Hourly News 每日新闻 2013-11-22

 China, EU unveil "unprecedented¹" cooperation plan

The Chinese government and the European Union have unveiled a wide-ranging cooperation plan following a summit between their leaders here in Beijing.

Chinese Premier² Li Keqiang is describing the plan as "unprecedented." 

The comments follow meetings on Thursday with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

The two sides have agreed to kick off the discussions over an trade protocol³ and a free trade area.

They have also promised to increase their bilateral⁴ trade to one trillion US dollars by 2020.

The summit is the 16th between the two sides, but the first since the new Chinese leadership took over in March.

 

China, US officials say people-to-people exchange brings on trust

Chinese vice⁵ Premier Liu Yandong has concluded co-chairing the latest round of People-to-People talks with US Secretary of State Secretary John Kerry.

Following the talks in Washington, the two have signed an updated memorandum⁶ of understanding, promising⁷ to continue the People-to-People communication mechanism⁸.

Liu Yandong is the first member of the Chinese leadership to visit the US following the recent CPC plenum, which has outlined the new Chinese government's roadmap.

 

Progress made during China visit: U.S.envoy⁹ for North Korea

The United States' envoy for North Korean affairs, Glyn Davies, says "good progress" has been made following his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, here in Beijing.

This is the second meeting between the two in less than a month.

However, Davies says that at this point it is very difficult to resume the six-party denuclearization talks due to a lack of commitment from the North Korean side.

Davies is also set to travel on to Seoul and Tokyo later this week.

 

U.S. Senate seeks new sanctions on Iran next month

The U.S. Senate has announced plans to start deliberations on further sanctions against Iran in December.

Defying President Barack Obama's appeal to hold-off on imposing¹⁰ new restrictions¹¹ on Tehran, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry¹² Reid says the Senate has to be prepared to move forward with a new Iran sanctions bill.

Reid says lawmakers need to have legislative¹³ options available after they return to Congress following the Thanksgiving holiday.

This comes as Iran and the P5+1 continue to negotiate in Geneva.

Iranian negotiators conceed there are still serious obstacles to overcome in their current round of talks.

Negotiators for the P5+1 also admit the current round of talks are bogged¹⁴ down with -quote- "serous gaps."

The Obama administration has been pleading with US lawmakers to allow for more time before voting on a house bill which would enact¹⁵ sweeping¹⁶ sanctions on Iran's oil exports.

 

Ukraine suspends plan to seek EU membership

The Ukranian government has decided¹⁷ to hold off on signing a new political and trade pact¹⁸ with the European Union.

This, after the Ukraine parliament voted to reject legislation which would have allowed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko safe passage to Germany for medical treatment.

Tymoshenko's current imprisonment¹⁹ has been a key stumbling block in negotiations²⁰ between Ukraine and the EU.

The two sides have been set to meet next weekend in Lithuania to finalize²¹ new political and trade agreements.

In backing away from those talks, the government of Ukraine also says its going to "renew active dialogue" with Russia and other members of the Commonwealth²² of Independent States.

The CIS makes up the majority of the former Soviet²³ Union.

Russia has threatened to impose trade restrictions on Ukraine if it signs the agreement with the EU.

 

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan falls ill in London: Media

Nigerian authorities are moving to try to reassure²⁴ the public President Goodluck Jonathan is in no serious situation.

This, after he fell ill while attending a meeting with foreign investors²⁵ in London.

The 56-year old was in London on a 3-day meeting when he came down with an undisclosed illness.

A spokesperson for Jonathan says the Nigerian President has been advised to rest for a few days.

It's unclear if Jonathan will be able to return to Nigeria from London, as scheduled, on Saturday.

 

4 killed, dozens trapped after supermarket roof collapses²⁷ in Latvia

Dozens may be trapped following a roof collapse²⁶ at a supermarket in Latvia.

At least 4 people are dead and dozens of others hurt after the roof came down at an outlet²⁸ of a popular supermarket chain in the capital, Riga.

The deputy mayor of the city says around 50 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble²⁹.

30 others have been hospitalized.

Initial indications are suggesting the collapse of the roof may have been caused by either a boiler³⁰ explosion or by recent renovation³¹ work on the building.

The building was constructed in 2011.

 

7 dead, 5 injured in construction accident

Authorities in Hubei have just revealed that 7 people have been killed in an industrial accident in the city of Xiangyang.

5 others were hurt, after a scafolding collapsed³² Wednesday evening.

Authorities have only said 12 of the 13 workers on the site at the time were buried under concrete and desbris.

Few other details have been released at this point.

 

China's mobile phone users hit 1.22 bln, mobile payment market to exceed 800 bln yuan

New data shows the number of Chinese mobile phone users has hit 1.22 billion as of the end of October.

The same stats show that two-thirds of the mobile phones currently in-use here in China are connected to the internet.

35-percent of those are using 3G technology.

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

3 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

4 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

9 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

10 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

13 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

14 bogged   

adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• The professor bogged down in the middle of his speech. 教授的演讲只说了一半便讲不下去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The tractor is bogged down in the mud. 拖拉机陷入了泥沼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

16 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

18 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

19 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

20 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

21 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

22 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

23 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

24 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

25 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

26 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

27 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

28 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

29 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

30 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

31 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

32 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。