曼谷轰炸中至少18人丧生

At Least 18 Dead in Bangkok Bombing 曼谷轰炸中至少18人丧生

At least 18 people have been killed and many more wounded in an explosion near a Hindu shrine¹ in central Bangkok late Monday. The explosion took place near an area that attracts tourists and people buying goods. Hundreds of people are usually in the area at the time when the explosion happened.

A man identifying himself as a police officer said a bomb was the cause of the explosion.

Searchers find wreckage² believed to be Indonesian plane

Search and rescue workers are heading to an area in the eastern province of Papua, Indonesia, where pieces that may belong to a missing Indonesian passenger plane have been seen. The Trigana airlines plane crashed Sunday while flying in bad weather. Officials said a search plane found the crash site Monday. They said rescuers are working to reach the site.

Forty-four people including crew members and five children were on the plane.

Trigana Airlines operates within Indonesia. It has had 14 serious incidents since it began flying in 1991. It is banned from flying in European Union airspace.

US, South Korea begin yearly military exercise

Troops from the United States and South Korea began a joint³ military exercise Monday. As many as 80,000 troops are taking part in the yearly exercise, which is aimed at preparing for a military invasion from the North.

On Monday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye called for strong military readiness on the Korean Peninsula.

The exercise takes place as tensions between South and North Korea are high. Two South Korean soldiers were recently seriously injured when landmines⁵ exploded as they were patrolling the area between the two countries. The South blamed North Korea for placing the mines in the ground.

South Korea responded to the landmine⁴ explosions on Saturday by restarting broadcasts on speakers aimed at the North, near the border. This is the first time South Korea has done that in more than 10 years.

Large anti-government protests in Brazil

Tens of thousands of people protested against the government in Brazil on Sunday. They want President Dilma Rousseff to be removed from office. They are angry about corruption⁶ in the government, the poor economy and rising inflation.

Many political leaders are being investigated for corruption, including supporters of the president. Some of the reported activities took place while Ms. Rousseff was chairwoman of the board of the Brazilian oil company Petrobras.

The protest Sunday was the third nationwide demonstration⁷ against President Rousseff.

Brazil is South America’s largest economy. It has had strong economic growth in recent years, but it now appears to be entering a recession.

Words in the News

shrine – n. a place connected with a holy person or event where people go to worship

patrol – v. walking or going around an area or building to make sure it is safe

1 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

2 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 landmine   

n.地雷

参考例句：

• A landmine is a kind of weapon used in war.地雷是一种运用于战争的武器。
• The treaty bans the use,production and trade of landmine.那条约禁止使用生产和交易雷。

5 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。