CNN新闻听力100篇

CNN新闻听力100篇News Item 1Many people in Japan have been forced to leave their homes. Japanese media report that 450,000people—half a million—are living in shelters like this evacuation center that was set up inside a junior highschool’s gym. Man y others are trying to get out of Japan entirely. Kyung Lah shows us the packed scene atTokyo’s airports and the deserted streets of downtown.News Item 2Investigators in Winnipeg have compiled evidence that two Canadian citizens conspired to travel toPakistan for terrorist training. There is also evidence that they planned subsequently to join the insurgencyagainst NATO forces in Afghanistan. Arrest warrants have been issued for Ferid Ahmed Imam, aged 30,and Maiwand Yar, aged 27. As the current whereabouts of Yar and Ahmed are unknown, these charges havebeen laid in absentia.News Item 3Rescue crews are spread out all over northern Japan trying to reach survivors of the quake andtsunami. But rescuers are facing obstacles as well. Obviously, they have to work around all the rubble andthe fooding you see here. But they’re also dealing with aftershocks. And the weather is supposed to getworse, which could in itself cause problems. There are scenes of incredible rescues taking place. A sixty-year-old man was swept out to sea, along with his house. He managed to hold on to part of his roof, and aJapanese naval ship found him foating nine miles off the coast.News Item 4The nation of Japan is reeling today, trying to recover from a devastating natural disaster. Theearthquake hit the island nation on Friday. It registered a magnitude of 8.9. That makes it the most powerfulquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years. There were reports over the weekend that the quake moved themain island of Japan—the entire island—by 8 feet!News Item 5And this is what it left behind: scenes of destruction. On Sunday, offcials estimated that more than1,500 people had been killed; more than 1,900 injured; more than 1,500 moremissing. Those estimatesall expected to go up. And the worst may not be over. Witnesses have reported feeling aftershocks. Andscientists in Japan say that there’s a strong chance of another quake, one with a magnitude of 7.0 or higher,hitting in the next few days.News Item 6One of the people who testified during yesterday’s hearings was Representative Keith Ellison, the 2frst Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress. He acknowledged that some Muslims are responsible for violentactions. But he said you can’t blame an entire community for the evil of some individuals. He got especiallyemotional talking about a Muslim paramedic and police cadet who died trying to help others during the9/11 terrorist attacks.News Item 7Water is the key ingredient in efforts to avoid a nuclear meltdown at a power plant in Japan. Theworkers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are trying to cool down the fuel rods inside the nuclearreactors. The normal cooling systems are n’t working. So, engineers are using fre trucks and police watercannons to try to attack the problem from the ground. Using military helicopters to drop water from thesky. Thursday, authorities said these efforts had been “somewhat effective”. That was based on the steamcoming out of the reactors and on the lower levels of radioactivity around the plant. News Item 8President Obama using this first-ever White House anti-bullying summit as a forum to try to bringattention to this very, very diffcult issue and say, look, for too long there have been students all around thecountry who have just accepted it, that they were going to get picked on, that they were going to be bullied,be the subject of assaults and violence and that it was sort of a rite of passage for kids. The president saysthat given all these tragic incidents where some kids have committed suicide over bullying, he says it’s timefor all of this to end, for schools to have higher standards.News Item 9In central Florida an eleven year old girl woke up in her own bed this morning and that’s reason tocelebrate, that’s because she had actually vanished into an alligator infested swamparea on Friday only tobe found yesterday alive and well, it’s an incredible story. She’s lucky.News Item 10President Obama has a new strategy that answers the astronavigational questions. He talked about it ina speech at the Kennedy Space Center yesterday. The president says he is 100 percent committed to NASAand its miss ion. He’s proposing that the agency get an additional $6 billion over the next 5 years, with agoal of sending humans to Mars by the 2030s.News Item 11President Obama is asking Wall Street to be part of his efforts to reform Wall Street. The presidentand members of Congress are looking at the ways to protect the U.S. economy from another fnancialcrisis. Yesterday, President Obama took his message to New York, to Wall Street. He’s pushing a billthat is being debated in the Senate right now and he explained why he wants the fnancial industry to getbehind it.3News Item 12More than 10,000 fights have been canceled since last weekend’s blizzard dumped 20 inches of snowon New York, bringing air traffc to a standstill from coast to coast. And with airline phone lines, Web sitesand reservation agents overloaded, re-booking those fights has been a nightmare. Imagine calling desperatefor help, only to get this message.News Item 13Experts believe, in some cases, airlines didn’t want to gam ble that the weather would put them at riskof being fned under the passenger bill of rights for keeping domestic fights waiting on the tarmac morethan three hours. The fnes are extremely high, $27,500 per passenger delayed more than three hours. Itmeans for a fight with 200 passengers, it may be over $5 million per airplane, per occurrence.News Item 14Emergency workers were trying to get food and supplies to the people there. But it is foods that haveclosed down every highway leading into the city. And get this: The regional airport was shut down onSunday, and offcials say it could be closed for weeks. Rock Hampton is home to around 75,000 people,but thousands of them don’t have homes any more. Flood waters destroyed the house s. The fooding is alsobeing blamed for several deaths.News Item 15Egypt, where that country’s president is urging his people to stand together “in the face of terrorism”.What he’s talking about is an attack on a Christian church that happened on N ew Year’s Eve. At least 21people were killed. Nearly 100 others were injured. Christians make up less than 10 percent of Egypt’spopulation. And as Ben Wedeman explains, this attack is making what was already a tense situation evenworse.News Item 16Two million spot fish, most of them are young, have been piling up on the shores. Early testingsuggests natural causes are playing, namely cold waters stress, a conditional cause by water temperaturesrapidly dropping below the species’ tolerant level. Large winter kills of spot have happened in the area atleast twice before. The last one was in January of 1980.News Item 17The state of Queensland was preparing to move from crisis to recovery when the situation deterioratedsharply. The death toll is expected to rise from fash fooding in the town of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane,with dozens of people still missing. Locals describe a wall of water that rushed through the town with prettymuch no warning. Cars were tossed about, buildings and structures moved. People swept away. The statecapital, Brisbane, is now under threat. The Brisbane River has broken its banks. More than 30 suburbs havebeen warned that they will be fooded a total of more than 6,000 homes.4News Item 18On February the 3rd, Verizon Wireless existing customers are going to have an exclusive opportunityto pre-order the iPhone 4 online ahead of general availability. One week later, on February 10th, the iPhone4 will launch to everyone at Verizon Wireless online, Verizon Wireless stores as well as at Apple stores andApple online. The price is going to be 199.99 for the 16 gig device, and 299.99 for the 32 gig device, with atwo-year contract.News Item 19The parents of the accused Tucson shooter are breaking their silence. Jared Loughery’s mom and dadhave been in seclusion since the weekend shooting, but now they have penned a statement saying they’rejust as perplexed as everyone else, saying this, “We don’t understand why this happened. It may not makeany difference but we wish that we could change the heinous events of Saturday. We care very deeply aboutthe victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss.” Six people died in the weekend shooting,14 others are hurt including Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford. Now friends of the Loughery family arespeaking up saying Jared was a good kid but something changed.News Item 20This morning, Haitians gathered at what remains of Notre Damn Cathedral to celebrate mash on thissomber occasion. One year has now passed since the earth shook Port-au Prince. The earthquake killedclose to a quarter million people. In October, disaster struck again in the form of a deadly epidemic ofcholera. The death till now is more than 3,600 people dead and climbing.News Item 2149 of the 50 states have some snow on the ground, somewhere this week, Florida being the loneexception. Here’s another way to look at it. The national weather service says 71% of the United States iscovered by snow. More than 40,000 houses are expected to food with up to 100,000 homes without power.Over 2000 Brisbane streets will sink below the murky waters while around 3,000 businesses are facingfnancial ruin.News Item 22Agency Brazil, the official Brazilian news agency, reports that nearly 75,000 people in thismountainous area are without power. Civil Defense offcials report there have been at least 30 mudslidesin the region in the last two days. Meanwhile, in the state of Sao Paulo, at least 24 people were killed asheavy rains continued to batter ground already soaked. To complicate matters even more, a dam gave way,fooding streets in Sao Jose dos Campos near the city of Sao Paulo. Non-stop rains have been pounding theregion since the beginning of the year and forecasters expect storms to continue until the end of this week.News Item 23An early-morning earthquake hits Pakistan. This happened around 1:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday 5in a remote area in southwestern Pakistan. Offcials said the quake had an initial magnitude of 7.2. Thatwould mean it was a “major” quake. There were reports that it lasted 20 or 30 seconds. One scientist saidit’s not uncommon for earthquakes to hit this region.News Item 24Republican John Boehner is currently serving in the role as speaker of the House. And earlier thisweek, he oversaw a House vote to repeal President Obama’s controversial health care reform law. This lawis widely considered to be President Obama’s bi ggest U.S. accomplishment while he was president. AndHouse Republicans are working to come up with some replacement plans for the law. But as SamanthaHayes explains, the idea of repealing the existing law altogether might not go any further than it alreadyhas.News Item 25More than 3 million of Australia’s population have been affected by this: massive fooding in easternAustralia. Authorities say it is one of the most costly disasters in Australia’s history. The foods have hada big impact on crops, on tourism, retail and manufacturing. Part of the reason this is worse than previousfoods or fres is that Queensland—the area where all this is happening—has had a big jump in population.One offcial said the government has already made about $227 million in recovery payments.News Item 26Robert Malay of the International Crisis Group is talking about countries very close to Tunisia thathave had the same kinds of problems, but where the stakes are much higher for America. T unisia’s revoltstarted with younger citizens fed up with high unemployment, rising costs of living and a corrupt federalgovernment. Similar problems are occurring in Egypt. There, like in Tunisia, a protester set himself on fre.And the same thing could happen in Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia.News Item 27A bomb went off at the busiest airport in Moscow, Russia. This happened yesterday around 4:30 in theafternoon local time. Russia’s president called it a terrorist attack. There were reports that it was done by asuicide bomber. And when we put this show together yesterday, no one had claimed responsibility for theattack and Russian authorities hadn’t named any suspects.News Item 28Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says that whoever is b ehind Monday’s suicide bombing atMoscow’s busiest airport will be found and will be punished. The attack killed dozens of people, injuredmore than 150 others. And sadly, this bombing isn’t an isolated incident. Over the last decade, trains andplanes around Moscow have been bombed at least four times. President Medvedev said that part of theblame for Monday’s attack is on the people who were responsible for the airport’s security.6News Item 29The U.S. will have a deficit in 2011. A big deficit. In a report that came out yesterday, theCongressional Budget Offce, or CBO forecast that the U.S. government will spend $1.5 trillion more thanit makes this year. The CBO says one reason for that defcit is the deal that Democrats and Republicanspassed late last year to extend a set of tax cuts. Another reason for the prediction: The country’s sloweconomic recovery.News Item 30Tens of thousands of protestors have gathered in the Egyptian capital, possibly the largest crowd yet.They are still calling on President Hosni Mubarak to resign effective immediately. Earlier about 500 anti-government protestors broke away from the square. They headed toward the parliament building. Theychanted fraud. The army has surrounded the building protectively.News Item 31A truck was speeding down the wrong side of a California freeway. The 83-year-old driver hit themedian and then was struck by an oncoming car of a chain reaction right close to northbound lanes ofinterstate 5. Investigators say the driver was confused, couldn’t really explain how he ended up on thewrong side. He did get a ticket for driving the wrong way and with a suspended license.News Item 32The planes in parts of the mid-south are bracing for a powerful weather system. It’s forecast for 8states and could bring several feet of snow to the mountain west and up to 12 inches in parts of Oklahomawhere there is still digging out from last week’s storm. Parts of central Te xas could see two to four inchesof snow and sleet. The system is also expected to bring rain and snow to the south later in the week beforedelivering a wintry mix along parts of the East coast on Thursday.News Item 33Scenes of celebration turn to shouts of anger as the crisis in Egypt takes a new turn. This politicalunrest in the North African nation started late last month. Thousands of protesters is marching in the streets,calling for a change in leadership. Their main target: long-time President Hosni Mubarak. These protesterswant him out of offce now. Yesterday, a huge crowd showed up in the downtown square where a lot ofthese protests have been going on. The people there were cheering, getting ready for a speech that PresidentMubarak was scheduled to make, and the rumors were that he was going to step down.News Item 34Political protests turn violent in some of the Middle Eastern nations. The U.S. government says it’s“deeply concerned” about the crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bahrain. Yesterday, severalpeople were killed and hundreds more were injured in fghting between protesters and security forces. InYemen, at least 20 people were hurt when groups that support and oppose that country’s government threw 7stones at each other yesterday. And in Libya, some web sites called for a “Day of Rage” Thursday. Thatcould be a sign that anti-government protests are picking up in the country.News Item 35The earthquake that jolted the South Pacifc country left one of its biggest cities in ruins. Christchurch,located on New Zealand’s east coast, was badly shaken during lunch hour. It was a 6.3-magnitude quake,followed by strong aftershocks, and it was heartbreaking, according to New Zealand’s prime mi nister. 80percent of Christchurch is without power and phone lines are down, making communication challenging formany survivors. This quake was actually an aftershock itself, according to the U.S.Geological Survey.News Item 36Tuesday, four Americans were shot and killed by pirates who hijacked their ship in the Indian Oceanlast week. The U.S. military says 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking. Four of them were killed. Theother 15, captured. The ship, a 58-foot yacht called the Quest, along with its owners, Jean and Scott Adams.The couple, with two friends, changed course during their boating rally. They ended up in a part of theIndian Ocean where a lot of pirate attacks happen. Zain Verjee talked with a security expert to get an idea ofhow these pirates work.News Item 37Protests are still raging in Libya. Reports are that the Libyan government has responded with force,and some officials estimate that up to 1,000 people might have been killed in the violence. The UnitedNations says “those responsible for brutally shedding the blood of innocents must be punished.” The U.S.,promising that Libya’s government will be held responsible for acts of violence against protesters. And theArab League suspended Libya on Tuesday.News Item 38In New Zealand, people are holding on to hope as rescuers search for survivors of Tuesday’sdevastating earthquake. The powerful tremor hit Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s biggest cities. At least75 people were killed. Hundreds of others are missing. And rescuers are digging desperately through theruins of toppled buildings in parts of Christchurch.News Item 39In Big Lake, Minnesota, a man’s home is his ice castle. For the 4th straight year, Roger Hanson hasbuilt a massive ice structure in his backyard, 64 feet high, 85 feet wide, it’s twice as big as his own house.Hanson says his only concern, now, is that it’s starting to melt.News Item 40Hawaii is the seventh state in the country to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples. The governorsigned the bill into law yesterday. It gives partners in civil union the same rights and benefts that spouses in 8a marriage enjoy. That bill takes effect in January.News Item 41Mexican authorities made 10 arrests in the fatal shooting of a U.S. immigration agent earlier thismonth. One suspect presumed leader of a drug cartel allegedly behind the hit. Agent Jamie Zapata waskilled in an ambush while on a Mexican highway. Five other men, three women and a minor were alsoarrested.News Item 42U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the country of Libya is at a crossroads: could become apeaceful democracy; could face a drawn-out civil war. Right now, the situation is tense. There were reportsthat forces that are loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi tried to regain control of a town near thecapital that’s under the control of people who are against Colonel Gadhaf. The attempt was unsuccessful.But an offcial close to Gadhaf denied this even happened.News Item 43President Obama says the U.S. will spare no effort to learn how an outrageous attack happenedyesterday at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport. Two American troops were shot and killed on a U.S. militarybus. Two others were wounded. They were security forces who were being deployed. German police haveone suspect in custody. Offcials say that what they think happened is that the gunman rushed onto the buswhile it was waiting outside the terminal and then started shooting. This would be a federal crime in boththe United States and in Germany.News Item 44Mexican President Felipe Calderon travels north of the border for a two-day visit to the U.S. He’sscheduled to meet with American business leaders, leaders in Congress, and he’s meeting with PresidentObama, the two leaders getting together yesterday at the White House. They talked about immigrationpolicies, organized crime and violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. And of course, they discussed trade.Me xico is America’s third-largest trading partner. And it’s the second-largest market for American productsthat get sold outside the U.S.News Item 45The U.S. unemployment rate is down one-tenth of a point. It went from 9 percent in January to 8.9percent in February. That has been the lowest unemployment since April of 2009. But experts still havesome concerns about the future of the U.S. economy. Samantha Hayes explains some of those concerns andbreaks down some more details from this month’s unemployment report.News Item 46Scientists say Kilauea was shooting lava as high as 80 feet into the air on Sunday. The state is no 9stranger to volcanic eruptions. That’s how the Hawaiian Islands are believed to have been formed in the frstplace. The islands are the tops of a chain of volcanic mountains like this. Kilauea is one of the most activevolcanoes in the world. Since 1952, it’s erupted 34 times. And this lava you see here, it started fowing overthe weekend: It’s part of an ongoing eruption that started in 1983. It’s happening in a remote area, so nopeople or homes are threatened.News Item 47A would-be robber calls 911 because he’s scared of the homeowner. In Portland, a man charged withbreaking into a house says he was concerned the homeowner might have a gun. The homeowner also called911 and that’s when police found the suspect, 24-year-old Timothy James Chappic, locked in the bathroom.News Item 48The international community is trying to fnd ways to end the violence in Libya. And one suggestion isa no-fy zone over the country. What that would mean is that no military planes could fy over Libya withoutpermission. The United Nations Security Council is talking about it, and the idea has a lot of support fromcountries in the Middle East. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is already running round-the-clock surveillance fights over Libya.News Item 49In neighboring Egypt, about a thousand people showed up for a pro-women demonstration yesterday.Women were a major part of the protests that forced former President Hosni Mubarak out of power fromEgypt last month. But this protest turned into a shouting match when groups of men started yelling anti-feminist chants, like “go home, that’s where you belong”. There were men on both sides of these protests.The people who organized the women’s march said they’re demanding “fair andequal opportunity for allEgyptian citizens—beyond gender, religion or class”.News Item 50Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a point at an event that commemorated the 100th anniversaryof International Women’s Day. When referring to the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africawe’ve seen lately, Secretary Clinton said women “have just as muc h right as the men to remake theirgovernments”. She and first lady Michelle Obama honored 10 women with the International Women ofCourage Award. Secretary Clinton said the women’s courage comes from putting others’ well-being beforetheir own. And Mrs. Obama said the awards send a message to women that “you are never alone in yourstruggle”.News Item 51After the Security Council’s vote, Libya’s government declared a cease-fre in its fghting with rebelforces. And it invited representatives from other nations to come to Libya to make sure the cease-fre wasreal. Coalition forces were convinced that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhaf was not following the rules 10of the cease-fre. On Saturday, the coalition attacked. You can hear the sounds of gunfre in the capital cityof Tripoli. A U.S. commander said missiles landed near the capital and around other cities as part of theseattacks.News Item 52All the 30,000 victims of the nation’s largest identity theft scheme had in common were credit reports.Reports on fle with three of the nation’s largest credit report agencies were stolen in wholesale batches andsold for 60 dollars a piece. And federal authorities say the men who unlock those reports and sold them toa Nigerian fraud ring and others was Philip Cummins, a 33-year-old former help desk operator at a LongIsland-based credit security frm.News Item 53In Washington, D.C., a commission set up by Congress is investigating the U.S. financial crisis.They’re looking i nto what caused it and hopefully how to avoid another one in the future. As part of thatinvestigation, the commission has been talking with some government offcials. Andthe chief executives of four of the country’s biggest b anks. The head of the commission said he wanted tohear the bankers talk about their companies’ roles in causing the crisis. The executives acknowledged thattheir banks had made mistakes, but said they didn’t realize how bad those mistakes were at the time.News Item 54An estimated 600,000 students dropped out of the class of 2008. The Alliance fgured out how thecountry could have benefited if just half of them, 300,000, had gotten their diplomas. It estimated theywould have earned a combined $4.1 billion more money in an average year. Then, they could have spent $2.8billion more and invested more than $1 billion more.News Item 55It’s been used for years by computer owners to chat online but most companies ban it from theworkplace. Now instant messaging is one of the hottest applications on office computers and somecompanies are encouraging it. Instant messaging or IM is a real-time real-exchange between one or moreonline computer users. It’s faster than email and it allo ws you to see if someone is available to chat. IM nowallows you to videoconference and share fles. It’s even available on mobile phones and PDAs.News Item 56The nation of Iran will mark a milestone later on this week. On Thursday, the country will celebratethe anniversary of when it became an Islamic republic. This goes back to 1979, when supporters of theAyatollah Khomeini, a religious leader, overthrew the country’s government. Khomeini became the supremeleader of Iran, and the nation offcially became an Islamic state. The United States and the European Unionare worried about potential violence during Thursday’s celebrations.11News Item 57President Obama has given his backing to building the frst nuclear reactors in the United States inthree decades. He said the country needed a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power stations to meet itsenergy needs and fght climate change. Mr. Obama is offering an 8-billion-dollar loan guarantee to the frstplant, but only if legislation against greenhouse gas emissions is part of the package.funding for new technologies, the U.S. risked falling behind other nations.News Item 58The Afghan Taliban is said to have lost one of its key leaders. Reports say its top military commanderand leading strategist, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was captured at the beginning of this month in a jointoperation by Pakistani and American forces in Karachi. A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban denied that theleader had been taken.News Item 59Pope Benedict has called the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland a heinouscrime that wounded human dignity. His comments followed a meeting about the scandal with Irish bishopsin Rome. The Vatican said all will ag ree that the church’s teaching had been damaged. News Item 60The Inter-American Development Bank says the cost of rebuilding Haiti after last month’s earthquakecould reach 14 billion dollars. The estimate is based on preliminary damage assessment and comparisonswith previous disasters. The bank says the earthquake was proportionately the most destructive naturaldisaster of modern times when viewed in relation to the size of Haiti’s population and economy. The quakekilled about 230,000 people and left the capital Port-au-Prince in ruins.News Item 61Some environmental groups are criticizing Australia for its poor record on caring for endangeredspecies. More mammals have become extinct in that country over the last 200 years than in any other placein the world. And new laws to protect threatened animals are not always enforced. Australia’s Network Tenreports on the case of some endangered sea lions off the country’s southern shores. News Item 62Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Capitol Hill discussing lifting the ban on gays serving in thearmed forces. It’s the first major step in that direction since the 1993 policy “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”ignited the frestorm. As a frst step, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to call for no longerdischarging people who are outed by others. Over the last 12 years, nearly 11,000 people have beendischarged from the military for being gay. Defense offcials privately say the appetite。

CNN新闻听力100篇
单词
Item：条，条款，项目。

一则，一件商品或物品
Adv，又，同上。

Forced：被迫使，被迫
Shelters：避难所，躲避处
Gym：文体馆
Scene：场景，现场，（戏剧的一场）景色，风景；事件
Evacuation：撤离，撤退，疏散，撒空
Deserted：废弃的，舍弃，adj，无人居住的，空寂无人的，被遗弃的Downtown：市区，商业区
News item2
Investigators：研究者，调查者，侦查员
Winnipeg：温尼伯湖（加拿大中南部）
Compiled：收集，编辑，编译、
Conspired：v，密谋（conspire的过去式），搞阴谋（事件等）巧合，共同导致Terrorist：n，恐怖主义者，恐怖分子，adj，恐怖主义的
Training：训练
Subsequently：随后，其后，接着
Insurgency：起义，暴动，叛变
NATO：北大西洋公约组织
Forces：武力，势力，强迫
Arrest：vt,逮捕，拘捕，止住，阻止，抑制，吸引（注意）
V：心跳停止
N：拘留，停止，阻止，制动
Warrants：授权正，许可证，正当理由，依据。

1CNN 100CNN News Item 1The U.S. government closes its embassy in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen, and that is because ofsecurity concerns. One official says that a group called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula might be planningan attack against the facility. That same group said it was behind an attempted plot to set off an explosiveonboard a plane heading to Detroit, Michigan. That took place on Christmas day. The suspect allegedlybrought the explosives on the plane in his underwear. The plan failed when the device he tried to use didn’tdetonate correctly. Some people have asked how the suspect made it past security. One U.S. official says it’sbecause of human error. President Obama has promised that everyone involved in the attack will be heldaccountable for it. But some critics argue that the president’s response to the situation hasn’t been fastenough, hasn’t been aggressive enough.CNN News Item 2It’s back to work for Indian government oil workers after a three-day strike that crippled Indiancommerce. Some 45,000 oil workers walked off the job after the government refused their demands forhigher pay. The labor standoff ended after days of intense government pressure, including threats of job lossand even arrest to strikers. Meantime, talks with a second group of nationwide strikers may soon beunderway. The Indo-Asian News-Service says India’s transport minister is ready to discuss demands fromtruckers. Many across India have parked their rigs, calling for reduction in diesel and tyre prices.CNN News Item 3Lawmakers in Nebraska have approved a big change to the state’s controversial safe haven law. Underthe new measure, children older than 30 days can not be dropped off at state hospitals.35 children, many ofthem, preteens or even teenagers, have been abandoned in hospitals since the original law took effect in July.State lawmakers say it was intended to prevent newborns from being dumped in trash bins or even worse.The new law is expected to go into effect at midnight.CNN News Item 4The nation of Iran marking a milestone later on this week. On Thursday, the country will celebrate theanniversary of when it became an Islamic republic. This goes back to 1979, when supporters of the AyatollahKhomeini, a religious leader, overthrew the country’s government. Khomeini became the supreme leader ofIran, and the nation officially became an Islamic state. The United States and the European Union areworried about potential violence during Thursday’s celebrations. U.S. and Europe an Union are urging theMiddle Eastern nation to “end its abuses against its own people.” Iranian leaders have denied anyaccusations that the government has abused citizens.CNN News Item 5Iraqis put democracy into action today in elections held across the country. The polls have closed and avote-counting has begun. Voters went to 6,000 polling stations to pick from among 14,000 candidatesincluding 4,000 women. Security is very tight though, voters were searched before they entered the polls.2The borders with Iran and Syria were sealed and a curfew has been put into place. Now even the UnitedNations was involved in monitoring those elections.CNN News Item 6Iranian media reports former President Mohammad Khatami has announced he will run in the Junepresidential elections. Today’s announcement ends weeks of speculation. Khatami is considered a reformistand overwhelmingly won the presidency in 1997 but he couldn’t bring about religious and democraticfreedoms because of strong opposition from the coun try’s religious establishment. Khatami was succeededby current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad four years ago.CNN News Item 7Meanwhile U.S. President Barack Obama is taking crisis talks to an international level. British PrimeMinister Gordon Brown is traveling to the United States on Monday to push for global solutions to theeconomic crisis. He will be the first E.U. leader to meet the new president in Washington and Mr. Obamawill meet the remaining E.U. leaders at a special summit in Prague in April. That will be his first trip toEurope since taking office. Also on that trip, the G20 summit on the economic crisis and a NATO meeting.CNN News Item 8Strike is off, the judge says plans for a walkout by a British Airway’s Cabin Crew cannot happen. As wereported yesterday, this strike which would have last through the holidays could have effected a millionpassengers’ holiday travel plans. But the judge has blocked it from happening. Now the airline says it hopesthe Cabin Crews Labor Union would take some time to think about its next steps. The union representativessay this dispute is not over and unless the two sides can come to a solution, they could vote to strike again,but after Christmas.CNN News Item 9Heading overseas to Thailand where grenade attacks in the capital city of Bangkok have killed at leastthree people. A Thai official said the grenades came from an area where people who were protesting thegovernment were gathered together. The protesters say they are not responsible. They have been fightingwith police for a while here you can see them throwing rocks and other things at police. They support thecountry’s former prime minister and they want the current leader to leave office. After these recent attacks,Thailand’s prime minister c alled an emergency meeting to figure out how to deal with the situation.CNN News Item 10U.S. Supreme Court says that a memorial out in the Mojave Desert does not violate the U.S.Constitution. The memorial is a large cross. It was put up in 1934 to honor fallen soldiers. But it’s located ina national park, and some people argue that it’s a religious symbol that goes against the concept of separationof church and state. The cross was boarded up because of the legal battle. Yesterday’s Supreme Courtdecision was close: 5 to 4. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said that this cross represents“far more than religion.” But in opposition, Justice John Paul Stevens argued the government can’t lawfullyendorse a religious symbol as a way to pay tribute to veterans.3CNN News Item 11Freed at last after five years in captivity, three Americans held hostage by leftistrebels in Colombia areback on U.S. soil and will be reunited with their families. Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and KeithStansell were among those rescued during an incredible operation yesterday. Columbian secret agents trickedleftist rebels into handing them over without a single shot being fired. The men are now undergoing tests atan army medical center in San Antonio, Texas.CNN News Item 12Health care reform enters a new era in about two hours. President Obama is scheduled to sign that billinto law. Then, he is going to travel around the country to sell the plan to skeptics. But Republicans say thatbattle is on to get ready for legal challenges, nearly a dozen states plan to argue that it’s not constitutional. Asearly as tomorrow, the debate moves to the Senate where lawmakers will consider a companion measure, andRepublicans plan, parliamentary objections that could change that bill and force it back to the House. Now,even before the first votes were cast in the health care debate, Barack Obama’s overall approval ratingdropped to his lowest level ever recorded.CNN News Item 13Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will be meeting this month to put together afinal health care reform bill. The Senate passed its version on Christmas Eve. The House had already passedits bill. But there are some pretty big differences between the two. One of them: cost. The Senate bill checksin at $871 billion. The House version: Over $1 trillion. Another issue: the so-called public option, agovernment-run health insurance program. House bill includes it; Senate bill doesn’t. So, some compromisesneed to be made to come up with a final bill. And since that then has to be approved by both Houses ofCongress, there are some concerns about whether it will pass.CNN News Item 14Another day of international pressure levied against Zimbabwe’s embattled President Robert Mugabe.B ritish officials have announced they are stripping Robert Mugabe’s honorary knighthood title. Nobel Prizewinner Desmond Tutu is also speaking out about the election mess there. He’s urging the nations of theworld to intervene. The calls come after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangiraiwithdrew from the election,citing violence against his party. The Zimbabwean Electoral Commission ruled today that the presidentialelection will go on as planned.CNN News Item 15The Tea Party movement is getting ready for the mid-term elections coming up in November. The grouphas released a list of heroes and targets. The heroes on the list are candidates that the Tea Party plans tosupport in the elections. The targets are anyone that the group would like to see voted out of office. Ofcourse lists are not the only way that the Tea Party gets its message out. Rallies are the group’s bread andbutter. This one in Washington DC yesterday was a wrapping up of a three-week tour across the U.S. Thetiming? No coincidence. Yesterday, of course, was tax day. And the group is opposed to what it sees as thegovernment overspending.4CNN News Item 16Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis. And President Obama said that he wantsto move beyond the past and build a relationship with Iran based on mutual interest and mutual respect.U.S.-Iran relations had been hostile since the day that Islamic students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehranand held 52 Americans hostage for more than 400 days. Iran’s government holds rally every year to celebratethat event. Today there’s something different though, anti-government protesters are also on the streets. Weare also getting some reports of clashes with those police. No word about any injury yet.CNN News Item 17Senators are considering alternatives to part of their healthcare legislation, specifically, the so-calledpublic option, government-run health insurance program. Senate republicans and some democrats andindependents are against that plan. A group of Democratic Senators was working to come up with some otherideas they could replace the public option. And late last night, they said they had reached an agreement. Ifthe Senate passes its healthcare bill, that does not make it law, would still need to be combined with Healthbill and then that final version would need to pass both the House and the Senate.CNN News Item 18Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he refuses to borrow money to keep his state running, he wantslegislators to focus on the state's 24 billion dollar deficit or the state could be forced to cut thousands of jobs,eliminate health care for a million low income children. Meanwhile lawmakers are debating hundreds ofother bills including creating a state blueberry commission. Banning toy cigarette lighters and mandating alarger font size for medical worker name tags.CNN News Item 19Ray LaHood, the head of the U.S. Transportation Department, is weighing in on Toyota’s recall ofmillions of vehicles due to a faulty gas pedal. But what Mr. LaHood is saying might be causing someconfusion. During a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, Secretary LaHood said that anyone who owns one ofthe cars affected by the recall should “stop driving it and take it to a dealer.” That scared and frustrated a lotof owners, and later in the day, LaHood corrected himself. Toyota released a statement thanking SecretaryLaHood for clarifying his remarks. They also said, “We want to make sure that our customers understandthat this situation is rare and generally does not occur suddenly. If you experience any issues with youraccelerator pedal, please contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with yourpedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive.”CNN News Item 20Toyota says that a glitch in the electronic brakes could cause a delay when you step on the pedal. Theysay it only affects 2010 models sold last year. And it’s those very same cars that are being credited withToyota’s cash cow. New numbers just out say they made $1.7 billion last quarter, but it won’t last for long.For the first time, Toyota is admitting it’s going to take a huge beating due to this gas pedal nightmare. $2billion for repairs and lost sales.5CNN News Item 21AIG is trying to prevent a new wave of backlash over paying out bonuses to its top executives. TheWashington Post reports the company has asked the Obama Administration to approve millions of dollars inpromised bonuses. The payments are scheduled to go out next week. AIG doesn’t actually need approval.Because the payments were linked to contracts from last year before received aid from the federal bailoutfunds. But the Post reports executives still are reluctant to pay without official approval. An earlier round of2008 AIG employee bonuses drew widespread criticism earlier this year.CNN News Item 22The raw politics of health is heating up in the Senate. Just before air last night, Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid announced a group of 10 liberal and conservative Democrats had reached a deal to replace thehotly debated public option with a package of alternatives. Senator Reid offered few details. But today,President Obama praised the emerging compromise. Now, the public plan deal came just hours after theSenate killed a controversial amendment to restrict abortion coverage in its health care bill to ensure that nofederal funds go toward covering any kind of abortion in this new reform. Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson hadintroduced that amendment. He called it a deal-breaker. He’s also on e of the 10 senators to hammer out thedeal to drop the public plan.CNN News Item 23Over in Europe, the financial outlook for a few countries isn’t looking too good. The investment ratingsfor Spain, Portugal and Greece all went down this week. Greece might be the worst situation. Experts areusing the word “junk” to describe that nation’s investment rating. Basically, they’re saying that it’s very riskyto put your money there. Greece has a massive debt, nearly $400 billion. That’s bigger than the coun try’seconomy. Greece is developing ways to cut spending, but Greek workers aren’t too happy about some ofthose plans, and they’ve been protesting about it. Greece is also asking for financial help from the EuropeanUnion: a bailout of more than $50 billion.CNN News Item 24Well moving around to the East of Asia now, Southeast of Asia, a gloomy forecast out of Singapore.The government says its economy will likely shrink by between 6 and 9% this year. The announcementcomes as the city-state’s first quart er GDP fell almost 12% from the, from a year ago. In seasonally adjustedterms it was even more brutal than that actually. Singapore is reducing its output for the third time this year,as demand for its exports continues to fall amidst a worsening financial crisis. It previously predicted just a5% contraction for the full year.CNN News Item 25The Treasury says the country’s largest banks will start receiving 125-billion dollars this week.Beginning the biggest government bailout in history, the money is being sent to 9 major financial institutionsincluding Bank of America, Citigroup and JP Morgan chase. The government is also in talks with a group ofmore than a dozen regional banks about sharing part of an additional 125-billion dollars. Treasury SecretaryHenry Paulson says 250 of the 700-billion-dollar bailout package will be spent by the end of the year.6CNN News Item 26In the United States, President Obama is scheduled to sit down today with the heads of some of thecountry’s biggest banks to talk about small businesses, ones that have 500 or fewer employees. Many ofthem are having a hard time getting loans from banks. But banks argue that the policies put in place becauseof this financial crisis have affected how they can offer the loans.CNN News Item 27Goldman Sachs surprised investors on Monday with an early release of its quarterly profits, which wereway better than analysts had expected, twice as good, in terms of earnings per share. Now profits for the first3 months of the year came into a total of $1.81 billion. Goldman also announced plans for a $5 billion sharesale to help back its, help pay back rather, its so called TARP loan from the U.S. government. $10 billionunder the troubled assets relief program.CNN News Item 28 7000La wmakers say they’re close to a deal on the 700-billion-dollar package to rescue the troubled financialsystem. A bipartisan group has been meeting today to hash out differences. Democratic Senator ChuckSchumer, chairman of the joint economic committee, says he hopes to reach a deal by this afternoon. Amongthe details being hammered out, how much the plan will cost? The most common amount being talked aboutis 700-billion dollars; another key point in the negotiations is whether the government will actually become ashareholder in troubled companies. One part of the plan that seems certain to become a law will be aprovision to limit executive pay and bonuses at companies that sell assets to the Treasury.CNN News Item 29During a speech yesterday, President Obama offered some ideas on how to create new jobs and help outthe country’s economy. Offering tax breaks to small businesses, expanding some of the government’sstimulus programs, and spending more money on infrastructure projects things like roads, bridges and watersystems. The thing is, all of that costs money and that’s where the TARP comes in. That’s the Troubled AssetRelief Program, the financial industry bailout passed last year. The bailout ended up not costing as much asexpected and President Obama thinks the extra could be used to help out in other ways.CNN News Item 30OPEC is going ahead with another oil production cut. OPEC has agreed to cut production by 2.2million barrels a day. U.S. crude for January delivery dropped to just over 42 dollars a barrel after theannouncement. Crude oil prices have dropped nearly 70% since July. OPEC cut production in Septemberand October, but those cuts didn’t have much impact on prices.CNN News Item 31Chrysler and Italian automaker Fiat has signed off on a deal brokered by Uncle Sam to become what’sknown as Chrysler Group. Fiat will initially take a 20 percent stake. It can’t take a majority stake until thenew Chrysler pays back the 15.5 billion dollars it took from the Treasury Department. The UAW holds a 55percent stake, leaving an 8 percent stake for the U.S., 2 percent for Canada. The Supreme Court cleared theway for the deal yesterday, after delaying the sale pending review of a case brought by Indiana state pension7funds.CNN News Item 32Major concerns now about the U.S. auto industry, these numbers are just out, and Toyota finallyovertook GM as the world’s biggest automaker in terms of sales for all of last year.That’s a title GM hasheld for nearly eight decades. Even worse than that, a GM executive warns the company will run out of cashby March 31st if it doesn’t get that second installment of government funds soon. GM is supposed to get thefive-billion installment within a matter of days.CNN News Item 33Some new developments in the Wall Street investment fraud case, the bail hearing for Bernard Madoffhas been canceled for today, meaning he will remain free for the time being. Meantime, the head of theSecurities and Exchange Commission is criticizing his own agency for failing to spot the investment schemeby former NASDAQ Chairman Bernard Madoff. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox says there were manyinstances over a decade that should have been flagged.CNN News Item 34 CEOCEOs from Ford, Chrysler and General Motors are making their case for a25-billion-dollar emergencyloan. They want Congress to tap into the 700-billion-dollar Wall Street bailout approved last month. ManyRepublican critics point to financial mismanagement at the Big Three and argue the companies don’t deserveany help. Most Democrats disagree, saying the auto industry is too important to the overall economy to fail.CNN News Item 35China is where U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was yesterday. During a week-long trip toAsia that he is taking, Secretary Geithner stopped over in Beijing and meet with his Chinese counterpart.One issue they were expected to talk about was the value of the yuan; that’s China’s currency. Some U.S.officials claim that China is undervaluing the yuan; they’re accusing China of saying that the yuan is worthless than what it should be. China denies that. This matters because the yuan and the dollar are connected.And if the value of the yuan is down, it could encourage people to spend more on Chinese products than onAmerican ones.CNN News Item 36 7870The battle over the 787-billion-dollar stimulus bill officially ends after President’s Day. PresidentObama says he will sign the bill into law in Denver On Tuesday. He is calling the measure “a majormilestone in the recovery of the U.S. economy.” Administration officials say the President wants to get awayfrom the politics of Washington and sign the bill in an area hit hard by the recession. They say Denver is aplace that will see the bill’s benefits in hiring workers.CNN News Item 37One of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists is dead. Imad Mougniyeh was killed in an explosion in Syriathis morning. Mougniyeh was a top Hezbollah commander. He was blamed for several high-profile terroristacts that left hundreds of Americans and Israelis dead, including the 17-day hijacking of a TWA Flight in81985. He was also suspected of masterminding the attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks inLebanon that killed more than 260 Americans in 1983.CNN News Item 38Moving from Thailand to the Persian Gulf now, where Iran is running a massive military drill expectedto last three days. An Iranian official says the goal is to show off the country’s military strength. It mightlook like a real battle what you are seeing here is just practice. U.S. Navy says Iran has done this sort ofthing in the past. This one is getting more attention because Iran talked about it ahead of time.CNN News Item 39No commitment by President-elect Barack Obama on a missile defense program in Eastern Europe.That’s according to a senior Obama advisor. The statement comes after claims on the Polish president’swebsite —The two had a call on the matter and that Obama said he intended to continue the program.Obama’s senior foreign policy advisor denied that claim. H e said Obama talked with the Polish presidentabout continuing military and political cooperation and possibly meeting in person some time soon.CNN News Item 40Congress considers a new bill that would make some soldiers eligible for the Purple Heart.Representative John Carter introduced the new legislation yesterday. The Fort Hood army post is located inhis home district in Texas. This bill is focused on the victims of the recent shooting there. The Purple Heartfirst created in 1782 is given to any U.S. service member who is wounded and killedwhile serving in actionagainst an enemy or in a terrorist attack. Representative Carter says the Fort Hood victims deserved thePurple Heart because he considers the shooting to be an enemy attack.CNN News Item 41The U.S. government says it will stop making new, nuclear weapons, and it’s reconsidering what to dowith the weapons that already exist. The announcement came yesterday, two days before President Obama isscheduled to sign a treaty with Russia that would reduce how many nuclear weapons both countries have. Italso comes one week before he hosts a global meeting on nuclear security. More than 40 countries areexpected to attend that. But back to yesterday’s announcement. This new policy would stop production ofnuclear weapons. It would also invest about $5 billion in extending the life of weapons that already exist.Seven countries are officially recognized as nuclear powers, meaning they have nuclear weapons. But thereare other countries that are suspected of trying to make them. U.S. officials hope this change from Americawill encourage other countries all countries to help control the spread of nuclear weapons. U.S. haspromised not to use its own nukes against anyone who does that. But as Defense Secretary Robert Gatespointed out, that doesn’t mean retaliation is out of the question in every situation.CNN News Item 42Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in more than 40 years. A new report by aid agencies andhumanitarian groups says thi ngs haven’t been this dismal since Israel’s 1967 occupation. It says the Israeliblockade has left more than one million Palestinians isolated, dealing with poverty, dealing withunemployment, with little access to education and healthcare services. It found water and sewage systems9are on the verge of collapse. Israel blames the hardships on Hamas militants who keep firing rockets intoIsrael.CNN News Item 43We are getting things started with START. It stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. It’s a nagreement between the United States and Russia for both countries to reduce thenumber of nuclear weaponsthey have. President Obama also says it’s part of the effort to “reset” the relationship between the twocountries. Yesterday, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev got together in the Czech Republic to signoff on START. The agreement cuts the number of nuclear weapons that the U.S. and Russia have by about athird. The White House is scheduled to hold a meeting on nuclear security next week. It’s something thatPresident Obama says affects the entire world.CNN News Item 44Just how far will Iran push the international community this weekend? Well today, it reportedly testedtwo types of short-range missiles and a launching system. Iran’s military freely admitted it was showing offits defense capabilities. And it planned to keep up the missile exercises for 10 or 11 more days. In other news,the show-off force does come just days after words that Iran is building a second uranium enrichment plant.These satellite images supposedly show the location by the city of Qom. The U.S. and its allies quicklycondemned this project. And Tehran says it’s just a civilian energy program, but U.S. official believed it wasa cover for developing nuclear weapons. The Iranian say they will allow international inspectors into theplants.CNN News Item 45There is no letup of Israel’s assault on Gaza and Hamas’s rocket attacks into Israel. The fighting hasentered a third week with mounting casualties on both sides. Israel says Hamas commander in charge oflaunching rockets into Israel from Gaza City was killed by ground fire. Also during a three-hour lull todayIsrael dropped leaflets warning residence to evacuate their homes. An United Stations spokesman says thepausing fighting was not longer enough to resume aid deliveries into Gaza. The humanitarian situation thereis described as desperate and Palestinian medical sources say at least 800 people have been killed in Gazasince Israeli offensive began. 13 Israelies including 10 soldiers have also died. CNN News Item 46A holy day in Iran marked by violence as protesters clashed with police forces about a week ago.Demonstrators have spoken out against the country’s government for months now, but。

CNN新闻100篇CNN News Item1政治：美国因安全问题关闭在也门的大使馆The ernment closes its embassy in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen,and that is because of security concerns.One official says that a group called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula might be planning an attack against the facility.That same group said it was behind an attempted plot to set off an explosive onboard a plane heading to Detroit,Michigan.That took place on Christmas day.The suspect allegedly brought the explosives on the plane in his underwear.The plan failed when the device he tried to use didn’t detonate correctly.Some people have asked how the suspect made it past security.One U.S.official says it’s because of human error.President Obama has promised that everyone involved in the attack will be held accountable for it.But some critics argue that the president’s response to the situation hasn’t been fast enough,hasn’t been aggressive enough.CNN News Item2政治：印度石油工人结束三天的罢工It’s back to work for Indian government oil workers after a three-day strike that crippled Indian commerce.Some45,000oil workers walked off the job after the government refused their demands for higher pay.The labor standoff ended after days of intense government pressure,including threats of job loss and even arrest to strikers.Meantime,talks with a second group of nationwide strikers may soon be underway.The Indo-Asian News-Service says India’s transport minister is ready to discuss demands from truckers.Many across India have parked their rigs,calling for reduction in diesel and tyre prices.CNN News Item3政治：备受争议的安全港法案修正案获得通过Lawmakers in Nebraska have approved a big change to the state’s controversial safe haven law.Under the new measure,children older than30days can not be dropped off at state hospitals.35children,many of them,preteens or even teenagers,have been abandoned in hospitals since the original took effect in July. State lawmakers say it was intended to prevent newborns from being dumped in trash bins or even worse. The new law is expected to go into effect at midnight.CNN News Item4政治：欧美担心伊朗建国会发生暴乱The nation of Iran marking a milestone later on this week.On Thursday,the country will celebrate the anniversary of when it became an Islamic republic.This goes back to1979,when supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini,a religious leader,overthrew the country’s government.Khomeini became the supreme leader of Iran,and the nation officially became an Islamic state.The United States and the European Union are worried about potential violence during Thursday’s celebrations.U.S.and European Union are urging the Middle Eastern nation to“end its abuses against its own people.”Iranian leaders have denied any accusations that the government has abused citizens.CNN News Item5政治：伊拉克全国选举投票结束Iraqis put democracy into action today in elections held across the country.The polls have closed and a vote-counting has begun.V oters went to6,000polling stations to pick from among14,000candidates including4,000women.Security is very tight though,voters were searched before they entered the polls.The borders with Iran and Syria were sealed and a curfew has been put into place.Now even the United Nations was involved in monitoring those elections.CNN News Item6政治：伊朗前总统将参加六月份总统竞选Iranian media reports former President Mohammad Khatami has announced he will run in the June presidential elections.Today’s announcement ends weeks of speculation.Khatami is considered a reformist and overwhelmingly won the presidency in1997but he couldn’t bring about religious and democratic freedoms because of strong opposition from the country’s religious establishment.Khatami was succeeded by current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad four years ago.CNN News Item7政治：奥巴马行程Meanwhile U.S.President Barack Obama is taking crisis talks to an international level.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is traveling to the United States on Monday to push for global solutions to the economic crisis.He will be the first E.U.leader to meet the new president in Washington and Mr.Obama will meet the remaining E.U.leaders at a special summit in Prague in April.That will be his first trip to Europe since taking office.Also on that trip,the G20summit on the economic crisis and a NATO meeting.CNN News Item8政治：英国航空公司机舱服务员罢工计划Strike is off,the judge says plans for a walkout by a British Airway’s Cabin Crew cannot happen.As we reported yesterday,this strike which would have last through the holidays could have effected a million passengers’holiday travel plans.But the judge has blocked it from happening.Now the airline says it hopes the Cabin Crews Labor Union would take some time to think about its next steps.The union representatives say this dispute is not over and unless the two sides can come to a solution,they could vote to strike again, but after Christmas.CNN News Item9政治：泰国内乱Heading overseas to Thailand where grenade attacks in the capital city of Bangkok have killed at least three people.A Thai official said the grenades came from an area where people who were protesting the government were gathered together.The protesters say they are not responsible.They have been fighting with police for a while here you can see them throwing rocks and other things at police.They support the country’s former prime minister and they want the current leader to leave office.After these recent attacks, Thailand’s prime minister called an emergency meeting to figure out how to deal with the situation.CNN News Item10政治：十字架纪念碑争议获最高法院裁定U.S.Supreme Court says that a memorial out in the Mojave Desert does not violate the U.S. Constitution.The memorial is a large cross.It was put up in1934to honor fallen soldiers.But it’s located in a national park,and some people argue that it’s a religious symbol that goes against the concept of separation of church and state.The cross was boarded up because of the legal battle.Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision was close:5to4.Writing for the majority,Justice Anthony Kennedy said that this cross represents “far more than religion.”But in opposition,Justice John Paul Stevens argued the government can’t lawfully endorse a religious symbol as a way to pay tribute to veterans.CNN News Item11政治：三名美国人质关押五年后获自由Freed at last after five years in captivity,three Americans held hostage by leftist rebels in Colombia are back on U.S.soil and will be reunited with their families.Marc Gonsalves,Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell were among those rescued during an incredible operation yesterday.Columbian secret agents tricked leftist rebels into handing them over without a single shot being fired.The men are now undergoing tests at an army medical center in San Antonio,Texas.CNN News Item12政治：奥巴马总统的医疗改革案阻力重重Health care reform enters a new era in about two hours.President Obama is scheduled to sign that bill into law.Then,he is going to travel around the country to sell the plan to skeptics.But Republicans say that battle is on to get ready for legal challenges,nearly a dozen states plan to argue that it’s not constitutional.As early as tomorrow,the debate moves to the Senate where lawmakers will consider a companion measure,and Republicans plan,parliamentary objections that could change that bill and force it back to the House.Now, even before the first votes were cast in the health care debate,Barack Obama’s overall approval rating dropped to his lowest level ever recorded.CNN News Item13政治：美国参议员和众议员本月会面商讨医改终案Members of the U.S.Senate and House of Representatives will be meeting this month to put together a final health care reform bill.The Senate passed its version on Christmas Eve.The House had already passed its bill.But there are some pretty big differences between the two.One of them:cost.The Senate bill checks in at$871billion.The House version:Over$1trillion.Another issue:the so-called public option,a government-run health insurance program.House bill includes it;Senate bill doesn’t.So,some compromises need to be made to come up with a final bill.And since that then has to be approved by both Houses of Congress,there are some concerns about whether it will pass.CNN News Item14政治：津巴布韦总统遭遇国际压力Another day of international pressure levied against Zimbabwe’s embattled President Robert Mugabe. British officials have announced they are stripping Robert Mugabe’s honorary knighthood title.Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu is also speaking out about the election mess there.He’s urging the nations of the world to intervene.The calls come after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the election, citing violence against his party.The Zimbabwean Electoral Commission ruled today that the presidential election will go on as planned.CNN News Item15政治：茶党出炉支持和反对的候选人名单The Tea Party movement is getting ready for the mid-term elections coming up in November.The group has released a list of heroes and targets.The heroes on the list are candidates that the Tea Party plans to support in the elections.The targets are anyone that the group would like to see voted out of office.Of course lists are not the only way that the Tea Party gets its message out.Rallies are the group’s bread and butter.This one in Washington DC yesterday was a wrapping up of a three-week tour across the U.S.The timing?No coincidence.Yesterday,of course,was tax day.And the group is opposed to what it sees as the government overspending.CNN News Item16政治：奥巴马欲与伊朗冰释前嫌Today marks the30th anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis.And President Obama said that he wants to move beyond the past and build a relationship with Iran based on mutual interest and mutual respect. U.S.-Iran relations had been hostile since the day that Islamic students stormed the U.S.embassy in Tehran and held52Americans hostage for more than400days.Iran’s government holds rally every year to celebrate that event.Today there’s something different though,anti-government protesters are also on the streets.We are also getting some reports of clashes with those police.No word about any injury yet.CNN News Item17政治：参议员考虑医疗保健立法的部分替代方案Senators are considering alternatives to part of their healthcare legislation,specifically,the so-called public option,government-run health insurance program.Senate republicans and some democrats and independents are against that plan.A group of Democratic Senators was working to come up with some other ideas they could replace the public option.And late last night,they said they had reached an agreement.If the Senate passes its healthcare bill,that does not make it law,would still need to be combined with Health bill and then that final version would need to pass both the House and the Senate.CNN News Item18经济：施瓦辛格呼吁立法者关注加州财政赤字Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he refuses to borrow money to keep his state running,he wants legislators to focus on the state's24billion dollar deficit or the state could be forced to cut thousands of jobs, eliminate health care for a million low income children.Meanwhile lawmakers are debating hundreds of other bills including creating a state blueberry commission.Banning toy cigarette lighters and mandating a larger font size for medical worker name tags.CNN News Item19经济：丰田汽车公司感谢美交通部长对召回事件的澄清Ray LaHood,the head of the U.S.Transportation Department,is weighing in on Toyota’s recall of millions of vehicles due to a faulty gas pedal.But what Hood is saying be causing some confusion.During a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday,Secretary LaHood said that anyone who owns one of the cars affected by the recall should“stop driving it and take it to a dealer.”That scared and frustrated a lot of owners,and later in the day,LaHood corrected himself.Toyota released a statement thanking Secretary LaHood for clarifying his remarks.They also said,“We want to make sure that our customers understand that this situation is rare and generally does not occur suddenly.If you experience any issues with your accelerator pedal,please contact your dealer without delay.If you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal,we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive.”CNN News Item20经济：油门事件让丰田汽车公司蒙受损失Toyota says that a glitch in the electronic brakes could cause a delay when you step on the pedal.They say it only affects2010models sold last year.And it’s those very same cars that are being credited with Toyota’s cash cow.New numbers just out say they made$1.7billion last quarter,but it won’t last for long. For the first time,Toyota is admitting it’s going to take a huge beating due to this gas pedal nightmare.$2 billion for repairs and lost sales.CNN News Item21经济：美国国际集团发放高管奖金AIG is trying to prevent a new wave of backlash over paying out bonuses to its top executives.The Washington Post reports the company has asked the Obama Administration to approve millions of dollars in promised bonuses.The payments are scheduled to go out next week.AIG doesn’t actually need approval. Because the payments were linked to contracts from last year before received aid from the federal bailout funds.But the Post reports executives still are reluctant to pay without official approval.An earlier round of 2008AIG employee bonuses drew widespread criticism earlier this year.CNN News Item22经济：医疗保险改革方案之争The raw politics of health is heating up in the Senate.Just before air last night,Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced a group of10liberal and conservative Democrats had reached a deal to replace the hotly debated public option with a package of alternatives.Senator Reid offered few details.But today, President Obama praised the emerging compromise.Now,the public plan deal came just hours after the Senate killed a controversial amendment to restrict abortion coverage in its health care bill to ensure that no federal funds go toward covering any kind of abortion in this new reform.Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had introduced that amendment.He called it a deal-breaker.He’s also one of the10senators to hammer out the deal to drop the public plan.CNN News Item23经济：欧洲一些国家经济前景堪忧Over in Europe,the financial outlook for a few countries isn’t looking too good.The investment ratings for Spain,Portugal and Greece all went down this week.Greece might be the worst situation.Experts are using the word“junk”to describe that nation’s investment rating.Basically,they’re saying that it’s very risky to put your money there.Greece has a massive debt,nearly$400billion.That’s bigger than the country’s economy.Greece is developing ways to cut spending,but Greek workers aren’t too happy about some of those plans,and they’ve been protesting about it.Greece is also asking for financial help from the European Union:a bailout of more than$50billion.CNN News Item24经济：新加坡经济前景黯淡Well moving around to the East of Asia now,Southeast of Asia,a gloomy forecast out of Singapore. The government says its economy will likely shrink by between6and9%this year.The announcement comes as the city-state’s first quarter GDP fell almost12%from the,from a year ago.In seasonally adjusted terms it was even more brutal than that actually.Singapore is reducing its output for the third time this year, as demand for its exports continues to fall amidst a worsening financial crisis.It previously predicted just a 5%contraction for the full year.CNN News Item25经济：九大金融机构将收到政府的资金援助The Treasury says the country’s largest banks will start receiving125-billion dollars this week. Beginning the biggest government bailout in history,the money is being sent to9major financial institutions including Bank of America,Citigroup and JP Morgan chase.The government is also in talks with a group of more than a dozen regional banks about sharing part of an additional125-billion dollars.Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says250of the700-billion-dollar bailout package will be spent by the end of the year.CNN News Item26经济：奥巴马就小企业贷款问题会见美国银行巨头In the United States,President Obama is scheduled to sit down today with the heads of some of the country’s biggest banks to talk about small businesses,ones that have500or fewer employees.Many of them are having a hard time getting loans from banks.But banks argue that the policies put in place because of this financial crisis have affected how they can offer the loans.CNN News Item27经济：高盛集团新表现Goldman Sachs surprised investors on Monday with an early release of its quarterly profits,which were way better than analysts had expected,twice as good,in terms of earnings per share.Now profits for the first 3months of the year came into a total of$1.81billion.Goldman also announced plans for a$5billion share sale to help back its,help pay back rather,its so called TARP loan from the ernment.$10billion under the troubled assets relief program.CNN News Item28经济：两党会面以解决7000亿美元救助法案的分歧Lawmakers say they’re close to a deal on the700-billion-dollar package to rescue the troubled financial system.A bipartisan group has been meeting today to hash out differences.Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer,chairman of the joint economic committee,says he hopes to reach a deal by this afternoon.Among the details being hammered out,how much the plan will cost?The most common amount being talked about is700-billion dollars;another key point in the negotiations is whether the government will actually become a shareholder in troubled companies.One part of the plan that seems certain to become a law will be a provision to limit executive pay and bonuses at companies that sell assets to the Treasury.CNN News Item29经济：奥巴马就增加就业和拯救经济发表演讲During a speech yesterday,President Obama offered some ideas on how to create new jobs and help out the country’s economy.Offering tax breaks to small businesses,expanding some of the government’s stimulus programs,and spending more money on infrastructure projects things like bridges and water systems.The thing is,all of that costs money and that’s where the TARP comes in.That’s the Troubled Asset Relief Program,the financial industry bailout passed last year.The bailout ended up not costing as much as expected and President Obama thinks the extra could be used to help out in other ways.CNN News Item30经济：欧佩克石油产量再减OPEC is going ahead with another oil production cut.OPEC has agreed to cut production by2.2 million barrels a day.U.S.crude for January delivery dropped to just over42dollars a barrel after the announcement.Crude oil prices have dropped nearly70%since July.OPEC cut production in September and October,but those cuts didn’t have much impact on prices.CNN News Item31经济：美国克莱斯勒公司重组协议Chrysler and Italian automaker Fiat has signed off on a deal brokered by Uncle Sam to become what’s known as Chrysler Group.Fiat will initially take a20percent stake.It can’t take a majority stake until the new Chrysler pays back the15.5billion dollars it took from the Treasury Department.The UAW holds a55 percent stake,leaving an8percent stake for the U.S.,2percent for Canada.The Supreme Court cleared the way for the deal yesterday,after delaying the sale pending review of a case brought by Indiana state pensionfunds.CNN News Item32经济：通用汽车公司面临危机Major concerns now about the U.S.auto industry,these numbers are just out,and Toyota finally overtook GM as the world’s biggest automaker in terms of sales for all of last year.That’s a title GM has held for nearly eight decades.Even worse than that,a GM executive warns the company will run out of cash by March31st if it doesn’t get that second installment of government funds soon.GM is supposed to get the five-billion installment within a matter of days.CNN News Item33经济：对伯纳德·麦道夫的保释听证会今日取消Some new developments in the Wall Street investment fraud case,the bail hearing for Bernard Madoff has been canceled for today,meaning he will remain free for the time being.Meantime,the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission is criticizing his own agency for failing to spot the investment scheme by former NASDAQ Chairman Bernard Madoff.SEC Chairman Christopher Cox says there were many instances over a decade that should have been flagged.CNN News Item34经济：美国三大汽车公司CEO办理贷款事宜CEOs from Ford,Chrysler and General Motors are making their case for a25-billion-dollar emergency loan.They want Congress to tap into the700-billion-dollar Wall Street bailout approved last month.Many Republican critics point to financial mismanagement at the Big Three and argue the companies don’t deserve any help.Most Democrats disagree,saying the auto industry is too important to the overall economy to fail.CNN News Item35经济：中美财长会晤中国北京China is where U.S.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was yesterday.During a week-long trip to Asia that he is taking,Secretary Geithner stopped over in Beijing and meet with his Chinese counterpart. One issue they were expected to talk about was the value of the yuan;that’s Some U.S. officials claim that China is undervaluing the yuan;they’re accusing China of saying that the yuan is worth less than what it should be.China denies that.This matters because the yuan and the dollar are connected. And if the value of the yuan is down,it could encourage people to spend more on Chinese products than on American ones.CNN News Item36经济：7870亿美元的经济刺激法案之争将结束The battle over the787-billion-dollar stimulus bill officially ends after President’s Day.President Obama says he will sign the bill into law in Denver On Tuesday.He is calling the measure“a major milestone in the recovery of the U.S.economy.”Administration officials say the President wants to get away from the politics of Washington and sign the bill in an area hit hard by the recession.They say Denver is a place that will see the bill’s benefits in hiring workers.CNN News Item37军事：一名重要的恐怖分子丧命One of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists is dead.Imad Mougniyeh was killed in an explosion in Syria this morning.Mougniyeh was a top Hezbollah commander.He was blamed for several high-profile terrorist acts that left hundreds of Americans and Israelis dead,including the17-day hijacking of a TW A Flight in1985.He was also suspected of masterminding the attacks on the U.S.embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon that killed more than260Americans in1983.CNN News Item38军事：伊朗进行为期三天的大规模军事演练Moving from Thailand to the Persian Gulf now,where Iran is running a massive military drill expected to last three days.An Iranian official says the goal is to show off the country’s military strength.It might look like a real battle what you are seeing here is just practice.U.S.Navy says Iran has done this sort of thing in the past.This one is getting more attention because Iran talked about it ahead of time.CNN News Item39军事：奥巴马外政顾问出来辟谣No commitment by President-elect Barack Obama on a missile defense program in Eastern Europe. That’s according to a senior Obama advisor.The statement comes after claims on the Polish president’s website—The two had a call on the matter and that Obama said he intended to continue the program. Obama’s senior foreign policy advisor denied that claim.He said Obama talked with the Polish president about continuing military and political cooperation and possibly meeting in person some time soon.CNN News Item40军事：胡德堡枪击受伤士兵获紫心勋章Congress considers a new bill that would make some soldiers eligible for the Purple Heart. Representative John Carter introduced the new legislation yesterday.The Fort Hood army post is located in his home district in Texas.This bill is focused on the victims of the recent shooting there.The Purple Heart first created in1782is given to any U.S.service member who is wounded and killed while serving in action against an enemy or in a terrorist attack.Representative Carter says the Fort Hood victims deserved the Purple Heart because he considers the shooting to be an enemy attack.CNN News Item41军事：美国宣布停止制造新核武器The ernment says it will stop making new,nuclear weapons,and it’s what to do with the weapons that already exist.The announcement came yesterday,two days before President Obama is scheduled to sign a treaty with Russia that would reduce how many nuclear weapons both countries have.It also comes one week before he hosts a global meeting on nuclear security.More than40countries are expected to attend that.But back to yesterday’s announcement.This new policy would stop production of nuclear weapons.It would also invest about$5billion in extending the life of weapons that already exist. Seven countries are officially recognized as nuclear powers,meaning they have nuclear weapons.But there are other countries that are suspected of trying to make them.U.S.officials hope this change from America will encourage other countries—all countries—to help control the spread of nuclear weapons.U.S.has promised not to use its own nukes against anyone who does that.But as Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointed out,that doesn’t mean retaliation is out of the question in every situation.CNN News Item42军事：加沙遭遇四十年来最严重的人道主义危机Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in more than40years.A new report by aid agencies and humanitarian groups says things haven’t been this dismal since Israel’s1967occupation.It says the Israeli blockade has left more than one million Palestinians isolated,dealing with poverty,dealing with unemployment,with little access to education and healthcare services.It found water and sewage systemsare on the verge of collapse.Israel blames the hardships on Hamas militants who keep firing rockets into Israel.CNN News Item43军事：美俄签署核武器削减条约We are getting things started with START.It stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.It’s an agreement between the United States and Russia for both countries to reduce the number of nuclear weapons they have.President Obama also says it’s part of the effort to“reset”the relationship between the two countries.Yesterday,he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev got together in the Czech Republic to sign off on START.The agreement cuts the number of nuclear weapons that the U.S.and Russia have by about a third.The White House is scheduled to hold a meeting on nuclear security next week.It’s something that President Obama says affects the entire world.CNN News Item44军事：伊朗炫耀其军事防御能力Just how far will Iran push the international community this weekend?Well today,it reportedly tested two types of short-range missiles and a launching system.Iran’s military freely admitted it was showing off its defense capabilities.And it planned to keep up the missile exercises for10or11more days.In other news, the show-off force does come just days after words that Iran is building a second uranium enrichment plant. These satellite images supposedly show the location by the city of Qom.The U.S.and its allies quickly condemned this project.And Tehran says it’s just a civilian energy program,but U.S.official believed it was a cover for developing nuclear weapons.The Iranian say they will allow international inspectors into the plants.CNN News Item45军事：巴以冲突不停There is no letup of Israel’s assault on Gaza and Hamas’s rocket attacks into Israel.The fighting has entered a third week with mounting casualties on both sides.Israel says Hamas commander in charge of launching rockets into Israel from Gaza City was killed by ground fire.Also during lull today Israel dropped leaflets warning residence to evacuate their homes.An United Stations spokesman says the pausing fighting was not longer enough to resume aid deliveries into Gaza.The humanitarian situation there is described as desperate and Palestinian medical sources say at least800people have been killed in Gaza since Israeli offensive began.13Israelies including10soldiers have also died.CNN News Item46军事：伊朗下月将进行大规模军事演习A holy day in Iran marked by violence as protesters clashed with police forces about a week ago. Demonstrators have spoken out against the country’s government for months now,but the clashes on the Muslim holy day of Ashura were the worst so far.At least seven people killed in the violence,though protesters and security forces disagree on how those deaths happened.Meantime,Iran’s government says it’s getting ready to hold a“large-scale military exercise”next month.The country says the goal is to prepare its forces to fight against an attack by the nation’s enemies.There’s been a lot of tension based around Iran’s nuclear program.The country says the program is for peaceful purposes.Other countries,including the U.S., believe Iran might be trying to build nuclear weapons.。