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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
It's Paul James with you on this Thursday, February 5, 2015.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
A search is still underway for a dozen people missing following a deadly plane crash in Taiwan yesterday.
The Presidents of China and Argentina sit-down to talk infrastructure1, among other things, as part of Christina Fernadez's current trip to China.
Jordan's King vowing2 an even stronger response in the wake of the murder of one of the country's pilots by the Islamic State.
In business. Reserve requirements for all Chinese banks are coming down today.
In Sports. Chinese golf ace3 Feng Shanshan set to miss another tournament to start off this year's fledgling LPGA season.
In entertainment.... a small British town enjoying a tourist boom following Jay Chou's wedding there last month.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather...
Weather
Shanghai will be sunny with a high of 6, tonight cloudy with a low of 1 degrees Celsius.
Elsewhere in Asia.
Islamabad, cloudy, with a high of 26.
Kabul sunny with a high of 12.
Over to North America.
New York will be snowy with a high of 1 degree Celsius.
Washington, windy to sunny with a high of 2 degrees.
Honolulu, cloudy, with a high of 27.
Toronto cloudy to overcast with a high of minus 11.
Finally, in South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 32.
And Rio de Janeiro will be rainy with a high of 31 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Rescue operation continues after a Taiwan plane crashes into river
Anchor:
Rescue and recovery operations are still underway after the crash of a passenger plane in Taipei yesterday.
So far, 31 people are confirmed dead, while 12 others remain missing.
CRI's Qizhi has the details.
Reporter:
Rescuers have been using a crane to hoist7 the wreckage8 of the TransAsia Airways9 plane from the Keelung River overnight.
The flight, with 53 passengers and 5 crew onboard, went down around mid11-day on Wednesday after clipping a bridge shortly after taking off from Taipei's Songshan Airport.
31 of those onboard were tourists from the mainland who were heading for Kinmen Island, which is a Taiwan-administered island lying just off the coast of the southeastern mainland city of Xiamen.
The mainland group was on trips organized by two travel agencies from Xiamen.
Liu Ruigang is working with one of the travel companies involved.
"We are now working in groups to handle information, receiving the relatives, dealing12 with their transportation applications and liaison13 work. We have informed all the relatives of what's happened."
Thirty-four relatives of the victims, along with officials with Xiamen's Tourism Bureau, are arriving in Taiwan today.
China's central leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier14 Li Keqiang, have send condolences to the victims' families, and are promising15 to provide any help necessary.
Wednesday's crash is the 2nd involving a TransAsia flight in the past 7-months.
Back in July, another TransAsia flight crashed while trying to land during a storm on Penghu Island off the coast of Taiwan, killing16 48 people.
TransAsia chief Chen Xide, while offering an apology and condolences to the victims of Wednesday's crash, insists his company's planes have a good safety record.
"TransAsia has been under thorough scrutiny17 on flight safety management by civil aviation authorities since mid last year. Our planes and their flight safety system follow strict regulations, so we also want to know what caused this latest crash, but I cannot make any speculation18 at the moment."
The plane's flight data recorders have been recovered.
A recorded conversation between the pilot and air traffic control has already been made public.
In it, the pilot is heard calling for a mayday, saying he had an engine flame-out.
Taiwan's civil aviation authorities have grounded all twenty-two ATR-72 aircraft currently in-operation on the island until safety checks are performed.
France, where the aircraft is designed and built, is also sending over investigators19 to help with the probe.
For CRI, this is Qizhi.
The Presidents of China and Argentina are pledging stronger diplomatic ties.
The committment comes amid a visit to Beijing by Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez.
Fernandez has sat-down for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with both leaders overseeing the signing of a dozen deals in areas including trade, space technology, nuclear energy and defense21.
Chinese President Xi Jinping contends infrastructure construction is a key area of bilateral interest.
"Both sides are committed to strengthening our cooperation in various fields, especially our cooperation on basic infrastructure development, including the major projects like the Belgrano Cargas railway and Nestor Kirchner hydropower station. We also hope to promote the sound and stable development of bilateral trade."
For her part, Christina Fernandez says the infrastructure agreements are part of a broader-based strategy for her country's ties with China.
"We decided22 that this integration23 should take a qualitative24 step forward in an integration that will include investment in infrastructure, such as the decision to build and fund the Nestor Kirchner and Jorge Cepernic dams, as well as the Belgrano Cargas, which have been two key projects that have triggered this comprehensive and strategic alliance."
The Argentinian president is on a three-day visit to China.
Jordan's King Abdullah is vowing to strike back hard against the Islamic State, saying the grizzly26 murder of a Jordanian pilot at the hands of the militants27 "will not be in vain."
The King has held a crisis meeting with his security chiefs.
This, after cutting short a visit to the United States, following the release of a video showing the pilot being burned alive inside a metal cage.
In response, Jordanian authorities have since executed two al-Qaida convicts, including the would-be female suicide bomber28 which the Islamic State had been demanding in return for the safe release of the pilot.
Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad Al-Momani insists the Islamic State can be defeated.
"We think with the cooperation between coalition30 members, we think with the well-being31 of the regional and international community, we think with the strength of our society, our military forces - yes, this evil can and should be defeated."
But at the same time, the Jordanian government is downplaying the possible use of Jordanian ground troops in the fight.
The Chinese government is calling for more international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
"China opposes all forms of terrorism and killings35 committed by terrorists. We are advocating for the international community to enhance cooperation in accordance with the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter and the accepted regulations on international relations. The world needs to face up to the threat from terrorism. China's goal is to safeguard global peace, security and stability."
But as anger continues to grow in Jordan, there are also voices calling on the Jordanian government to withdraw from the international coalition currently running bombing raids against the Islamic State.
Hammam Said is head of the Muslim Brotherhood36 in Jordan.
"Our message to the Jordanian government is to pull out from the international coalition, and we should have no involvement with a war led by America in the region."
Jordan is one of four Arab states taking part in the air strikes against Islamci State targets in Syria.
Heavy Casualties Reported in Eastern Ukraine after Heavey Shelling
Heavy casualties are being reported amid a new up-tick in fighting in eastern Ukraine.
"There were six or seven explosions. We were standing37 outside the nightclub, we fell on the ground, people were screaming, in fact it was very scary and horrible. Once the shelling stopped we ran towards this place to tend to the wounded and the killed."
Ukranian authorities contend rebel shelling has hit two hospitals and a kindergarten in the city of Donetsk, leaving upward of 10 dead.
Other reports say as many as 15 people have been killed in the renewed shelling through Wednesday.
A previous round of peace talks this past week in Minsk collapsed38, with both the government and the rebels accusing one-another of an unwillingness39 to reach an agreement.
Investigation40 into Deadly New York Train Crash Begins
US federal investigators have begun searching for clues that might explain a deadly collision between a train and a SUV on Tuesday evening north of New York City which left 6-people dead.
Fifteen others are still in hospital after a commuter41 train slammed into an SUV, triggering an explosion and fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board is trying to figure how the driver of the vehicle became stuck in between the two crossing arms on the track.
"We intend to find out not only what happened, but we want to find out why it happened, and our sole purpose for being here is to find out what happened so that we can offer recommendations to hopefully keep this from happening again and that's why we're here."
Officials have been using dental records to try to identify the badly-burned victims.
China Toughens Cyber Account Naming Control
Names and user profiles deemed to contain obscenities, references to violence or crime will be banned.
Xu Feng with the Administration contends they're moving to crack down on user handles and profiles which could be a front for illicit45 behavior.
"Some accounts pass themselves off as official government accounts or media accounts in an attempt to publish fake information. Some account names and images disseminate46 obscenity or sexually suggestive material, or even advertising47 sexual services. And some spread information related to violence, gambling48 and drug-use in the account descriptions."
Internet authorities are also forcing web-hosting companies to recruit staff to specifically deal with account registration49 information, such as names, images and descriptions.
Those found in violation50 of the new rules will be forced to either change their names, images or descriptions or be suspended or shut down.
The new rules will come into effect on March 1st.
Chinese Doctors Call for Healthy Lifestyle to Combat Cancer
Anchor:
A new set of calls are being issued by Chinese doctors for people to live healthier lifestyles amid the continued rise in cancer cases across the country.
CRI's Yin Xiuqi has more.
Reporter:
Figures from the World Health Organization show there were over 3 million cancer cases in China in 2012, comprising some 20 percent of the world's total.
Some 2.2 million cancer patients died that year, making up 25 percent of the global cancer death toll51.
It's estimated that the world's largest population will have 4 million cancer cases in the next five years with 3 million people being killed by the disease.
Shen Lin, vice director of the Beijing Research Center for the Prevention of Cancer, notes that the cancer situation in China is connected with the country's changing dietary habits.
"In the past due to the lower living standards, there was high morbidity52 of esophageal, gastric53 and liver cancer with a low morbidity of colorectal cancer. Now with the transformation54 of our lifestyle, there has been a rapid rise of colorectal cancer cases and other types of cancers that are common in developed nations."
Chinese nutrition experts note that Chinese people have dramatically increased their consumption of meat and have decreased consumption of grain-based foods over the last three decades.
Ji Jiafu, Chief of the Beijing Cancer Hospital, says that besides the changing dietary patterns, people's overall unhealthy lifestyles play an important part in driving up China's cancer morbidity.
"Smoking, excessive drinking, obesity55 as well as unhealthy dietary structure and lack of physical exercises, all these are important factors leading to chronic56 and metabolic57 diseases, including tumors and cancer."
Figures from the World Health Organization show over half of all men in China are smokers58; and more than four in five adolescents do not engage in sufficient physical activity.
Severe pollution of air and water in some parts of the country has also been blamed for the rising number of cancer cases.
Many doctors agree that a balanced diet, regular physical exercise, and a healthy living environment are crucial in the fight against cancer.
For CRI, I'm Yin Xiuqi.
Electric vehicles in China face flawed charging system
Anchor:
A growing number of electric vehicle owners in China are filing official complaints about the status of the thousands of newly-installed charging stations being set up across parts of China.
CRI's Yu Yang explains.
Reporter:
Yan Chuang owns an electric vehicle.
He is among a growing list of new-energy car owners who have been less-than-impressed with the electric-vehicle services being set-up along the Beijing-Shanghai expressway.
"Me and my friends were taking a trip, and we were very disappointed with the initial charging stations we used. But still, we hoped other stations along the highway would be better. However, we discovered the situation remains59 the same at the other two charging points along the expressway. The stations weren't working and there was no service staff available."
The Beijing-Shanghai highway became the first expressway in China to be outfitted60 with charging stations in mid-January.
However, the State Grid61 Corporation has since admitted that many of the charging points are still not in use, as the company is still trying to sort out the different payment standards across different cities.
And the complaints aren't only with the expressway.
"As a taxi driver, I have to charge my electric car three times a day, which means I can only drive for 70 to 80 kilometres each time before charging up. As such, I can't provide long-distance services for customers due to the limited charging points available in Beijing."
Flawed charging system is also affecting the profits of certain businesses.
A Beijing-based company called 'Electric Vehicle,' which provides electric cars for rent, has been losing money for over a year.
Chen Qingquan, an electric vehicle expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, admits the electric vehicle industry in China has still a long way to go.
"Three factors are necessary in building a better electric vehicle industry, namely good products, good infrastructure, and a good business model. Chinese companies need to take lessons from more established electric vehicles companies. There also needs to be more unified62 standards and new markets."
The Chinese government has several preferential policies in-place to get more people behind the wheel of electric vehicles, including subsidies63 for people who buy electric vehicles.
Authorities hope to have around 5-million electric cars on the road by 2020.
Overall new vehicle sales across China hit just under 20-million units through 2014.
By comparison, only around 120-thousand electric vehicles have been sold in China the past 4-years.
For CRI, I am Yu Yang.
With Spring Festival fast-approaching, restaurants around the country are moving to try to retain their wait-staff amid the impending65 exodus66 of many of their permanent employees back home for the holiday.
"Every year we have a party for our workers to encourage them to stay with us. On top of this, we're offering salaries three times higher than usual, on top of what the labor laws require. We also provide them with bonuses as a way to pay them back for staying on during the holiday."
Aside from dolling out extra cash to keep their regular employees on, many restaurants are actively67 looking for university students to help keep enough staff on during the holiday.
Liu Ziqi is a university student currently on her winter holiday.
"The job is a good opportunity for me to work on my social skills. I can improve my communication skills and earn some pocket money, so I get best of both worlds."
Other restaurants are turning to technology to help fill the gaps, including robotic servers and point-of-sale machines at people's tables.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Anchor:
First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, Luo Wen.
Reporter:
U.S. stocks closed mixed amid generally upbeat earnings68 on Wednesday, as oil prices plummeted69 on record-high stockpiles after four-days of gains worth nearly 20 percent.
Sony has announced its net losses for last year are likely to be less-than originally forecast, as higher-than-expected sales have helped lift its quarterly profits.
The company's shares surged nearly 11 percent on that news.
The company's shares soared 7.6 percent on the day.
At close,
The Dow Jones ticked up slightly.
The S&P 500 fell close to half of a percent.
The Nasdaq dipped about one fifth of a percent.
Meanwhile Europe's main stock markets wobbled on Wednesday as traders tracked Greece's efforts to renegotiate its vast international bailout deal and crude oil prices.
At the closing bell,
The UK's FTSE 100 trimmed a fraction of a percent.
Germany's DAX gained around one fifth of a percent.
And Finally France's CAC 40 rose about two fifths of a percent.
China Cuts Reserve Ratio by 50 Basis Points
Anchor:
China's central bank is lowering the reserve requirement ratio by 50 basis points today.
This represents the first across-the-board cut in the reserve requirements since May 2012.
On top of this, the central bank is cutting the reserve requirements for banks which focus more on lending to small and micro-sized enterprises, as well as the farming sector72, by an additional 50-basis points.
China's major lenders currently need to hold 20 percent of their deposits in reserve.
The ratio for small and medium-sized banks is 16.5 percent.
The move comes just days after the purchasing managers' index, a main gauge73 of manufacturing activity, fell below 50 for the first time since October 2012.
For more on the move, we're now joined live by CRI's Financial Commentator74 Cao Can.
Fall of RMB exchange Rate is Normal, Providing Opportunity for Export: Experts
The value of the renminbi against the US dollar has seen a bit of a resurgence75 this week.
The Chinese currency has been trading against the upper-limit of the PBOC's daily reference rate since Monday, gaining 66-basis points against the US dollar.
But this is a bit of an aberration76 against a general downturn of the value of the renminbi the past couple of months.
Zong Liang is with the International Finance Institute with Bank of China.
"On the surface, we have seen a depreciation77 of the RMB. But in essence, it is the U.S. dollar that is appreciating. During this period, the U.S. Dollar Index has touched 90, up from 80. The rapid appreciation78 of the dollar, to some extent, will make a stable exchange rate appear as a depreciation."
Some have been suggesting this could be an opportunity for Chinese exporters, who have been struggling with growing labor costs.
However, most observers say the broader impact of the rise in the US dollar is going to be limited at best.
China to Reinforce Protection to Consumer Rights
The latest data shows China's market regulator processed more than 7.5-million appeals on behalf of consumers this past year, saving a total of around 1.5-billion yuan for individuals this past year.
Ma Zhengqi is the deputy chief of China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce.
"We have been working hard to implement79 national mandatory80 standards, as well as enhance supervision81 on online trading. We carried out a series of online and off-line quality sampling inspections82, particularly in areas including in food, telecommunications, banking83 and insurance. We also launched a series of investigations84 into unfair contracts, and published a list of offenders85."
This year, the Industry and Commerce department is going to focus on five sectors86, including cellphones, cloths, toys, electric bicycles, wires and cable.
E-commerce companies are being warned they're going to come under the microscope in 2015.
At the same time, authorities are preparing to bring down new penalties for consumer rights violations87 to coincide with Consumer Rights' Day in China, which falls on March 15th.
Yum Says China Recovery Taking Longer than Expected
Yum Brands is warning its investors88 that it's taking longer-than-expected for its operations in China to recover from last year's food-safety scandal involving one of its supplyers.
The company's fourth-quarter sales in China came in down 16 percent through the end of last year.
This comes amid the 14-percent decline in Yum's overall China sales through the 3rd quarter.
Yum, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut in China, among other restaurants, has been taking a major hit after one of its meat suppliers was found repackaging expired meat.
Headline News
Rescue operation continues after a Taiwan plane crashes into river
Rescue and recovery operations are still underway after the crash of a passenger plane in Taipei yesterday.
So far, 31 people are confirmed dead, while 12 others remain missing, after a TransAsia flight crashed into the Keelung River shortly after take-off.
The search for the missing is still underway.
Among the 58 people onboard, 31 are mainland tourists.
China's central leadership, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, have send condolences to the victims' families, and are promising to provide any help necessary.
China cuts reserve ratio by 50 basis points
China's central bank is lowering the reserve requirement ratio for this country's banks by 50 basis points today.
This is the first across-the-board cut in the reserve requirements since May 2012.
On top of this, the central bank is cutting the reserve requirements for banks which focus more on lending to small and micro-sized enterprises, as well as the farming sector, by an additional 50-basis points.
The move comes just days after the purchasing managers' index, a main gauge of manufacturing activity, fell below 50 for the first time since October 2012.
New estimates suggest Chinese authorities may raise retail fuel prices on Monday.
After bottoming out last month, global oil prices have begun to rebound, coming in at over 50-dollars a barrel this week, after hitting lows of around 45-dollars last month.
The man dubbed94 the "20th 9/11 hijacker" is claiming members of the Saudi royal family helped fund the attacks.
Zacarias Moussaoui has made the claim as part of testimony95 he's given in a civil-suit currently underway between 9/11 victims and Saudi Arabia.
His statement has come to light in court-filings this week, which are in response to a Saudi bid to have the lawsuit96 thrown out.
Saudi authorities have been making several attempts to have the lawsuit dropped.
Moussaoui was arrested just weeks before the 9/11 attacks on immigrations charges.
He's currently serving life-in-prison without parole after pleading guilty to federal conspiracy97 charges in connection with the attacks.
New Ebola cases show first rise in 2015
The World Health Organization is reporting the number of new cases of Ebola has once-again started to rise in all three of West Africa's worst-hit countries through the last week of January.
This represents the first weekly increase of the year, and ends - what health officials had hoped - was an overall downturn in the number of new Ebola cases.
The WHO says Sierra Leone registered most of the 124 new cases seen at the end of January.
The virus has left close to 9-thousand dead since the current outbreak began a year ago.
Newspaper Picks
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Courier firms hike holiday rates
Summary
A number of Chinese courier firms are planning to increase their delivery charges as they struggle withj staffing ahead of the Spring Festival.
SF Express says its delivery costs are going up between February 18th to the 24th because of the higher costs for labor and transportation.
Most courier firms quoted in the article say they expect normal operations to resume after February 24, but are warning some deliveries will still be delayed because of the holiday.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Chunyun officially underway
Summary
China's annual holiday travel rush officially began on Wednesday, with an expected 2.8 billion trips to be made during the 40-day Spring Festival holiday season.
Estimates are around 320-thousand people took trips through the four major train stations in Beijing on the first day of the travel rush.
BEIJING BUSINESS TODAY
Headline
GM research to be strengthened
Summary
A senior rural affairs official says the Chinese government should be doing more to support GM food research, noting this is a nation with a huge population to feed.
The suggestion comes amid plans by the authorities to launch a campaign to try to ease public fears about Genetically-modified food products.
Right now, only GM papaya and cotton are available for consumers in China.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Authorities to keep tabs on Nanjing officials
Summary
A new government regulation says officials in Jiangsu's capital, Nanjing, are going to have to report their marital98 status, as well as the immigration status of their spouses99 and children.
Officials in the city are also going to have to give five days' notice before going abroad for personal reasons.
The regulation is also requiring officials to report securities and investments worth more than 100-thousand yuan, as well as real-estate holdings larger than 30 square meters.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Disneyland to open in Spring 2016
Summary
Disney's Chief Executive says its much-anticipated Shanghai Resort will open in the spring of 2016.
Major construction work is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
Shanghai Disneyland will feature two hotels, a theater, and a large retail, dining and entertainment complex, among other things.
GLOBALTIMES
Headline
Mainland delays Hong Kong TV shows
Summary
Chinese video website Youku has confirmed its received a notice from the State broadcasting regulator to pull down online streams of Hong Kong TV dramas for review.
The Hong Kong TV shows are the latest target of the State broadcasting regulator's new rule on managing online streams of non-mainland and overseas-produced TV shows.
Chinese fans will have to wait until the whole season ends before Youku will be able to put them up.
Special Reports
International Companies Active in Selling China Green Technologies
Anchor:
The ambassadors of Canada and Austria have taken part in a conference in Beijing in an attempt to try to promote low-carbon development, with both countries pushing their own models as something China might consider adopting.
CRI's Xu Fei has more.
Reporter:
The International Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Association, an international non-governmental organization specializing in sustainable development between the economy and environment, has convened100 its annual conference recently with an aim of disseminating101 low-carbon ideas all over the world.
The meeting was joined by foreign diplomats102, who wish to share their countries' successful experiences in environmental protection.
And more importantly, they treat the meeting as a great platform on which they could introduce and also promote their advanced technologies to China. Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada's ambassador to China, is one of them.
"What we have been trying to do in terms of the bilateral cooperation is also to try to transfer the technology that we have developed in Canada. I had the discussions with NDRC to present the results of our first commercial coal fire plant that captures 90 percent of CO2. There's obviously a lot of interest. And we are trying in China to put together the utilities that have coal fire generation to work together with oil companies because the CO2 that could be extracted from the emissions103 could then be used to enhance the oil recovery in the conventional oil plants."
Irene Giner-Reichl, the Austrian ambassador to China, said at the meeting that she has noticed China's continued commitment to renewable energy investment after she read a 2014 report on world renewable energy.
China has increased its investments in renewable nearly every year for the past ten years, even in the face of a global decline in renewable energy investment.
With a clear picture in mind about China's demand in energy conservation, the Austrian ambassador introduced their success in green technology development.
"We have very good building codes in Austria favoring zero energy houses, which have become very popular. We have government subsidies for solar heating home systems and for retrofitting all the buildings for energy efficiency. And the Austrian companies, many of whom are also operating here in China, are world leaders in environmental technologies, hydropower, waste water treatment and many other urban technologies."
At the end, the ambassador also expressed she would be happy to follow up with interested parties.
Canada and Austria are neither the first nor the last nations that wish to boost green-tech sales to China as more and more international players realize the big chance of green economy as well as China's determination to be on the forefront of green technology.
China is now home to about 24 percent of the world's renewable power capacity, including an estimated 260 gigawatts of hydropower.
Sports
Golf: LPGA: Feng Shanshan Misses Second Game of Year, PGA: Charlie Sifford, 1st African-American Golfer, Dies
Taking a look at the world of golf:
The second tournament of the LPGA tour kicks off tonight in the Bahamas, but world no. 4 Chinese golfer Feng Shanshan will miss the event.
The golfer was also absent from the first tournament of the year in the U.S. state of Florida last week.
No word on what has caused Feng's absence in the two tournaments, but according to the LPGA website, the Chinese golfer is slated104 to appear at the Women's Australia Open, which tees off February 19th.
In men's action
On the European Tour, the Malaysia Open is just getting underway in Kuala Lumpur and the PGA Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego tonight.
And some sad news from golf stateside:
Charlie Sifford, the first African-American golfer who desegregated the PGA Tour in the early 1960s died Tuesday.
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004, Sifford was the first to challenge the PGA's clause that made the sport for Caucasians-only, which the tour rescinded106 in 1961.
Sifford went on to win the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. The golfer also won the 1975 Senior PGA Championships.
He died at the age of 92.
Basketball: NBA Preview
Switching over to basketball:
Eleven games on tap this morning in the National Basketball Association:
Tipping off at about 8 a.m., Beijing time;
With Pacers small-forward Paul George out until at least next month, Indiana will have to rely on point-guard George Hill, as they try to turn things around against Detroit--to whom they've lost two straight this season.
Later today:
Washington will face Atlanta;
Denver take on Boston;
Brooklyn are away in Toronto;
Houston host Chicago;
The Los Angeles Lakers are out east against Milwaukee;
Miami hit the court against Minnesota;
Oklahoma and New Orleans will clash;
San Antonio will face Orlando;
Memphis will go against Utah;
and Golden State will tip off against Dallas.
Football: Global Recap
Over in football:
At the African Nations Cup:
Ivory Coast are in the finals after defeating the Democratic Republic of Congo 3-1.
Goals from Yaya Toure, Gervinho and Wilfried Kanon sent the Elephants through.
They will meet the winner of tomorrow's match between Ghana and hosts Equatorial Guinea for the continental108 title this coming weekend.
Liverpool defeated the Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in FA Cup action;
In the Coppa Italia, Napoli shut out Internazionale 1-0.
In accion de la liga, Real Madrid dumped Sevilla 2-1;
Rugby: Wales Readies for England in Six Nations Opener
Wales have recalled winger George North and hooker Richard Hibbard for the Six Nations opener against England in Cardiff on Friday.
Coach Warren Gatland named his team on Monday, 48 hours ahead of schedule and Captain Sam Warburton will win his 50th international cap.
North starts instead of Liam Williams and Hibbard edges out Scott Baldwin, who played in the Welsh victory over South Africa in November.
Team Wales will have homefield advantage, but according to Howley, his players’ performance is what will matter most:
"Home advantage has been key and will be key on, on Friday night and I think we all talk about the 'cauldron', you know, how much support it can bring to Friday night's performance, but that stadium is only as good as the players' performance and the players in red, you know we have to perform to the best of our ability on Friday night."
The Welsh backs will face the new English centre pairing of Jonathan Joseph and Luther Burrell, which Howley says Wales hope to take advantage of.
Cricket: S. Africa Addresses "Chokers" Tag Ahead of World Cup
As South Africa heads to the World Cup as one of the favorites to win the title, the feeling is all too familiar.
Few doubt the quality of the South Africa squad109, but there are doubts that the Proteas can overcome its own World Cup history when it reaches crunch110 time.
South Africa has gone into each of the last four World Cups as a highly-rated contender; but has crashed out of every tournament.
The Proteas have been drawn in Group B along with India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
After completing their warm-up matches, they begin their campaign against Zimbabwe at Seddon Park in Hamilton on 15th February."
Entertainment
The small British town where Chinese pop star Jay Chou recently wed has found international fame.
Chou married model Hannah Quinlivan in the northern town of Selby in January, now it's a must-see location for hundreds of Asian fans.
John Weetman, the vicar of Selby Abbey, said as soon as Chou's wedding went viral, he saw increased interest in the historical monument.
"The very next morning, Jay had already put out some information about what had happened, the afternoon before. And by about five-past-eight, we had a couple of Chinese visitors who turned up during our Sunday morning service, since then a steady stream."
The bride and groom111 exchanged vows in front of 50 of their closest friends and family, then continued celebrations at a nearby castle.
Chou, star of "The Green Hornet", had kept his romance with 21-year-old Quilivan under wraps, but was public about his desire to settle down.
He is one of the most popular stars to come out of China, his music and influence spills over to the rest of Asia.
Andy Lau to sing CCTV's Spring Festival Gala theme song
It's been confirmed that Chinese actor Andy Lau will perform the theme song to the upcoming CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
Lau, famous for his roles in movies like "Infernal Affairs" and "House of Flying Daggers112", will sing "Journey to Home".
"I wish everyone a smooth journey home and be happy in the new year. See you at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala."
The song tells the story of Chinese people migrating thousands of miles to reunite with their families.
Yang Lailai, executive director of the 2015 CCTV New Year Gala says the song is about the true meaning of home.
"One of the lyrics113 is 'Going home is happiness. Happiness is felt when you hug parents'. You can see it is a really warm song. What's more, all the lyrics were written by Andy Lau himself. So the song reflects his personal feelings and his understanding of what home means."
Lau is joining the line-up for the fourth time in his career, although this marks the first time he has performed at the gala in 10 years.
China's Heyi Pictures has unveiled it will co-produce a slate of six feature films.
The projects are in different stages of production, and commercial genres114 including comedy and romance.
Heyi was established last year as the stand alone movie production operation of Youku Tudou, one of China's biggest online video companies.
Most of the films are movie adaptations of original productions that have become popular on Youku Tudou's online platforms.
"Surprise" is an adaptation of a hit web comedy show, while "Gardenia115 Blossom" is an expansion of a song performed by TV host and actor He Jiong.
Youku Tudou says these productions have been viewed more than 6 billion times.
The company was a minority investor89 in recent hit "The Taking of the Tiger Mountain 3D" which grossed more than 131 million U.S. dollars.
'Shaun The Sheep' gets a movie makeover
Popular stop-motion Aardman character 'Shaun the Sheep' has moved onto the big screen.
He's starring in his very own film titled "Shaun The Sheep Movie."
The movie is written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton, with Shaun's creator.
Bringing Shaun's story to the silver screen was a long fight for Starzak.
"As time went on, as the characters developed, I thought of them more as a family, like the Farmer is the father, Bitzer and Shaun are siblings116, that it had a lot of story potential to tell a bigger story. So I've been going on about it for a few years and I've finally got my way."
The animation117 sees Shaun and the members of his flock head to the big city in a bid to search for their missing farmer, they encounter trouble along the way.
The hugely-successful animated television show has been broadcast in 170 territories worldwide.
"Shaun The Sheep Movie" is released in the U.K. on the 6th February.
点击收听单词发音
1 infrastructure | |
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施 | |
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2 vowing | |
起誓,发誓(vow的现在分词形式) | |
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3 ace | |
n.A牌;发球得分;佼佼者;adj.杰出的 | |
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4 wed | |
v.娶,嫁,与…结婚 | |
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5 Celsius | |
adj.摄氏温度计的,摄氏的 | |
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6 overcast | |
adj.阴天的,阴暗的,愁闷的;v.遮盖,(使)变暗,包边缝;n.覆盖,阴天 | |
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7 hoist | |
n.升高,起重机,推动;v.升起,升高,举起 | |
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8 wreckage | |
n.(失事飞机等的)残骸,破坏,毁坏 | |
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9 AIRWAYS | |
航空公司 | |
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10 scouring | |
擦[洗]净,冲刷,洗涤 | |
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11 mid | |
adj.中央的,中间的 | |
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12 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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13 liaison | |
n.联系,(未婚男女间的)暖昧关系,私通 | |
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14 premier | |
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相 | |
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15 promising | |
adj.有希望的,有前途的 | |
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16 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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17 scrutiny | |
n.详细检查,仔细观察 | |
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18 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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19 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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20 bilateral | |
adj.双方的,两边的,两侧的 | |
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21 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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22 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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23 integration | |
n.一体化,联合,结合 | |
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24 qualitative | |
adj.性质上的,质的,定性的 | |
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25 vows | |
誓言( vow的名词复数 ); 郑重宣布,许愿 | |
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26 grizzly | |
adj.略为灰色的,呈灰色的;n.灰色大熊 | |
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27 militants | |
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 ) | |
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28 bomber | |
n.轰炸机,投弹手,投掷炸弹者 | |
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29 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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30 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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31 well-being | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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32 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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33 condemnation | |
n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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34 ministry | |
n.(政府的)部;牧师 | |
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35 killings | |
谋杀( killing的名词复数 ); 突然发大财,暴发 | |
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36 brotherhood | |
n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊 | |
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37 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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38 collapsed | |
adj.倒塌的 | |
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39 unwillingness | |
n. 不愿意,不情愿 | |
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40 investigation | |
n.调查,调查研究 | |
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41 commuter | |
n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者 | |
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42 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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43 cyberspace | |
n.虚拟信息空间,网络空间,计算机化世界 | |
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44 tightening | |
上紧,固定,紧密 | |
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45 illicit | |
adj.非法的,禁止的,不正当的 | |
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46 disseminate | |
v.散布;传播 | |
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47 advertising | |
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的 | |
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48 gambling | |
n.赌博;投机 | |
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49 registration | |
n.登记,注册,挂号 | |
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50 violation | |
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯 | |
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51 toll | |
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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52 morbidity | |
n.病态;不健全;发病;发病率 | |
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53 gastric | |
adj.胃的 | |
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54 transformation | |
n.变化;改造;转变 | |
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55 obesity | |
n.肥胖,肥大 | |
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56 chronic | |
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的 | |
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57 metabolic | |
adj.新陈代谢的 | |
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58 smokers | |
吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
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59 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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60 outfitted | |
v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61 grid | |
n.高压输电线路网;地图坐标方格;格栅 | |
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62 unified | |
(unify 的过去式和过去分词); 统一的; 统一标准的; 一元化的 | |
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63 subsidies | |
n.补贴,津贴,补助金( subsidy的名词复数 ) | |
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64 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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65 impending | |
a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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66 exodus | |
v.大批离去,成群外出 | |
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67 actively | |
adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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68 earnings | |
n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得 | |
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69 plummeted | |
v.垂直落下,骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70 corporate | |
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的 | |
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71 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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72 sector | |
n.部门,部分;防御地段,防区;扇形 | |
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73 gauge | |
v.精确计量;估计;n.标准度量;计量器 | |
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74 commentator | |
n.注释者,解说者;实况广播评论员 | |
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75 resurgence | |
n.再起,复活,再现 | |
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76 aberration | |
n.离开正路,脱离常规,色差 | |
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77 depreciation | |
n.价值低落,贬值,蔑视,贬低 | |
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78 appreciation | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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79 implement | |
n.(pl.)工具,器具;vt.实行,实施,执行 | |
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80 mandatory | |
adj.命令的;强制的;义务的;n.受托者 | |
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81 supervision | |
n.监督,管理 | |
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82 inspections | |
n.检查( inspection的名词复数 );检验;视察;检阅 | |
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83 banking | |
n.银行业,银行学,金融业 | |
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84 investigations | |
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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85 offenders | |
n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 );犯规者;罪犯;妨害…的人(或事物) | |
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86 sectors | |
n.部门( sector的名词复数 );领域;防御地区;扇形 | |
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87 violations | |
违反( violation的名词复数 ); 冒犯; 违反(行为、事例); 强奸 | |
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88 investors | |
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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89 investor | |
n.投资者,投资人 | |
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90 retail | |
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格 | |
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91 rebound | |
v.弹回;n.弹回,跳回 | |
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92 hijacker | |
n.拦路抢劫者 | |
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93 donors | |
n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 );献血者;捐血者;器官捐献者 | |
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94 dubbed | |
v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 );把…称为;配音;复制 | |
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95 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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96 lawsuit | |
n.诉讼,控诉 | |
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97 conspiracy | |
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋 | |
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98 marital | |
adj.婚姻的,夫妻的 | |
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99 spouses | |
n.配偶,夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 ) | |
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100 convened | |
召开( convene的过去式 ); 召集; (为正式会议而)聚集; 集合 | |
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101 disseminating | |
散布,传播( disseminate的现在分词 ) | |
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102 diplomats | |
n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 );有手腕的人,善于交际的人 | |
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103 emissions | |
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体) | |
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104 slated | |
用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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105 slate | |
n.板岩,石板,石片,石板色,候选人名单;adj.暗蓝灰色的,含板岩的;vt.用石板覆盖,痛打,提名,预订 | |
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106 rescinded | |
v.废除,取消( rescind的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107 pistons | |
活塞( piston的名词复数 ) | |
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108 continental | |
adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的 | |
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109 squad | |
n.班,小队,小团体;vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
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110 crunch | |
n.关键时刻;艰难局面;v.发出碎裂声 | |
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111 groom | |
vt.给(马、狗等)梳毛,照料,使...整洁 | |
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112 daggers | |
匕首,短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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113 lyrics | |
n.歌词 | |
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114 genres | |
(文学、艺术等的)类型,体裁,风格( genre的名词复数 ) | |
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115 gardenia | |
n.栀子花 | |
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116 siblings | |
n.兄弟,姐妹( sibling的名词复数 ) | |
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117 animation | |
n.活泼,兴奋,卡通片/动画片的制作 | |
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