新奇事件簿 世界处于冷战边缘

It is 25 years since the Berlin Wall came down. For many, it represented the beginning of the end of communism in Europe and of a world divided by the Cold War. The world stared down the barrel¹ of nuclear conflict many times, but then hope sprang up as the concrete in Berlin came tumbling² down. Two-and-a-half decades on, former Soviet³ leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned that the world is on the brink⁴ of a new Cold War. Ironically, he made a speech explaining why in Berlin. He accused the West of not fulfilling⁵ the promises it made after 1989. He said that: "The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some say that it has already begun." He also criticised the United Nations for doing so little.

距柏林墙倒塌已时隔25年。对许多人来说,它代表了共产主义在欧洲开始终结，结束了冷战带来的世界分裂局面。。很多次，世界都很难面对核冲突爆发的威胁,当柏林的混凝土墙面轰然倒塌，希望再次涌现出来。两年半之后,前苏联领导人米哈伊尔.戈尔巴乔夫警告说,世界正处于一场新冷战的边缘。具有讽刺意味的是,他在柏林发表演说解释了这一警告的依据。他指责西方没有履行1989年的承诺。他说，世界正处于一场新冷战的边缘。有人说,冷战已经开始了。他还批评联合国的行动太少。

The Berlin Wall existed between 1961 and 1990. It completely cut off land access to West Berlin from surrounding East Germany. The western powers of the USA, Germany and France controlled life in West Berlin, while communist East Germany controlled the rest. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls. Anyone attempting to cross to the west was either shot or arrested by the East German border police. The wall came to symbolise the "Iron Curtain" that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc⁶ during the Cold War. In 1989, a series of radical⁷ political changes occurred in the Eastern Bloc, which led to the Wall coming down and Germany being reunified in October 1990.

柏林墙存在于1961年到1990年之间。它完全切断了从东德周边地区到西柏林的路径。西方大国美国、德国和法国控制西柏林的生活,而东德的共产主义控制其余部分。障碍包括大型混凝土墙，并在其旁边设立警卫塔。任何企图跨越到西德的人，都会被东德边防警察枪击或者逮捕。柏林墙象征的“铁幕”， 在冷战期间隔离了西欧和东欧集团。1989年, 东欧集团发生的一系列激进的政治变革,导致柏林墙倒塌，1990年10月德国重获统一。

1 barrel   

n.圆桶；一桶的量；枪管；vt.把...装桶

参考例句：

• I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel.我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。
• The man rolled the barrel into the yard.那个人把圆桶滚进院子。

2 tumbling   

n.摔跤，翻跟头，翻筋斗adj.歪斜状的v.倒塌( tumble的现在分词 )；翻滚；突然摔倒；恍然大悟

参考例句：

• His eyes were fastened on the boiling, tumbling waves. 他的眼睛凝视着汹涌的波涛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The earthquake sent buildings tumbling into one another like failing dominoes. 地震使大楼哗啦啦倒塌，就像正在倾倒的骨牌一般。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

5 fulfilling   

adj.使人满足的，令人愉快的v.履行（诺言等）( fulfill的现在分词 )；执行（命令等）；达到（目的）；使结束；满足( fulfil的现在分词 )；执行；尽到；应验

参考例句：

• If you expect to fail, you will fail. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy . 你如果预期失败，就会失败。这是一种自我应验的预测。
• Nursing is hard work, but it can be very fulfilling. 护士工作很艰苦；但可以使人感到满足。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。