CNN 2011-03-29

Hi, I'm Carl Azuz and today, CNN Student News shows you what it looks like when the lights go down in the city. But our journey through today's headlines starts in Libya.

And our first subject: who is leading the coalition¹ military operation in that north African country. The U.S. has been in charge. But a deal was worked out over the weekend for NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to take responsibility for running the operation. The first part of that, NATO enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, is scheduled to happen today.

On the ground, Libyan forces are fighting against rebels who want Libya's leader, Colonel Moammar Gadhafi, out of power. The rebels were pushing westward² over the weekend and taking control of some key cities along the way. But in others, the fighting between rebels and military forces is fierce. President Obama is scheduled to give a speech tonight about the situation in Libya. That'll happen at 7:30 ET.

Over in Japan, we're getting some conflicting reports about the radiation coming out of a damaged nuclear power plant. Early Sunday, tests showed that one building at the plant was giving off radiation levels 10 million times more than normal. Tokyo Electric, which owns the plant, later said the number was closer to 100,000 times normal level.

The problems at the plant started with the earthquake and tsunami³ that hit Japan a little over two weeks ago. In this YouTube video, you can see the impact of that tsunami. The water is rushing over the barrier, flooding a road. Then, it starts sweeping⁴ across a parking lot filled with cars. At this point, the flood is pouring in so fast you can't even see the barrier. And those cars are tossed around like toys in a tub, smashed up against the side of a building. This is how an entire town can be washed away. Eventually, the force of the water, the force of the cars, one building is just ripped off its foundation and floats away.

It might seem strange to talk about a Cherry Blossom Festival in relation to the crisis in Japan. But the annual event in Washington, D.C. highlights the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. And this year, people used the festival to show their support for victims halfway⁵ around the world.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

3 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

4 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？

5 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。