用法学习: 1. 曼谷爆炸: Thai police have released CCTV footage of a man dressed in a yellow t-shirt believed to be behind the deadly explosion that ripped through Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok, killing up to 22 people and leaving more than 100 injured. The breakthrough comes hours after a second bomb was hurtled at the Sathorn Pier. The attack occurred at about 1.20pm local time (3.20pm AEST) and exploded as it entered the water. There have been no reports of injuries or damage and the pier remains open. Australian terror expert Jason Morris, who is in Bangkok, told the TODAY Show the blast had all the markings 所有标志 of a terror attack. It does seem to be targeted deliberately at casualties, he said. 2. slick v. 溜光水滑的, 油光光的. to make something, especially hair, flat and shiny by putting water or oil on it. His long white hair was slicked back with gel. 歌曲Style: You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt. And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt. adj. I. done in a very impressive way that seems to need very little effort. They ran a very slick 轻松的, 轻而易举的, 不费吹灰之力的 promotion campaign, you must admit. a. a slick movement or action is one that is skilful and done without a lot of effort. The team demonstrated their usual slick passing style. II. a slick person 油嘴滑舌的, 口蜜腹剑的, 嘴甜的, 油腔滑调的 is clever and good at persuading people but probably not honest or sincere. a slick car salesman. III. smooth and shiny or wet. slick black hair. His face was slick with sweat. 3. 女校强迫所有学生看片: The compulsory attendance 强制出席 for every student at a girl's high school to watch a gay parenting documentary instead of their scheduled classes has made parents see red. 'Students are being compelled to own that philosophical view by wearing certain clothes and marching under a rainbow flag,' he told News Corp. 'Schools are supposed to be neutral and cannot propagate 宣传 a political view.' A parent of a student said the film was pushing an alternative view and making the views of himself and his daughter's into a minority. 奇怪的锻炼姿势: A motivated (yet largely misguided) man's unique use of a lat-pulldown(用胳膊往下拉的那种组合式设备) machine in Washington, D.C., has been filmed by a curious observer. The hip-thrusting addition to his routine isn't something usually seen in the gym, but the video's owner seems to think he's single. We have a sneaking私下里, 背地里 suspicion this could be why. The whole thing is just begging for a voice over from Sir David Attenborough. 4. syphilis [ˈsɪfəlɪs]梅毒 a serious disease that you can get by having sex with someone who is already infected with the disease. psoriasis [səˈraɪəsɪs]牛皮癣 a medical condition in which your skin becomes red and dry and pieces of dead skin fall off. curator (exhibition curator展览馆的组织人员) a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection. a person who selects acts to perform at a music festival. 飞机上tweeter直播情侣分手: There's silence apart from loud sobbing from the woman. The boyfriend tries to stop the awkward situation, saying he 'can't discuss this anymore.' But there's even more intrigue when the woman says she's going to ask Charlotte about him. She said: 'I'm going to ask her the minute we get home and we'll see if your stories match up说法一致. But in a plot twist, Kelly tweets that the couple begin kissing. Whether it was a reconciliation or simply saying goodbye, Kelly appears shocked by the quick turnaround情绪急转直下. 5. 货币汇率: Another, less used means of maintaining a fixed exchange rate is by simply making it illegal to trade currency at any other rate. While this may lead to black markets in foreign currency, some countries are highly successful at using this method due to a government monopoly over all money conversion. This is the method employed by the Chinese government to maintain a currency peg 挂钩 ( A fixed exchange rate, sometimes called a pegged exchange rate 联系汇率制度, is a type of exchange rate regime where a currency's value is fixed against either the value of another single currency, to a basket of other currencies, or to another measure of value, such as gold. Brazil pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998 and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Central Bank of Brazil temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float 自由兑换, 浮动利率 in January 1999. ) or tightly banded float against the US dollar. On 21 July 2005, the peg was finally lifted, which saw an immediate one-off RMB revaluation to 8.11 per USD (from the 8.27 peg between 1997 and 2005). The Chinese RMB is no longer pegged and is now moved to a managed floating exchange rate based on market supply/demand with reference to a basket of foreign currencies. The daily trading price of the RMB against the U.S. Dollar in the inter-bank foreign exchange market is allowed to float within a narrow band of 0.5% around the central parity published by the People's Bank of China. The basket is dominated by the U.S. Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen and South Korean Won, with a smaller proportion made up of the British Pound, Thai Baht, Russian Ruble, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar and Singapore Dollar. 6. look/think/plan ahead to something 未雨绸缪 to try to foresee something; to think into the future about something. to think of and decide about the future: She looked ahead to a bright future in sales. I look ahead to a new job when I graduate. We need to look ahead to when the children are grown. Looking ahead, I think the company must develop some new services. Mr Rudd, who was last seen on ABC TV's The Killing Season where he pulled no punches about his vile relationship with Julia Gillard, the nation's first woman prime minister, can be seen hosting Amanpour on CNN in Australia on Saturday where he looks ahead to Cop 21 Climate Change Conference and talks to UN envoy Christina Figures. 6. 全球股市大跌: What is worth worrying about is the scale of the task confronting the Chinese authorities against their apparent inability to deal well with the bursting of a mere stock market bubble. Yet the Chinese stock market remains 50 per cent higher than in early 2014. Stock markets have indeed been correcting, with the Chinese market in the lead. The implosion of the second Chinese stock market bubble within a decade still seems unfinished. Nevertheless, events in the Chinese market are of wider significance in two related ways. One is that the Chinese authorities decided to stake 冒险 substantial resources and even their political authority on their (unsurprisingly unsuccessful) effort to stop the bubble's collapse. The other is that they must have been driven to do so by concern over the economy. If they are worried enough to bet on such a forlorn hope(forlorn hope n. I. An arduous or nearly hopeless undertaking. II. An advance guard of troops sent on a hazardous mission. III. (Military) a group of soldiers assigned to an extremely dangerous duty.), the rest of us should worry, too. Nor is this the only way in which the behaviour of the Chinese authorities gives reason for concern. The other was the decision to devalue the renminbi on August 11. In itself this, too, is an unimportant event, with a cumulative devaluation 总共升值 against the US dollar of just 2.8 per cent so far. But it has significant implications. The Chinese authorities want room to slash interest rates, as happened this Tuesday. Again, that underlines their concerns about the health of the economy. Another possible implication is that Beijing might seek a revival of export-led growth. I find this hard to believe, since the global consequences would be devastating. But it is reasonable at least to worry about this destabilising possibility. A last possible implication is that the Chinese authorities are preparing to tolerate capital flight(Capital flight 外资撤离, 资本撤离, in economics, occurs when assets or money rapidly flow out of a country, due to an event of economic consequence.). If so, the US would be hoist by its own petard(hoist with/by your own petard [pɪˈtɑ:d] (Anything potentially explosive, in a non-literal sense.) 自食其果, 害人不成反害己, 搬起石头砸自己脚 suffering as a result of your attempt to harm someone else.). Washington has sought capital account liberalisation by China. It might then have to tolerate a destabilising short-term consequence: a weakening renminbi. Recent events must be seen in the context of a deeper concern. The question is whether the Chinese authorities can and will secure a shift 完成转变 from an investment-led economy to a consumption-dominated one, while sustaining aggregate demand. If they can, the economy will also sustain growth of 6-7 per cent. If they cannot, economic and political instability threatens. China's economy has already slowed. The talk of a "new normal" recognises this reality. But Consensus Economics has brought together alternative growth forecasts. The mean of these new forecasts shows growth of only 5.3 per cent in the year to the fourth quarter of 2015. This now leaves the Chinese authorities with three huge economic headaches. The first is cleaning up the legacy of past financial excesses while avoiding a financial crisis. The second is reshaping the economy, so that it is more dependent on private and public consumption and less dependent on extraordinarily high levels of investment. The third is achieving all that while sustaining dynamic growth of aggregate demand. Recent events matter because they suggest the Chinese authorities have not yet worked out a way of pulling this triple combination off. Worse, the expedients 权益措施 they have tried over the past seven years have made the predicament even worse. Maybe, Mr Market has grasped how difficult this is going to be and so how destabilising some of the options the Chinese might choose actually are. These include devaluation, ultra-low interest rates and even quantitative easing. If this is the case, the market turmoil might not be foolish. The global savings glut can get worse. That would affect everybody. 7. dig in one's heels 心意已决 (idiomatic) To act in a determined manner by firmly maintaining one's beliefs, demands, situation, etc. in the face of opposition. to refuse to alter one's course of action or opinions; to be obstinate or determined. The student dug her heels in and refused to obey the instructions. I'm digging in my heels. I'm not going back. drag one's feet 拖三拉四, 推三阻四, 拖拖拉拉 I. (idiomatic) To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly. I have been dragging my feet about filing my taxes. II. (idiomatic) To intentionally stall, to delay, to obstruct.
ABC 的 Q&A又惹麻烦: A Twitter user with an unfortunate handle has caused a mishap on Monday night's episode of Q&A after his crude message about Prime Minister Tony Abbott flashed up on the screen. As political commentator Annabel Crabb responded to a question, a user with the handle 'Abbott loves anal,' appeared, igniting a mixed reaction on social media with many claiming it will be the next 'boycott' of the ABC. Others were not as supportive, with many believing that 'heads will roll' (heads will roll 有人要有大麻烦了, 麻烦大了, 有麻烦了, 惹来麻烦 Fig. people will get into severe trouble. When the
company's year-end results 年终结果 are known, heads will roll. Heads will roll
when the principal sees the damaged classroom.) at the ABC following the obvious mistake. Twitter users are encouraged to be involved during each program by sharing their thoughts on the panelists responses or audience questions. During the show, Mr Mallah got into an angry exchange with Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Steve Ciobo over the government's proposals to strip dual nationals involved in terrorism of citizenship. Mr Abbott said the ABC had given a platform to a 'convicted terrorist.' 'Here we had the ABC admitting a gross error of judgment and then compounding that terrible mistake, that betrayal, if you like, of our country,' Mr Abbott said at the time. 'Heads should roll over this,' he said, adding the government was not satisfied with an internal inquiry 'because so often we've seen virtual whitewashes 洗白 when that sort of thing happens.'. To whitewash (Greenwashing describes the practice of companies spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, or "green". Bluewashing 作秀的人道主义 is used to describe either publicity-driven humanitarian relief efforts, or efforts to be perceived as having a small water footprint. Pinkwashing has two meanings. It is used to describe the practice of companies connecting their products to breast cancer awareness and fundraising, often while ignoring the ways their products may be contributing to cancer through the materials used in production.) is a metaphor meaning "to gloss over or cover up vices, crimes or scandals or to exonerate 还以清白, 洗清冤屈 ( [ɪɡˈzonəreɪt] to officially state or prove that someone is not to be blamed for something. The evidence completely exonerates the President. exonerate someone of/from something: The report did not exonerate the soldiers of responsibility.) by means of a perfunctory 形式上的, 走走过场的, 装装样子的, 做做样子的 ( [pərˈfʌŋkt(ə)ri] done without much effort or interest. Officers made a perfunctory search of the room. She gave her mother a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. ) investigation or through biased presentation of data". It is especially used in the context of corporations, governments or other organizations. Many dictatorships and authoritarian states, as well as democratic countries, have used the method of whitewash in order to glorify the results. North Korean radio broadcasts claim to have an abundance in food supplies, yet the government receives food aid from foreign states. Japan is accused of whitewashing its history of warfare and imperialism by omitting or minimizing subjects such as the Nanking Massacre in textbooks. Setting up to fail (setting up for failure) 注定要失败, 故意失败 is designing a situation in which people cannot succeed. This can have different motivations. A person setting themselves up for failure may do so because they have a fear of failure, an unrealistic assessment of their own abilities, or because they are naive and uninformed regarding the abilities necessary to succeed. In some cases, an individual has an unjustified expectation that they will fail, a self-reinforcing negative spiral, or failure neurosis – perhaps driven by a sense of guilt, or by the compulsion to repeat self-destructive behaviour. If a person puts another individual (usually a subordinate) in a stressful situation in which failure is almost certain, this may be an aspect of bullying wherein the outcome can then be used as ammunition to discredit and blame the victim. Sometimes, this may involve the bully covertly sabotaging and undermining an objective that may have otherwise been achievable. This type of bullying may be the result of the projection of the bully's own feelings of inadequacy onto the victim. Finally, there can be cases where an employee is set up to fail because the stated goals of the task are considered harmful to the organization; an internal investigation is one example.
Smashing cucumbers 拍黄瓜 is suddenly cool: Technique popular in Chinese cuisine goes mainstream. The difference between a sliced cucumber salad and a smashed cucumber salad reveals itself 不言自明 on first bite. Sliced cucumbers have a smooth, impenetrable surface, and when you introduce them to dressing, they usually shrug it off. By contrast, smashed cucumbers are wide open: Their craggy edges 参差不齐的边沿儿 and rough surfaces absorb flavors and form relationships in seconds. Smashing (or smacking) cucumbers for salad is a standard technique in many parts of Asia that is showing its trendy side in New York this summer. "It's cool how just changing the way you break down an ingredient completely changes the way it feels and tastes," said Danny Bowien, the chef at Mission Chinese Food. Chinese Smashed Cucumbers With Sesame Oil and Garlic: Makes 4 to 6 servings. About 2 pounds thin-skinned cucumbers like English or Persian (8 to 10 mini cucumbers, 4 medium size or 2 large greenhouse) 1 teaspoon kosher salt(Koshering salt, usually referred to as kosher salt in the US, is a variety of edible salt with a much larger grain size than some common table salt. Like common table salt, kosher salt consists of the chemical compound sodium chloride. Unlike some common table salt, kosher salt typically contains no additives such as iodine, although some brands will include anticaking agents in small amounts. Additive-free nonkosher salt is also readily available.), plus more for cucumbers; 2 teaspoons sugar, plus more for cucumbers; 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil; 2 large garlic cloves, minced or put through a press; Red pepper flakes, to taste; Small handful whole cilantro leaves, for garnish; 2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish (optional); Rinse cucumbers清洗 and pat dry拍干. Cut crosswise横切 into pieces about 4 inches long. Cut each piece in half lengthwise. On a work surface, place a piece of cucumber (or several) cut-side-down. Lay the blade of a large knife flat on top of the cucumber and smash down lightly with your other hand. The skin will begin to crack, the flesh will break down and the seeds will separate. Repeat until the whole piece is smashed. Break or slice diagonally into bite-size pieces, leaving the seeds behind. Place the cucumber pieces in a strainer滤干器 and toss with 搅拌 a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar. Place a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the cucumbers to serve as a weight and place the strainer over a bowl. Let drain 15 to 30 minutes on the counter, or in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 4 hours. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved 溶解. Stir in sesame oil and soy sauce. When ready to serve, shake cucumbers well to drain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with 滴几滴 grapeseed or olive oil and toss. Add half the dressing, half the garlic and the red pepper flakes to taste, and toss. Keep adding dressing until cucumbers are well coated but not drowned. Taste and add more pepper flakes and garlic if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds. Make the dressing: In a blender or small food processor, combine lime juice and garlic and blend. Add tahini and 2 tablespoons warm water and blend. Check the texture; you want a smooth, creamy liquid. If necessary, add more warm water and blend again. Add olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, the cumin and the oregano, rubbing the dried leaves between your fingers to release the flavors. Taste for salt 尝尝咸淡 and adjust the seasonings. Make the chili vinegar, if desired: Place sambal in a bowl and slowly drizzle in white vinegar, stirring to loosen. Taste often and stop adding vinegar when mixture is tart and spicy, but not enough to make your eyes water. Serve immediately. For each serving, scoop a large spoonful of cucumbers into a bowl, spoon a little chili vinegar around the edges and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Here's the technique: With one hand, the cook lays the blade of a knife flat on top of the cucumber, with the cucumber resting under the widest part of the blade. The heel of the other hand comes down sharply on the blade, as though the cook is smashing a garlic clove (蒜瓣 This is a picture of whole bulbs of garlic. It is made up of 10-16 cloves, and each clove is covered in a papery like skin. (Note from Jon Sacker: "It's worth pointing out to the 'startcooking' readers that one can of course simply ease a single clove or two away from the bulb and then top and smash that. ) to remove its peel. (Alternatively, a wooden mallet or rolling pin can be used, as they are in Japan.) Once smashed, the cucumbers are roughly sliced or broken up with the hands — even better for removing the watery seeds — then sprinkled with salt and briefly set aside. This process softens the skin, firms the flesh and turns the peel a bright and appetizing 让人食欲大振的, 提升食欲的 green. It's important to use fresh, firm-fleshed cucumbers; old soft ones will turn to mush一锅粥. The Chinese staple cucumber salad, pai huang gua, is dressed with a vinaigrette of soy sauce, rice or black vinegar, garlic and sesame oil. In the North and West, chilies and sometimes Sichuan peppercorns are often added. This summer, smashed cucumbers are suddenly everywhere in New York City. "There's something about the roughness, and the variety of shapes and sizes, that you get with smashing that is incredibly satisfying," said Julia Goldberg, a sous-chef at Superiority Burger.
