历史上的今天-Today in History 2010-12-09

 December 9th, 1992Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana announce their separating. It happens more than a decade after their widely watched wedding that seemed like something out of a fairy tale. Divorce becomes final for the royal couple nearly 4 years after their split.

1854"Theirs not to make reply , Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die."Alfred Lord Tennyson’s famous poem The Charge of the Light Brigade is published in Britain. The Victorian era poem recounts the climax¹ of a battle during the Crimean War in what’s now Ukraine.

1990Poland chooses soldiery Union leader Lech Wa??sa  as its first popularly elected president. Wa??sa  wins a runoff vote by a landslide², another sign of communism’s collapse³ in Eastern Europe.

And 1916Actor and film producer Kirk Douglas is born in Amsterdam, New York. Among his roles, Spartacus, Vincent Van Gogh and several tough guys. Among his children, son Michael Douglas, also an actor and film producer.

Today in History, December 9th, Camille Bohannon, the Associated Press.

1 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

2 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

3 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。