Buffer zone: 缓冲地带
UN peacekeepers moved in on Tuesday to create a buffer zone between rival factions of the Congolese army. 2004-12-24
Ration: 定量配给
The agency has been steadily cutting rations to more than 2.8 million people in Southern Africa over the last six months, many of them living with HIV/AIDS and many of them children. Most have been surviving on half a normal ration, or less. 2004-12-23
Casualty: 伤亡（人数）
While a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, 70 percent of Americans think these gains have come at an \ 2004-12-23
Head off: 阻止，拦截
In setting up a Commission on Truth and Friendship, the two countries hope to head off a parallel initiative by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is weighing his own expert commission to review whether justice was done after the 1999 violence, their foreign ministers said after talks with Annan. 2004-12-22
Bravado: 虚张声势
Protected by U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, Britain's Tony Blair flew into Iraq on Tuesday in a surprise show of political bravado designed to boost prospects for Iraqi elections and cheer UK troops before Christmas. 2004-12-22
Round up: 围捕，使集拢
Police rounded up dozens of suspects on Monday after twin suicide car bombings killed 66 people in Iraq's Shi'ite holy cities, attacks that intensified fears of sectarian violence during elections on Jan. 30. 2004-12-21
Pharaoh: 法老，暴君
Now, following a 20-year re-examination of historical records and uncovering new evidence, Vassil Dobrev, a French Egyptologist, claims to have proved that the largest single stone statue on Earth is the work of a forgotten pharaoh. 2004-12-21
Brief: 辩护状
Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, has prepared a 50-page brief which contains advice to take the case to US courts to ensure he receives a fair trial, the Sunday Times reported after saying it had seen the document. 2004-12-20
At will: 随意，任意
The deadly strikes highlighted the apparent ability of the insurgents to launch attacks almost at will, despite confident assessments by U.S. military commanders that they had regained the initiative after last month's campaign against militants in Fallujah. 2004-12-20
Overturn: 否决
Caitriona Ruane, who heads the \Them Home\campaign that sought the Irishmen's release, said the court overturned an earlier decision clearing James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley of terrorism-related charges. 2004-12-17
________________________________________
Ebbed: 退潮，衰落
Israeli troops killed nine Palestinians during a raid into Gaza, the bloodiest in two weeks, where fighting has not ebbed despite expectations that moderate Mahmoud Abbas will win a presidential poll to replace Yasser Arafat next month. 2004-12-31
Laser beam: 激光束
Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet traveling at more than 8,500 feet. 2004-12-31
Warplane: 军用机
US troops backed by Warplanes have killed 25 guerrillas in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul after facing a fierce coordinated assault by two suicide bombs and dozens of insurgents, the military say. 2004-12-30
Ward off: 防止，挡住
Bodies were piled into mass graves in the belief that burial would ward off disease. Paramedics in southern India began vaccinating thousands of survivors against cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and dysentery, and authorities sprayed bleaching powder on beaches where bodies have been recovered. In Sri Lanka, reports of waterborne disease such as diarrhea caused fears of an epidemic. 2004-12-30
Mudslide: 泥流
A powerful storm moved along the California's Coast Monday and Tuesday, causing highway-blocking mudslides, flooding and power outages. 2004-12-29
Shiite: 什叶派教徒
A main Sunni Muslim political party withdrew from Iraq's upcoming elections on Monday, and a suicide bomb attack on the nation's largest Shiite party killed at least six people and wounded 33 others, police said. 2004-12-29
Sanitation: 公共卫生设施
The disaster could be the costliest in history as well, with \damage, said U.N. Undersecretary Jan Egeland, who is in charge of emergency relief coordination. Hundreds of thousands have lost everything, and millions face a hazardous future because of polluted drinking water, a lack of sanitation and no health services, he said. 2004-12-28
Fraudulent: 欺骗性的，欺诈的
\festive crowd in Kiev's central Independence Square, the center of weeks of protests after the fraudulent and now-annulled Nov. 21 ballot in which Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych had been declared the winner.
2004-12-27
Tsunami: 海啸
The earthquake hit at 6:58 a.m.; the tsunami came as much as 2 1/2 hours later, without warning, on a morning of crystal blue skies. Sunbathers and snorkelers, cars and cottages, fishing boats and even a lighthouse were swept away. 2004-12-27
Fahrenheit: 华氏度
Two hit films that have been snubbed this awards season in Hollywood snared top People's Choice honors on Sunday as anti-Bush documentary \named best film and \ 2005-01-11
Pragmatic: 实干的，注重实效的
The victory of the staid and pragmatic Abbas, who has spoken out against violence and has the backing of the international community, was expected to usher in a new era, after four decades of chaotic and corruption-riddled rule by Yasser Arafat who died Nov. 11. 2005-01-10
Curfew: 宵禁
Emergency powers allow the government to impose curfews, close borders and airports and detain suspects without following normal legal procedures. The emergency applies to all regions of Iraq except the Kurdish north, which has been relatively stable. 2005-01-07
Unseat: 使失去资格
High humidity, poor air quality and some of the nation's longest commute times also helped Texas' most populous city unseat Detroit, the 2004 heavyweight champion, the magazine said. 2005-01-07
Congeniality: 趣味相同，意气相投
Bullock, whose screen credits include \Congeniality,\\You Were Sleeping\said Monday. 2005-01-06
Catastrophe: 异常的灾祸
The president was criticized for his initial reaction to the catastrophe when he pledged $15 million from the United States, with some critics pointing out that this was less than half what will be spent on Bush's inauguration. The pledge has since risen to $350 million. 2005-01-06
Beef up: 加强，补充
But experts warn the high-tech network of sensors and buoys would be useless unless countries like Indonesia beef up communications links to the coastal communities that would be hit by giant waves. 2005-01-05
Payroll tax: 工资税
The Bush administration is focusing on a Social Security proposal that would allow younger workers to invest nearly two-thirds of their payroll taxes in private accounts, with contributions limited to about $1,000 to $1,300 a year, an administration official said Tuesday. 2005-01-05
Indigenous: 本土的；土产的
The shooting started before dawn on a bridge on the other side of town from the captured police station in Andahuaylas, 275 miles southeast of Lima, Radioprogramas radio reported. The station was seized Saturday by followers of Antauro Humala, a retired army major who, along with his brother, seeks to establish a nationalist indigenous movement modeled on the ancient Incan Empire. 2005-01-04
Spearhead: 充当先锋，带头
Although the United States was not among the first at the scene after last week's natural disaster thousands of miles from American shores, it is now spearheading the international relief effort and delivering more supplies than any other nation. A U.S. warship strike group carrying thousands more Marines was headed in to help. 2005-01-04