⑥ in place: working or ready to work 到/就位

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People took part in a Caucus at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 3, 2020.

(Credit: Reuters)

03

Trump acquitted① in his Senate impeachment trial

美国参议院判处特朗普弹劾罪名不成立

The Senate last Wednesday acquitted President Trump on two articles of impeachment, rejecting the House’s charges that he should be removed from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. With the final gavel② banging③ downon impeachment, President Trump barreled④ ahead in his reelection fight with a united Republican Party behind him, and was emboldened⑤ by reassuring poll numbers and chaos in the Democratic race to replace him. One day after Trump avoided talking of impeachment in his State of the Union address and argued that he had delivered on his 2016 campaign promises, the president already was moving to use impeachment as a 2020 rallying cry⑥. It is worth noting that last Tuesday, the address became a shocking display of US divisions with Democrats protesting the Republican’s boasts before their leader, Nancy Pelosi, ripped⑦ upher copy of the speech on live television. (Politico, AP, AFP)

美国总统弹劾一案,众议院指控特朗普两项罪名——滥用职权、妨碍国会,要求罢免总统。2月5日,参议院裁定罪名不成立。弹劾案结束,特朗普得以继续投入竞选连任。特朗普身后有团结的共和党支持,其领先的民调数据和民主党内初选的混乱也令他信心倍增。在参议院审判的前一天,特朗普发表国情咨文时还避谈弹劾案,并声称已兑现2016年大选时的承诺,如今却已开始利用弹劾案的胜利作为2020年大选的战斗口号。值得注意的是,2月4日,特朗普发表的国情咨文反映出美国两党之间惊人的分歧,民主党人一直抗议共和党人的夸夸其谈;特朗普演讲结束后,民主党领袖南希·佩洛西在电视直播中撕毁了手中那份演讲稿复印件。

【注释】

① acquit: [əˈkwɪt] vt. to decide and state officially in court that sb. is not guilty of a crime 宣告…无罪

② gavel: [ˈɡævəl] n. a small hammer used by a person in charge of a meeting or an auction, or by a judge in court, in order to get people’s attention(会议主席、法官、拍卖商等用的)小木槌

③ bang: [bæŋ] vt. to put sth. somewhere suddenly and violently 猛击

④ barrel: [ˈbærəl] vi. to move very fast in a particular direction, esp. in a way that you cannot control【美】飞奔,高速行驶

⑤ embolden: [ɪmˈbəʊldən] vt. to make sb. feel braver or more confident 壮胆,使有信心,鼓励

⑥ rallying cry: a phrase or an idea that is used to encourage people to support sb./sth. 战斗口号

⑦ rip: to tear sth., often suddenly or violently 撕

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President Donald Trump held up a newspaper with the headline that read “ACQUITTED” at the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast, at the Washington Hilton on Feb. 6 in Washington.

(Credit: AP)

04

a passenger jet skidding① off runway in Istanbul

客机在伊斯坦布尔滑出跑道

Three people are dead and at least 179 injured, including four Chinese passengers, after a plane landing in Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Turkey last Wednesday skidded off the runway, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Television footage② showed serious damage to the plane, with the fuselage③ appearing to be broken into three pieces. Passengers were evacuated from the cracks④ in the plane’s debris⑤. (Fox News, CCTV)

2月5日,一架飞机在土耳其伊斯坦布尔的萨比哈·格克琴机场降落时滑出跑道,坠入田野,机身断裂。事故造成3人死亡,至少179人受伤,其中包括4名中国乘客。电视镜头拍摄到,飞机严重受损,机身似断成三截。乘客从飞机残骸的裂缝中撤离。

【注释】

① skid: [skɪd] vi. (usually a vehicle) to slide sideways or forwards in an uncontrolled way 侧滑,不可控地滑行

② footage: [ˈfʊtɪdʒ] n. part of a film showing a particular event(记录下某一事件的)影片片段

③ fuselage: [ˈfjuːzɪˌlɑːʒ] n. the main part of an aircraft in which passengers and goods are carried 机身

④ crack: [kræk] n. a narrow space or opening 窄缝

⑤ debris: [ˈdeɪbrɪ] n. pieces of wood, metal, brick, etc. that are left after sth. has been destroyed(被毁物的)残骸

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Rescuers and firefighters at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

(Credit: AP)

05

updates on 2019-nCoV

新型冠状病毒新闻追踪

The new coronavirus is believed to have originated in bats and transferred to humans through some other animal. The pangolin① may be that key link. Chinese researchers have identified the pangolin as the potential host of 2019-nCoV on the basis of a genetic comparison of coronaviruses taken from the animals and from humans infected in the outbreak and other findings. The sequences are 99% similar. In terms of treatment, Gilead’s drug called remdesevir was unsuccessfully developed to treat Ebola but has shown promise② in lab settings against diseases similar to the new coronavirus. Last Friday, the death of a Chinese doctor who tried to warn about the coronavirus outbreak has sparked nationwide grief in China. The country’s anti-corruption body said it would open an investigation into “issues involving Dr Li”. (Nature, Fox News, Bloomberg, BBC)

新型冠状病毒被认为起源于蝙蝠,再通过某种其他动物传染给人类。穿山甲或为这关键一环。中国研究人员比较了穿山甲和感染人的冠状病毒基因,序列相似度达99%——基于这些研究,确定穿山甲为这一新型冠状病毒的潜在宿主。在治疗方面,吉利德公司开发的瑞德西韦药物虽治疗埃博拉不力,但在实验室环境下显示出治疗类似新型肺炎的可能。2月7日,一位曾试图预警疫情爆发的中国医生去世,中国举国哀悼。国家监委称将就“涉及李医生的有关问题”展开调查。

【注释】

① pangolin: [pæŋˈɡəʊlɪn] n. 穿山甲,鲮鲤

② promise: [ˈprɒmɪs] n. a sign that sb./sth. will be successful(有)可能/指望/出息/前途

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