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Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.
In This Edition
The head of the European bailout fund Klaus Regling, visits Beijing amid speculation1 that debt-stricken Europe is seeking help from China.
Floodwaters threaten the central business district of Bangkok as Thailand suffers the worst flooding in more than five decades.
South Korea and the United States agree to jointly3 develop strategies to deter4 future provocations5 by North Korea.
China conducts its first trial flight of a passenger plane powered by a mix of biofuel and traditional aviation fuel.
Hot Issue Reports
Euro Zone Leaders Beginning Attempts to Persuade China to Help
After months of talks, Euro zone leaders have finally reached a comprehensive deal to tackle the region's sovereign debt crisis.
The leaders are beginning attempts to persuade China and other developing economies to invest in the rescue fund.
As Shen Chengcheng reports, experts from China say all parties should participate in the bailout effort.
One element of the deal reached by the Euro zone leaders, is to raise the region's bailout fund, or European Financial Stability Facility, to about one trillion euros.
The chief of Europe's bailout fund Klaus Regling is now visiting Beijing to discuss possible terms for raising money from China.
His visit comes just a day after euro zone leaders struck a last-minute deal in Brussels to contain the region's debt crisis.
"Now we may have new instruments, which we are designing now. And we will see who participates in those new instruments. I cannot say today, and certainly far too early to say what kind of amounts might be in visits. I cannot answer that question today."
After meeting Chinese leaders, Klaus Regling said there were no formal negotiations6 and would be no deal now.
China has not announced publicly it would invest in the fund, although it has repeatedly expressed confidence that Europe can overcome its two-year-old debt crisis.
However, Regling is very optimistic and says China has been a regular buyer of EFSF bonds in the past.
"That's also my experience talking to the Chinese authorities that they are interested in finding attractive, solid, safe investment opportunities. And I am happy that EFSF bonds have been considered to be in that category in the past, and therefore I am optimistic that we will have also a longer-term relationship because we will continue to provide safe, attractive investment opportunities."
China has a major interest in Europe because the eurozone is China's biggest export market.
China also owns an estimated $800 billion US dollars worth of euro assets in its $3.2 trillion US dollars foreign exchange reserves.
Fu Ying, Chinese Vice7 Foreign Minister says she expect China and EU can work through the crisis together.
"We do not think that Europe will just collapse8. We hope that by fighting this crisis the mutual9 understanding and mutual trust between China and Europe can be enhanced, and the cooperation between us can be deepened. We hope that this crisis can be an opportunity for all of us to make progress."
Chen Fengying is a director with China Institute of Contemporary international Relations.
She believes China can participate in the process of recovering the economy of Europe in many ways, beside purchasing bonds.
"We can help through several platforms, like the G20, and the IMF, and through other forms of cooperation as well, which is important to the future of the Sino-EU relations."
Earlier, Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao says China still needs to carry out serious studies before any decisions on investment.
The framework for the new EFSF bailout fund is to be put in place in November.
For CRI, I'm Shen Chengcheng.
Thailand Floods: Bangkok's Main River to Burst its Bank
In Thailand's capital of Bangkok, floodwaters are now moving toward the central business district of the city, as people are scrambling10 to get out of harm's way.
Bangkok's main river is feared to burst its banks because of high tides from the sea.
The floods have forced a large number of manufacturing companies to shut down in central Bangkok, including some big Japanese manufactures based in the country.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fuji-mura.
"With the Thailand floods causing a number of Japanese companies to shut down, this is having quite an impact of their operations. This damage is then going though the supply chain and affecting not only Japan but all ASEAN countries."
Japan says it will allow Thai employees of Japanese companies based in Thailand to work in Japan temporarily for six months.
With a 5-day national holiday now taking place in Thailand, officials are urging people in Bangkok to travel to other places in the country to avoid the flooding.
The city's main bus terminal and the only functioning airport are packed with people trying to get out of the city.
The Don Muang Airport, which handles most of Thailand's domestic flights, has been shut down, after two dykes11 in northern Bangkok breached12, swamping the airport.
As such, Thai transport companies have been putting more buses on the roads to handle the surge in traffic.
But despite the rising floodwaters, some are choosing to stay and protect their homes and businesses.
However, they have to face some other problems as well.
"People are hoarding13 food, there's no food left. I tried to get food from the market but there are no food supplies."
A number of countries, including China, have advised people not to travel to Thailand.
So far, Thailand's worst flooding in over half a century has killed more than 370 people and forced some 100-thousand others from their homes.
Violent Protests in Tunisia after Election Results
Violent protests have erupted in central Tunisia, following the announcement of the country's first election results after the Arab Spring.
Hundreds of people, who support an opposition14 party, marched through the town of Sidi Bouzid, protesting against the cancellation15 of seats won by the party.
Election officials said they were cancelling the seats won by the Popular List party because of campaign financial violations17.
Official results show that Tunisian Islamist party Ennahda has secured nearly 42 percent of the votes, meaning it has 90 seats in the 217-member parliament.
Party leader Rachid Gha-nnou-chi hailed the victory.
"This day is a day of victory, this day is a day of pride, this day is a day of humility18, this is the day when Tunisians spoke19 with one voice in order to realise the aims of their revolution."
Ghannouchi went on to say that the rights of every Tunisian will be protected by the new authorities.
"We give our promise to them to continue in realising the aims of the revolution in Tunisia that is free, independent, developing and prosperous and where the rights of God, the Prophet, women, men, the religious, the non-religious are assured, because Tunisia is for everybody."
Ennahda officials have promised it will neither ban alcohol, nor stop tourists from wearing bikinis on the beaches.
Coalition20 talks with the secularist21 Congress for the Republic party and the leftist Ettakatol party has already begun.
Ennahda says it wants to form a new government within a month.
The US and South Korean defense22 chiefs have agreed to complete a joint counter-provocation plan against North Korea by this year.
At their annual bilateral23 security meeting in Seoul, the U.S. and South Korea declared that any North Korean aggression24 "is not to be tolerated".
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
"Together, we will ensure a strong and effective alliance deterrence25 posture26 including the United States' nuclear umbrella so that Pyongyang never misjudges our will and our capability27 to respond decisively to nuclear aggression."
His South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin says the U.S. has pledged to immediately provide reinforcements to the South in emergencies.
"The United States will immediately deploy28 overwhelming troop reinforcements in time of emergency. The current level of U.S. troops based in South Korea will be remained and joint military drills on the peninsula, including islands near the western sea border, will be strengthened."
Although envoys29 from Pyongyang and Washington met in Geneva this week, Panetta repeatedly brands North Korea "a serious threat", as the U.S. military casts a cautious eye on the diplomatic engagement, and fears it to be short-lived.
China Launches First Biofuel Plane
China's first airplane to use biofuel has made its inaugural30 flight, jetting off from the Beijing International Airport.
The two-hour-long maiden31 flight comes as Chinese airlines struggle to find ways to keep costs down and reduce carbon emissions32.
He Li, Vice President of Air China, says the flight is a significant step for the China's airline industry.
"This inaugural flight is a very important step. It is a milestone33 for the Chinese airline industry. It will help us greatly to reduce carbon emissions and give us more choices for aviation fuel."
He reveals that the biofuel could be used in commercial aviation in China within three or four years.
China is on track to become the world's largest aviation market in the coming decades - and Beijing is actively34 promoting alternative fuels to clean up its environment and curb35 growing reliance on imported oil and gas.
China's state-owned oil company Sinopec says it plans to increase diesel production during the upcoming two months to alleviate37 the diesel pinch felt in many parts of the country.
Huang Wen-sheng is a spokesperson for the oil company.
"We plan to increase the refining volume of crude oil in November to a total of 18.4 million tons."
Huang says the volume will be a record high and the company will further increase the production in December.
He adds that Sinopec aims to raise diesel's market supply to 300,000 tons per day.
"Consumers should have confidence in China's oil refining capacity. With the gradual increase in production volume and supply and yet no big increase in demand, we believe the diesel shortage in certain parts of the country will be alleviated38 soon."
China has been facing renewed pressure over shortfalls in diesel, with gas stations scouring39 the country for supplies and lines growing at filling stations in major cities.
The energy shortage mainly affects economically-richer provinces, such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei and Hunan.
Diesel shortages arise every September and October, the traditional peak months for diesel use in the world's fastest-growing economy.
However, this year's diesel supplies are tighter than usual after authorities cut retail40 prices for gasoline and diesel by 300 yuan per ton in early October.
13-year-old Boy Rescued Alive in Turkey's Earthquake
A 13-year-old boy named Ferhat Tokay is the latest person to be pulled alive from the rubble41 of a collapsed42 building around 108 hours after Sunday's earthquake in Turkey.
Tokay was rescued from the site of a 6-storey building in the center of Ecris, the town worst hit by the quake.
The boy has been taken to hospital in the nearby city of Van.
Thousands of people are staying in shelter provided by the Turkish Red Crescent at the town's soccer stadium, living on soup and bread handed out by aid agencies.
Residents say they're getting worried about the dropping temperatures.
"Food distribution is working well. Thanks to our government. They're trying their best but I don't know what it'll be like in the coming days as it keeps getting colder."
"Our government is doing as much as it can, and we are thankful, but our tents are too thin. We're freezing."
The deadly earthquake led to the collapse of about 80 buildings in the town of Ercis.
New Yorkers Peparing for Halloween
As Halloween approaches, New Yorkers and visitors are buying costumes, carving45 pumpkins46 and getting into the spirit of the season.
In Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, thousands of people are touring the Blood Manor47 haunted attraction.
Inside an old warehouse48, 40 actors dressed as ghouls, zombies, psycho-killers, and clowns guide visitors through a maze49 of body parts, hanging pigs, and blood-spattered walls.
Jim Faro, who created Blood Manor with two partners, says the interactive50 tour has become a popular holiday attraction.
"I think people like horror movies. They live vicariously. They know they can't get hurt. They know it's only make-believe. But they get to experience something that in their normal lives they don't and we think Blood Manor is a very unique experience."
The haunted attraction industry is worth approximately 6 billion US dollars and people who visit Blood Manor pay up to 45 dollars each.
Visitors say they look forward to the experience.
"I want to be scared, hopefully not too scared."
For many, Halloween offers an experience that comes along only once a year.
Halloween is believed to have its roots in an ancient Celtic festival which celebrated52 the end of harvest. The evening of October 31st is also believed to be a time when the dead could make contact with the living.
Beijing's Commercial Live Show Industry
The number of the commercial shows in Beijing has been skyrocketing over the past ten years.
Beijing residents now have the opportunity to watch western pop concerts, top-ranking operas and plays, as well as world famous ballets without going abroad. They can also enjoy excellent original performances based on Chinese culture and history which are produced by Chinese artists.
Damin has more.
Born and brought up in Beijing, Li Yu can still remember the shows her parents took her to see when she was a little girl.
"I remember that my parents took me to watch the performances of the Russian Circus and the Cinderella Ice Ballet, as well as concerts by Hong Kong and Taiwanese singers. Because shows were rare back then, I can still remember the small details. These days, things are different: thousands of shows are put on stage and we can watch as much as we like."
The past few years have witnessed a sudden blowout of all kinds of commercial live shows in Beijing, including pop and classic music concerts, operas, dramas and various other performances.
More and more foreign artists come to Beijing to give performances, which are often well received by Chinese audiences. This means a large number of companies that specialize in planning commercial shows have entered the market. Ge Hua Live Nation Ltd. is one of them. Li Bing is the management director.
"There are more and more high-quality shows being performed by overseas artists, and they are also successful in the box office. For instance, the Eagles' concert in March early this year. Originally, the target audiences we expected were the foreigners working in Beijing. But the fact is, it's the Chinese audience that contributes the major portion of the ticket revenue. This result indicates that the Beijing audiences expect first class performances and have the ability to appreciate them."
As one of the high art forms, opera has been gaining popularity among Chinese audiences in recent years. Foreign theater troupes53 flock to Beijing. In addition, the domestic theaters are also making their versions of these classical operas. Ren Yi from the National Center for the Performing Arts, says they have staged their own version of 11 world famous plays.
"Opera is called the crown of arts. Over the past two years, we've made a number of western classic plays as well as some original ones. Thanks to our work on arts popularization, we now have a group of loyal audiences. In the past, only Turandot could succeed at the box office, but now the operas like Tosca, Rigoletto and The lady of the Camellias are also well received. "
Several factors contribute to a successful performance, and a qualified54 audience is definitely one of them. According to Ren Yi, the world famous conductor Valery Gergiev is surprised that audiences in Beijing have such wonderful taste in art and can thoroughly55 understand him and the Tchaikovsky's work.
As China's cultural center, Beijing is worthy56 of its name: with 295 stages available, more than 10 thousand shows every year, and a large number of high quality audiences catering57 to varied58 tastes, among the thousands of performances, there must be one that you like.
For CRI, I'm Damin.
Newspapers
Shanghai Daily
Kim Lee, the American wife of "Crazy English" founder59 Li Yang, has filed for divorce after she went online to expose her experience of suffering domestic violence in September.
Beijing Chaoyang District Court has accepted the case in which Lee demands custody60 of their three daughters and an equal division of the couple's property.
In the lawsuit61, Lee says she was deeply hurt when her husband told the media that he married her not because of love but only to do an experiment on studying American family education.
New York Times
After theatrical63 debate, the Toronto City Council voted this week to ban the consumption, possession, and sale of shark fins.
The move was opposed by the city's mayor, Rob Ford64, and questions were raised about the bylaw's legal validity, but the motion was approved by a 38-to-4 vote.
Soup prepared with shark fins is a costly65 delicacy66 that is often featured at Chinese weddings and other ceremonial occasions.
Many immigrants to Canada from China settle in Toronto, so the city has an unusually large number of Chinese restaurants and grocers. But many animal protection groups, including Wildaid, say that the value of shark fins is contributing to a substantial decline in shark populations worldwide. WildAid estimates that 73 million sharks are captured and cruelly killed every year for their fins.
Market Update
U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday after major indexes surged following agreement reached by European leaders to tackle the region's debt problem.
The Dow Jones industrial average added 0.2 percent to 12,231. The Standard & Poor's 500 added 0.04 percent to 1,285. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.1 percent to 2,737.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100 lost 0.2 percent to 5702. Frankfurt's DAX gained 0.1 percent to 6346. And CAC-40 in Paris was down 0.6 percent to 3349.
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1 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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2 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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3 jointly | |
ad.联合地,共同地 | |
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4 deter | |
vt.阻止,使不敢,吓住 | |
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5 provocations | |
n.挑衅( provocation的名词复数 );激怒;刺激;愤怒的原因 | |
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6 negotiations | |
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过 | |
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7 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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8 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
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9 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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10 scrambling | |
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞 | |
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11 dykes | |
abbr.diagonal wire cutters 斜线切割机n.堤( dyke的名词复数 );坝;堰;沟 | |
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12 breached | |
攻破( breach的现在分词 ); 破坏,违反 | |
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13 hoarding | |
n.贮藏;积蓄;临时围墙;囤积v.积蓄并储藏(某物)( hoard的现在分词 ) | |
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14 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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15 cancellation | |
n.删除,取消 | |
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16 disperse | |
vi.使分散;使消失;vt.分散;驱散 | |
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17 violations | |
违反( violation的名词复数 ); 冒犯; 违反(行为、事例); 强奸 | |
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18 humility | |
n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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19 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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20 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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21 secularist | |
n.现世主义者,世俗主义者;宗教与教育分离论者 | |
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22 defense | |
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩 | |
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23 bilateral | |
adj.双方的,两边的,两侧的 | |
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24 aggression | |
n.进攻,侵略,侵犯,侵害 | |
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25 deterrence | |
威慑,制止; 制止物,制止因素; 挽留的事物; 核威慑 | |
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26 posture | |
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
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27 capability | |
n.能力;才能;(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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28 deploy | |
v.(军)散开成战斗队形,布置,展开 | |
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29 envoys | |
使节( envoy的名词复数 ); 公使; 谈判代表; 使节身份 | |
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30 inaugural | |
adj.就职的;n.就职典礼 | |
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31 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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32 emissions | |
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体) | |
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33 milestone | |
n.里程碑;划时代的事件 | |
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34 actively | |
adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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35 curb | |
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制 | |
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36 diesel | |
n.柴油发动机,内燃机 | |
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37 alleviate | |
v.减轻,缓和,缓解(痛苦等) | |
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38 alleviated | |
减轻,缓解,缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39 scouring | |
擦[洗]净,冲刷,洗涤 | |
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40 retail | |
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格 | |
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41 rubble | |
n.(一堆)碎石,瓦砾 | |
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42 collapsed | |
adj.倒塌的 | |
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43 survivors | |
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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44 toll | |
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟) | |
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45 carving | |
n.雕刻品,雕花 | |
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46 pumpkins | |
n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 );南瓜的果肉,南瓜囊 | |
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47 manor | |
n.庄园,领地 | |
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48 warehouse | |
n.仓库;vt.存入仓库 | |
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49 maze | |
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑 | |
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50 interactive | |
adj.相互作用的,互相影响的,(电脑)交互的 | |
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51 dressing | |
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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52 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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53 troupes | |
n. (演出的)一团, 一班 vi. 巡回演出 | |
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54 qualified | |
adj.合格的,有资格的,胜任的,有限制的 | |
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55 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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56 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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57 catering | |
n. 给养 | |
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58 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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59 Founder | |
n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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60 custody | |
n.监护,照看,羁押,拘留 | |
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61 lawsuit | |
n.诉讼,控诉 | |
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62 fins | |
[医]散热片;鱼鳍;飞边;鸭掌 | |
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63 theatrical | |
adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的 | |
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64 Ford | |
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过 | |
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65 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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66 delicacy | |
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴 | |
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