历史上的今天-Today in History 2010-12-28

 December 28th, 1856“We stand in the presence of an awakened¹ nation. Plainly it is a new age. ” President Woodrow Wilson who led the United States during World War I is born in Virginia. Wilson tried yet failed after the war to persuade the U.S. to join the League of Nations, the forerunner² of the United Nations . Also born on this day, actor Denzel Washington. 1832John C. Calhoun becomes the first vice³ president of the United States to resign. Calhoun steps down over his political differences with President Andrew Jackson.

1973The first parts of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s work "Gulag Archipelago", an expose of the Soviet⁴ prison system, are published in Paris. Solzhenitsyn is later arrested and charged with treason in the Soviet Union for his work then sent into exile. 1944In New York, the musical "On the Town" of music by Leonard Bernstein opens on Broadway.

And 1922Comic book creator Stan Lee is born in New York. Among his characters: Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-man and the Fantastic Four.

Today in History. December 28th. Ross Simpson, the Associated Press.

1 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 forerunner   

n.前身，先驱（者），预兆，祖先

参考例句：

• She is a forerunner of the modern women's movement.她是现代妇女运动的先驱。
• Penicillin was the forerunner of modern antibiotics.青霉素是现代抗生素的先导。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。