Politics this week (2020.04.25) Part.02

After three elections in a year, Israel at last has a new government. Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, made a deal with Benny Gantz, the former opposition leader, which will see Mr Netanyahu stay in office for 18 months. Then Mr Gantz will take over. Both men were under pressure to avoid another election and co-operate to tackle covid-19.

• under pressure
  • 被迫
• tackle
  • to make a determined effort to deal with a difficult problem or situation 应付，处理，解决（难题或局面）

Donald Trump told the American navy to “shoot down [sic] and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.” America recently reported that 11 vessels from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps came close to American ships in what it described as “dangerous manoeuvres.”

• [sic]
  • （注于引文后，表示原文存在拼写等错误）原文如此
• gunboat
  • a small shallow-draft vessel carrying mounted guns and used by coastal patrols, etc 炮舰
• harass
  • 不断攻击（敌人）
  • [often passive] 侵扰，骚扰
    • She claims she has been sexually harassed at work. 她声称在工作中受到性骚扰。
• vessel
  • (formal) a large ship or boat 大船，轮船
  • （人或动物的）血管，脉管；（植物的）导管
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
  • 伊斯兰革命卫队
  • revolutionary
    • [usually before noun] 革命的
  • corps
    • （由两个或以上师组成的）军，兵团
  • manoeuvre
    • manoeuvres [pl.] 军事演习

Reports emerged of a massacre by jihadist rebels in northern Mozambique. Dozens of villagers were shot or beheaded after refusing to join the group. The insurgents have reportedly also killed 20-30 members of the security forces.

• massacre
  • 屠杀
• behead
  • [usually passive] 斩首（尤指刑罚）
• insurgent
  • [usually pl.] 起义者，叛乱者，造反者
    • [SYN] rebel

The UN warned that millions of people in Africa face an increased risk of famine because of the economic dislocation caused by covid-19. Many were already in need of food or cash aid because of drought in places such as Zimbabwe and locusts in Kenya.

• famine
  • 饥荒
• dislocation
  • （制度、计划等）混乱，紊乱
• drought
  • 旱灾
• locust
  • 蝗虫

Donald Trump suspended for at least 60 days the provision of green cards to people who are immigrating legally to the United States. He said he was doing this to protect American workers from foreign competition during the crisis, but he backed away from stopping visas for guest workers after businesses complained that they would suffer.

• green card
  • 永久居住许可证
• immigrate
  • （从外地）移民
• back away (from sb/sth)
  • to move away backwards from sb/sth that is frightening or unpleasant; to avoid doing sth that is unpleasant 避免（做讨厌的事）；躲避（可怕或讨厌的人或事物）
• business
  • [C] a commercial organization such as a company, shop/store or factory 商业机构，企业，商店

NASA set May 27th as the date for the first launch of “American astronauts on Americna rockets from American soil” since the end of the space-shuttle programme. The vessel has been built by Space X, one of Elon Musk’s companies. Since 2011 Americans travelling to the International Space Station have had to hitch a ride on Russian rockets.

• launch
  • [usually sing.] （航天器的）发射；（船的）下水；（产品的）上市；（事件的）发起
• space-shuttle
  • 航天飞机
• hitch
  • 免费搭车；搭便车
    • hitch a ride

Coronavirus briefs

Officials in Wuhan, the Chinese city where covid-19 was first detected, raised the death toll there by 50%, to 3,869. The true extent of the outbreak in China remains unclear.

Having thought it had contained the spread of the disease, Singapore reported a spike in infections, mostly among migrant workers.

The port city of Guayaquil, Ecuador‘s commercial hub, was overwhelmed with deaths from covid-19. Many corpses have been left in the streets.

• extent
  • how large, important, serious, etc. sth is 程度，限度
• contain
  • to prevent sth harmful from spreading or getting worse 防止 … 蔓延（或恶化）
• spike
  • 猛增，急升
• Ecuador
  • 厄瓜多尔🇪🇨
• overwhelm
  • [often passive] 压垮，使应接不暇
• corpse
  • 尸体

Chile said it would issue immunity cards to people who have recovered.

Nearly 1,100 sailors aboard the Charles de Gaulle, a French aircraft-carrier, tested positive.

The German state of Bavaria cancelled the Oktoberfest beer festival. The mayor of Munich supported the decision, but said it was still a bitter blow.

• aircraft-carrier
  • 航空母舰
• Oktoberfest beer festival
  • 慕尼黑啤酒节（又称“十月节”，德语：Oktoberfest）
• bitter
  • [usually before noun] 令人不快的，使人悲痛的，由痛苦引起的
• blow
  • 打击，挫折