看電視學英文 2012/07

2012/07/31
奧運「黃牛票」新聞連結：http://bit.ly/QQ9k20
Police seeking to prevent ticket touting at the Olympics have made 16 arrests in the past two days.... "Ticket touting is illegal and is

 a clear exploitation of those who genuinely wish to experience the Games first-hand.(資料來源:sky.com)

警方為了抑制奧運黃牛票的歪風,過去兩天已經逮捕16個人,"販售黃牛票是非法行為,完全是剝削想要親自體驗奧運賽事的觀眾

1. tout[skælp](英)動 兜售 名 黃牛 (美:scalper)                   
    I got the ticket from a tout and paid more than double its face price.
2. genuine 形 真實的,非偽造的
   My ticket turned out to be a fake, not a genuine one.
   genuine leather 真皮
3. exploitation 名 利用,剝削
    Child sexual exploitation has become a serious problem.
    Some migrant workers are being exploited in sweatshops. 
    migrant worker外勞
    sweatshop血汗工廠
4. first-hand 形副 第一手 親自
The news network is to broadcast an exclusive(獨家), first-hand account(說明) of the victim.
這網路新聞將播放一則獨家, 來自於受害者(罹難者)的第一手說法.

在這應該指受害者(非死亡)

2012/07/30
《新聞學英文》　奧運「黃牛票」
新聞連結：http://bit.ly/QQ9k20

警方為了抑制奧運黃牛票的歪風,過去兩天已經逮捕16個人,"販售黃牛票是非法行為,完全是剝削想要親自體驗奧運賽事的觀眾"

Police seeking to prevent ticket touting at the Olympics have made 16 arrests in the past two days.... "Ticket touting is illegal and is

 a clear exploitation of those who genuinely wish to experience the Games first-hand.(資料來源:sky.com)

tout 動 兜售 名 黃牛 (美:scalper)
genuine 形 真實的
exploitation 名 利用,剝削
first-hand 形副 第一手 親自

2012/07/27
《看新聞學英文》　「模仿」怎拼？
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/latest/10335747

這種叫做「神經網絡」的電腦軟體，會模擬人腦: 給它大規模的資訊(在這個案例當中，760萬個試驗資料)，這個人工「腦」就會用這些資訊自我學習，偵測複雜的資訊排序，然後藉此診斷出病患是否罹患乳癌。

The type of computer program, called a "neural network," was designed

 to mimic the human brain: Give it a massive amount of information (in this case, 7.6 million trials), and the artificial "brain" will learn to detect complex patterns and make diagnostic calls on breast cancer.

nerve 神經、膽量
neural 神經的
brain 腦
brains 智囊
mimic 模仿、與…很像

2012/07/26
《新聞學英文》　「追悼會」怎拼？
新聞連結：http://bit.ly/MnEMUA

演員克里斯汀貝爾，「黑暗騎士：黎明昇起」的男主角，在禮拜二的時候，給了奧羅拉市的居民一個驚喜: 他不但參與了槍擊案受害者的追悼會，還拜會了倖存者...

Actor Christian Bale, star of "The Dark Knight Rises," surprised residents in Aurora on Tuesday when he visited a memor

ial for the victims and met with survivors of the shooting spree...(資料來源: CNN)

star 名 星星、明星
actor 名 男演員
actress　名　女演員
reside 動 住
resident 名形 居民、住校的.../住院的...
memory 名 記憶
memorial 名形 追悼會、紀念碑、紀念的...
victim 受害者 / 犧牲者
survivor 倖存者 / 生還者

2012/07/25

《新聞學英文》　偶像團體「酒駕」傷人
新聞連結：http://bit.ly/NKGjWo

南韓偶像團體2PM的成員之一尼君,因為酒駕被捕,在酒精的影響之下,他開車撞上一台摩托車,他血液裡頭的酒精濃度為0.056%,駕照面臨查扣

2PM member Nichkhun was caught drinking and driving. While driving under the influence, he had crashed into a motorcycle. Hi

s blood alcohol level at the time was 0.056%. His license is currently due confiscation. (資料來源:www.kpopstarz.com)

drinking and driving 酒駕
alcohol 名 酒精
confiscation 名 沒收

2012/07/24
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/latest/10330675/
7月24日看新聞學英文影音連結：http://bit.ly/PchCmP

Israel's prime minister said Sunday that his country is on alert for plots to kill more of its citizens overseas, after speculation that last week's suicide bombing of a tour bus in Bulgaria was a rehea

rsal for a spectacular attack on Israel's Olympics team.(資料來源:AP)

以色列總理表示國家已經提高警戒,避免國民在海外遭謀殺的計謀發生,有關單位推測上週在保加利亞發生的遊覽車遭自殺攻擊事件,是為了對奧運的以色列代表團,進行更大規模的攻擊來預先演練

●attack 動 名 攻擊
Nearly 3000 people died in the 911 terrorist attacks, including 19 hijackers.

●suicide bombing 自殺炸彈攻擊
She never had thoughts of committing suicide.

●alert 動名形 警戒
An alert guard stopped the crime.
The authorities have declared a red alert for the area around the volcano.

●rehearsal 名 排練
A bad dress rehearsal means a good show
The band stayed up late rehearsing for the big show.

2012/07/23
《看新聞學英文》　「安撫.慰問」怎拼？
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/latest/10328786/

美國總統歐巴馬星期天慰問哀痛欲絕的家屬,炫風造訪科羅拉多,向在戲院當中遭到槍擊的罹難者及其家屬致意.這場大屠殺造成12個人死亡,數十人受傷,全國也陷入震驚哀痛之中.

President Barack Obama on Sunday sought again to provide comfort to hurting and

 grieving families, sweeping into Colorado to privately console relatives of the victims gunned down in a movie theater. The massacre left 12 people dead, dozens injured and a nation in stunned sorrow.

單字：
console 安撫 慰問
grieve 使悲傷,苦惱
sweep into 快速前進
massacre 大屠殺

2012/07/20
《新聞學英文》　「不想露臉」相關實用英文
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/latest/10324563

不論你是想要上傳敏感的抗議畫面,卻不想讓示威人士露臉,或者是分享八歲小孩籃球比賽的致勝投籃,卻不想將他的臉公諸於世,我們的臉部馬賽克技術,會是確保網路匿名性的第一步。

Whether you want to share sensitive protest footage without exposing the faces

 of the activists involved, or share the winning point in your eight-year-old's basketball game without broadcasting the children's faces to the world, our face-blurring technology is a first step towards providing visual anonymity. (資料來源:news.sky.com)

blur 動名 朦朧,變得模糊
footage 名 連續畫面
activist 名 激進主義者
anonymity 名 匿名

2012/07/19
《新聞學英文》　「陰險的人」怎拼？
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/latest/10323052/

Hamblin, 21歲, 一位牧師...是新一代以玩蛇來證明信仰的基督教徒之一，他們正在嘗試恢復一種有上百年傳統的信仰。自1900年開始，就有少數的信徒想證實所謂來自福音的神蹟...

Hamblin, 21, pastor ... is part of a new generation of serpent-handling

 Christians who are revitalizing a century-old faith tradition. Since the early 1900s, a handful of true believers have practiced the so-called signs of the gospel...(資料來源 : USA Today)

pastor 名 牧師
priest 名 神父
serpent 名 蛇、陰險的人、惡魔
snake 名 蛇
faith 名 宗教信仰、信念
faithful 形 忠誠
year 名 一年
decade 名 十年
century 名 一百年 (世紀)
millennium 名 一千年

2012/07/18
《新聞學英文》　「處罰」怎麼拼？
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10321399/

這決定完全是經濟考量,沒有感情因素,火箭隊提出的合約,包含第三年1490萬的氣球薪資,如果尼克隊要跟進出價的話,還得額外付出3500萬以上的豪華稅罰金
The decision was ultimately financial, not emotional... The contract with Houston inclu

des a third-year balloon payment of $14.9 million, which would have cost the Knicks another $35 million or more in luxury-tax penalties had they matched the deal.(資料來源:NYTimes)

penalty 名 處罰
luxury tax 豪華稅
balloon payment 名 氣球形支付
financial 形 財政的; 金融的

2012/07/17
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10319778
《新聞學英文》　「電池續航力」怎拼？

A new iPhone case was announced... It does triple duty: it’s a case, a stun gun, and it can extend your iPhone’s battery life. The case holds a 650K volt stun gun

, intended for protection if you get into a dangerous situation. (資料來源: AppPicker.com)

一款新的iPhone 保護殼亮相了...它有三項功能: 它是保護殼也是電擊槍、同時還可延長你的iPhone電池續航力。這款手機保護殼包含著一隻六十五萬伏特的電擊槍, 讓你萬一身陷危險處境時，可以用來保護自己。

stun gun 電擊槍
stun 動 使…昏倒、大吃一驚
stunning 形 極漂亮的
duty 名 職責、稅、義務
on / off duty 片 上 / 下班
battery life 片 電池續航力
shelf life 片 貨架壽命 => 保存期限
k = kilo = 1000

2012/07/16
《看新聞學英文》　無隔間空寓.套房
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/international/10318379

或許這就是未來的居住形式:面積不超過300平方英尺的套房,紐約城市規劃當局認為小坪數的單位可以解決,目前單身人口跟兩人家庭持續增長的問題。

Maybe it’s the urban dwelling of the future: studio apartments measuring no more than 30

0 square feet. New York City planners think the tiny units could be the answer to a growing population of singles and two-person households.
(資料來源:dailyherald.com)

單字：
studio apartment 無隔間公寓 套房
dwell 居住
measure 測量
household 家戶

2012/07/13
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10314802

無所不再的星巴克現在又在新場所設點,來到羅賓森殯儀館參加喪禮的人,不久後就可以在大廳享受身著星巴克制服的咖啡師烘焙的拿鐵,不過這家咖啡廳的規模並不如一般分店完整。

Starbucks will extend its already ubiquitous presence to a new type of venue. Funeral-goers at the

 Robinson Funeral Home will soon find baristas in Starbucks uniforms serving lattes in the lobby...(but) the coffee shop will not be a full-fledged Starbucks.(資料來源:abcnews)

funeral 名 葬禮
mortuary 太平間
mortician 禮儀師
mortality 死亡率
mortgage 房貸
barista 名 咖啡師傅
ubiquitous 形 無所不在的
full-fledged 形 羽翼俱豐的,完整成熟的

2012/07/12
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10313411
新聞連結：http://ppt.cc/CWi6

美國是世界上最重要的玉米產地。玉米能禁得起偶而的日間高溫，但這場熱浪的高溫可是一點都不尋常…好幾個禮拜的嚴重乾旱，以及緊接著的嚴峻高溫，有可能將導致美國的玉米農，面臨史上最嚴重的作物損失。

The United States is the world’s foremost producer of corn. Corn can withstand occasional high daytime temperatures, bu

t the temperatures during this heat wave were anything but ordinary…As a consequence of weeks of serious drought followed by severe high temperatures, U.S. corn farmers may be facing one of the worst crop losses in history.(資料來源: Care2.com)


heat wave 片 熱浪
heat 名 熱度 動 加熱
wave 名 浪 動 揮動、揮手
out of the ordinary 片 不尋常
ordinary 形 平凡、平常
out of 介係詞　在…之外，從…出來，…做的
drought 名 乾旱
serious (嚴肅、嚴重) VS. severe (嚴峻)
crop 名 農作物、短髮 動 收成、剪短

2012/07/11
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10311830/
美國東岸外海發生至少兩起大白鯊的目擊事件,地點距離鯊魚攻擊驚悚片"大白鯊"的拍攝場景不遠,當局呼籲要提高警戒,但不少遊客聞風而至,希望能看到這種掠食者。

At least two great whites have been sighted off the US East Coast, not far from where the terrifying shark attack film Jaws was filmed. W

hile authorities are urging caution, some tourists are traveling to the area in the hope of seeing the predators. (資料來源:theaustralian.com.au)

great white shark 名 大白鯊
jaw 名 顎,頷
caution 名動 警戒
predator 名 掠奪者

2012/07/10
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/latest/10310271
《看新聞學英文》　惡意軟體.程式

惡意軟體DNSChanger從2007年,開始在網上流傳,受到感染的電腦設定會遭到變更,經由愛沙尼亞的駭客組織查詢網址,不過FBI查緝詐騙,在2011年11月控制駭客組織的伺服器

The "DNSChanger" malware began spreading in 2007 and affected computers by changing the settings on PCs so that they would use the 

Estonian hacker ring's DNS servers to look up addresses...But the FBI cracked down on the scam, finally getting control of the hackers' DNS servers in November 2011.(資料來源:guardian.co.uk)

malware 惡意程式
malfunction 故障
malnutrition營養不良
malpractice 弊端
scam 詐騙

2012/07/05
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10304094
根據一項調查顯示，美國人需要支付59美元14分來購買可裝滿一台手推車這麼多的漢堡、啤酒和慣用的附加物，比去年少了兩美元…大多食品成本被抑制的原因，是近期下滑的原油價格，它削減了包裝以及運輸的費用。

According to a survey, Americans will pay 59 dollars and 14 cents for a grocery cart full of burger, beer and fixings, down about two dollar

s from last year…keeping most grocery cost in check is the recent dip in fuel costs, cutting the price of packaging and transportation.(資料來源: CNN)

grocery 名 食品雜貨店
groceries 名 食品雜貨、南北貨
Barbeque (BBQ) 名 烤肉 動 烤…
pork (pig) 名 豬肉
beef/steak (cow) 名 牛肉
chicken (chicken) 名 雞肉
survey 名 調查
fuel 名 燃料

2012/07/04
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10302582
Katie Holmes, who is filing for divorce from husband Tom Cruise after 5 years of marriage, is entitled to get 15 million dollars as well as the couple’s 35-million-dollar Beverly Hills Mansion, according to the prenuptial agreement. (資料來源:zeenews.com)
凱蒂荷姆絲正在訴請離婚,結束和先生湯姆克魯斯的五年婚姻,根據婚前協議,女方有權獲得1500萬美元,以及價值3500萬美元的比佛利豪宅。

1. divorce 名動 離婚
The marriage ended in divorce.
After year of unhappiness, she decided to divorce him.  不要使用with

2. file 動 歸檔,提出法律程序申請(因為要準備很多文件引申此含義)
Please file the reports in alphabetical order.
The worker filed  for unemployment insurance.
file a suit. 控訴

3. entitled to 片 給予權利,頒發
 title本身有頭銜稱號意思
 這本書叫做什名字 the book is  entitled to xxx.
 也可用為對人能給予啥頭銜,權利, 福利
 The award winner will be entitled to a full scholarship(獎學金).

5. prenuptial agreement 婚前協議
Sometimes, prenuptial agreements are  used to limit alimony(贍養費).


2012/07/03
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10301014
A 12-year-old boy from Pittsburgh(匹茲堡) sustained severe second-degree burns on his back after participating in a dangerous teen fad called "salt and ice challenge," making rounds on YouTube and social networking sites. (資料來源:www.digitaljournal.com)
匹茲堡一個12歲的男童,背部受到嚴重的二度凍傷,因為他參與了最近青少年很風行的危險行為鹽冰大挑戰,最近在Youtube跟社群網站上流傳
1. participating: 注意美念法 不念part   
2. burn 名 灼傷,燒燙傷
frostbite 凍傷 , 凍瘡 I got frostbite and it really hurts. frost:霜
 sun burn 曬傷 I got really sun burn.
3. sustain 動 承受,遭受 一些艱困的處境或身體受傷不舒服等
 ,口語會講 I got ..
He sustained a serious wound to his back which required stitches.
stitch 動 名, 縫線 , 傷口需要縫合 

5. fad 名 一時的潮流,風行, 跟trend與fashion不同 比喻很快很短暫的風潮
Tamagotchi(電子雞) became a fad in 1996.
You are about 20 years late on the fad.(你跟潮流脫鉤20年)

6. make the rounds 動 巡迴,流傳
round指的是圓形,轉圈的意思
The news is making the rounds to different medias.


2012/07/02
http://www.nexttv.com.tw/news/realtime/lifestyle/10299699
One hundred thousand protesters marched in Hong Kong on Sunday, voicing their anger at Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, on the 15th anniversary of the island's handover back to China. Mr Hu was heckled twice in two days during his carefully chaperoned visit. (資料來源:telegraph.co.uk)
星期天是香港回歸中國十五週年,當天有十萬抗議群眾上街遊行,表達對中國國家主席胡錦濤的憤怒,儘管兩天的行程都有層層戒護,胡錦濤仍舊遭到嗆聲.

●handover 名 移交
The police officer ordered the suspect to hand over his weapons.

●march 動 行進 行軍
The troops will march at dawn(破曉, 天亮).
She belonged to the marching band(樂儀隊:一邊吹奏一邊行進) at high school.

●heckle 動 激烈質問, 刁難(希望對方答不出來的問法有嗆聲刁難的意思)
The crowd were booing and heckling as the candidate tried to speak.
 boo:發噓聲
● chaperon 名 動 陪伴(含監視意味) :此字原是法文
Christy's mom asked Paul to chaperon Christy on our first date.
同chaperone





to see in person 親自體驗

stay tuned 不要轉台

tune in 轉台

partygoer常跑趴的人

count down :v倒數

countdown :n倒數

Latest news clippings 2011.12.29

1.      Royal Institution Christmas lectures will unwrap the human brain

In this year's Christmas lectures on BBC Four, Professor Bruce Hood aims to reveal the brain in all its mystery and complexity

• guardian.co.uk,  25 December 2011 
• 
  

Prof Bruce Hood wants people to come away from his Christmas lectures with a greater appreciation of their white and grey matter. Photograph: Paul Wilkinson/BBC

Human beings are the most intelligent species on the planet because our brains have evolved to cope with complex social situations, according to this year's Royal Institution Christmas lecturer, Professor Bruce Hood. This important function takes decades to develop properly, however, and explains why we humans spend a much larger proportion of our lifespan as children than any other animal.

Whether or not they (or the millions watching at home) end up studying the brain, Hood hopes that people come away from the lectures with a deeper appreciation of the white and grey matter. "We take it for granted – the things we do every day. We don't understand how complicated they really are. I want people to come away with a sense of wonder about how a thing like the brain has such flexibility and such powerful processing capability to create this experience we have."

From a set that resembles a 1950s horror movie, Hood plans to take viewers on a trip through the capabilities of our most important organ. "The brain is seven times heavier than you would imagine for an animal our size. It's full of billions upon billions of brain cells," he says. "It's not the number of cells that's really fascinating, it's the connection between the cells because that's the secret of the processing power of the brain. It's connections that encode information."

Babies are born with almost their full complement of brain cells, so it's the increase in the number of connections between the cells that explains the change in the size and weight of the brain as it matures. All of this helps to create a representation of the external world.

"You're encoding experiences and storing that," says Hood. "When the brain brings these back to think about them, it's almost recreating the original experience. It's not a photograph captured in time, these things are constantly dynamic and changing."

Hood will also discuss a uniquely human capability that our brains have evolved: the ability to be social. "Childhood used to be thought of as a time of immaturity," he says. "But we now realize that this is the period where we're becoming social. The species which have the longest periods of childhood tend to be the ones which are more flexible or intelligent."

Not only do human children learn from others, they learn to become like others. "We spend up to 15-20 years in childhood and that's a large proportion of human lifespan and that can only be because it serves a really important process, which I think is learning from others and learning to communicate and share information," says Hood. "We don't simply read behaviours, we put ourselves in other humans' shoes, we take their perspectives, we can empathize, we can see their points of view. This is a whole area called 'theory of mind'. Without that you cannot anticipate what other people are thinking and doing."

2.  Africa's burgeoning middle class brings hope to a continent

A new financial assertiveness and cultural self-confidence is growing, fuelled by technology

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      The Guardian    Dec 25, 2011

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The Kapayas in Lusaka boast all the hallmarks of a middle-class lifestyle but try to maintain their rural family values. Photograph: Georgina Smith

At the end of another of Kinshasa's potholed roads, lined with shacks and crumbling matchbox houses, comes a sudden clearing. It is a sandy patch of land surrounded by water in which bare-chested boys in dugout canoes paddle among the hyacinths. A giant pump is working day and night, reclaiming land from the sandbanks and river beds, expanding the city in defiance of nature.

Welcome to River City, or "the new Manhattan" as this multibillion-pound development has been hopefully described by newspapers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Just 15 hectares (38 acres) now, but aiming for 380, it is perhaps the most ambitious statement yet about Africa's improving fortunes – and the promise of a growing African consumer class.

River City is backed by a British hedge fund that specialises in counter-trend betting and, says the developer Robert Choudury, "a bigger counter-trend is hard to find". Ravaged by war and disease, DRC ranks bottom of the UN's human development index. More than half the population is living on less than $1.25 a day and only 2% of roads are paved.

But change is happening all over Africa and it looks possible, even here. Sitting with an iPad on his desk in the only building completed so far, French-born Choudury likens the project to Sandton, the commercial heart of Johannesburg often described as the wealthiest square mile on the continent.

His plans include a 18,000-square metre shopping mall and 100-room hotel built by South African entrepreneur Richard Moloko, plus churches, condominiums, hospitals and restaurants, "everything you need" away from the mayhem of Kinshasa's overcrowded, overpriced real estate today.

It is hoped that hydro-power from the nearby Congo River will provide more than a third of the new district's energy needs. All this could take decades, but Choudury has already sold four apartments – to Congolese buyers – for $218-250,000 each.

When Choudury, 52, was first trying to drum up interest in the development, he took out an eight-page newspaper advert with the words, "The future is Africa". The claim seems more and more credible.

Africa's middle class is a reality and widening by the day. It is a trend marked by changing lifestyles, greater spending power, more recreational time, the harnessing of technology and a new political assertiveness and cultural self-confidence.

3.  The people vs. Putin

CNN      Dec 18, 2011

    

TIME magazine announced its person of the year this week - "the protester". From the Arab Spring to Athens, from New Delhi to New York, people power is stronger than it’s ever been. And now it's reached Moscow with the protests there last week.

The great drama of Russian history has been between its state and society. Put simply, Russia has always had too much state and not enough society. Historians have pointed out that the Russian nation was literally the property of the Czar, that serfs were more like slaves than simply peasant workers and that the country lacked any institutions that contested the authority of the government. The communist takeover in 1917 only enhanced these features by building a superstate that dominated every aspect of people's lives. When it collapsed in 1991, it turned out there was only chaos underneath.

But there has always been a Russian civil society, small but vibrant, espousing universal values and human rights. It is the Russia of Tolstoy and Pasternak, Sakharov and Gorbachev, and it has always believed that Russia's destiny lies with the West. This Russia has not died under Putin.

In fact, it's been growing quietly but vigorously over the past decade. In an article in Columbia University's Journal of International Affairs, Debra Javeline and Sarah Lindemann-Komarov describe a Russia in which civil society is having an increasingly large impact. There are more than 650,000 nongovernmental organizations in Russia today. Many of these groups are not overtly political, but they challenge governmental authority and decisions - on environmental grounds, for example - and sometimes they prevail.

Of course, the Russian state is still powerful, dominant and pervasive in politics and the economy. Despite all the stirrings of change, the power of the state, expertly wielded by Putin, should give one pause. It is not just that Putin has been able to reconstitute some of the apparatus of fear from the Soviet days. It's also about money. The Russian state has at its disposal the greatest natural resources of any country in the world: oil, gas, diamonds, nickel, copper, aluminum. Those riches give the government the ability to both repress and bribe its population.

Latest News Clippings 2011.12.22

1.       North Korea mourns Kim Jong-il and prepares for the 'great successor'

Country's state propaganda machine has been smoothing the way for Kim Jong-un to succeed his father as leader.

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 December 2011

      

Kim Jong-il's son and heir apparent has led mourners paying respects to North Korea's Dear Leader , as the country's propaganda machine sought to smooth the transition by ramping up the family personality cult.

State television showed Kim Jong-un bowing before the body of his father, as it lay draped in a scarlet flag, in a glass casket at the Kumsusan memorial palace. Sombre music echoed through the gloomy, marble-lined hall.

Honour guards stood by, and senior military and political figures followed as the "great successor" observed a moment's silence before circling the byre where Kim Jong-il lay in his trademark khaki suit, surrounded by the red kimjongilia begonias named in his honour.

The images appeared designed to cement the younger man's position as much as to honour the elder, who died on Saturday aged 69. As the tributes to the father piled up in the state media, so did the plaudits for the son, who is thought to be just 28.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described him for the first time as a "great person born of heaven" – a phrase previously bestowed only on his father and grandfather - and "the eternally immovable mental mainstay of the Korean people".

"The Korean people now pledge themselves to remain true to the leadership of General Kim Jong-un while overcoming the greatest sorrow of the nation," it added.

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper described him as the people's "spiritual pillar and the lighthouse of hope".

But as significant as the domestic praise was, the note struck by Hillary Clinton, who told reporters the US wanted a "peaceful and stable transition", was perhaps more significant.

mourn: v哀悼

mourner: n哀悼者,送葬者

propaganda：n宣傳活動

heir: 繼承人

pay respect to 致意,關心

ramp up 提高

bow 鞠躬

drape: n 窗簾 ,v 覆蓋 

casket(美)棺材

coffin 棺材

gloomy憂鬱的  ECB(European central bank) paint a gloomy picture of the future economy.歐洲央行對經濟未來前景非常悲觀

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Russia clears final hurdle to WTO membership

DW-TV  Dec.15, 2011

Russia is on the brink of becoming a member of the World Trade Organization. There are still some worries about how state-run industries will fare in a new, open market, but most observers think the step is long overdue.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is set to finally rubberstamp Russia's long-awaited membership on Friday, 18 years after negotiations were first taken up.

For Russia, accession to the WTO is not just a question of political prestige - it carries with it a host of economic advantages, according to Susan Stewart, researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

"Membership is another step toward integration with the world economy, and away from marginalization," Stewart told Deutsche Welle. "Since Russia is not modernizing enough at the moment, marginalization is a real threat."

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The Russian manufacturing industry will be forced to modernize

Accession to the WTO will also spur innovation in Russia. Stewart thinks that many companies and even whole industries like manufacturing could become more competitive.

However, the extra pressure to compete in a more open market also worries some Russian critics. Many parts of the Russian economy are, they point out, still state-controlled. They predict that old companies dating from the Soviet era will have problems facing international competition.

Others, like Rolf Langhammer of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), view accession as an opportunity for Russia, because the WTO will open the door to foreign investment - the key to Russia's modernization.

3.  Flag-lowering ends controversial U.S. Iraq mission

    CNN   2011-12-15

  

(CNN) -- American troops lowered the flag of command that flew over Baghdad Thursday morning, carefully rolled it, and placed it in a green and gray case, officially ending the controversial United States military mission in Iraq after nearly nine years.

The understated ceremony under the bright Iraqi sun was the very opposite of the nighttime shock and awe bombardment of Baghdad that began the war against Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

Justified by then-President George W. Bush on the grounds that Hussein was seeking weapons of mass destruction which he could share with terrorists such as al Qaeda, the invasion was deeply divisive in America and around the world.

Hussein's regime proved easy to topple, but no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the United States and its allies were left occupying a country where there were not greeted as liberators -- despite the prediction of Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney.