用法学习: 1. if you can't do the time, don't do the crime = don't do the crime if you are not prepared to do the time: One should not carry out an action if one is unwilling to handle the consequences. Late last night, senators Cadell, McKenzie and McDonald voted against the hate speech bill, defying convention that they be bound to the position taken by the Coalition's shadow cabinet. Senator Cadell said he was prepared to be sacked or resign for his decision. "I am willing to take the consequences of my actions, I think that is fair," Senator Cadell said. "I can't do the crime if I'm not prepared to do the time. "Some things you have to stand [up] for ... I couldn't get there, I had real fears about what could happen, so I did what I thought had to be done". Across multiple party room meetings, Nationals MPs canvassed the consequences of voting against the formal Coalition position. Senator McKenzie conceded in a statement that last night's decision to oppose reforms to Australia's hate speech laws could cost the trio their ministries. "National Party MPs and shadow ministers were very clear on the consequences of our party room decision to oppose Labor's hate speech laws," she said. "I am very conscious of my responsibilities as a leader and have always sought to fulfill my role with integrity. I will continue to do so in this instance. This is now for consideration between our party leaders." "Fish where the fish are" means to focus your efforts where your target audience or opportunity already exists, rather than trying to create demand from scratch; it's a strategy from fishing (going where fish gather) applied to business, marketing, and life—find your customers on social media platforms they use, invest in undervalued assets the market ignores, or seek nourishing environments for personal growth. 2. Earlier yesterday, when the reforms were put to a vote in the House of Representatives, Nationals leader David Littleproud also chose not to support the bill, abstaining from the vote. In a statement overnight, Mr Littleproud said the Nationals supported the "intent" of laws to combat hate speech and extremism, but could not support reforms that would curtail freedom of speech and would vote against the bill if its amendments were not accepted. But other MPs are questioning whether convention still holds, given the extraordinary circumstances of the reforms, which were hurriedly drafted in the wake of the Bondi terror attack and passed in two sitting days after parliament was recalled early to deal with the matter. Shadow Attorney-General Andrew Wallace said there were "extenuating circumstances"( extenuating [ɪkˈsten.ju.eɪ.tɪŋ] 减轻成分, 减罪情节 adj. causing a wrong act to be judged less seriously by giving reasons for it. acting to excuse something bad or causing something bad to be judged less seriously. If you say that there are extenuating circumstances for a bad situation or wrong action, you mean that there are reasons or factors which partly excuse it. The defendants admitted their guilt, but insisted that there were extenuating circumstances. There were extenuating circumstances. extenuating circumstances He was unable to say anything that might have extenuated his behaviour. She was found guilty of theft, but because of extenuating circumstances was not sent to prison. The lack of other options was an extenuating factor. ) surrounding the bill that should be taken into account. "This bill was incredibly rushed. It was ill thought through in the first instance," he said. 3. arduous [ˈɑː.dʒu.əs] difficult, needing a lot of effort and energy. difficult and tiring, or needing a great deal of effort. Something that is arduous is difficult and tiring, and involves a lot of effort. ...a long, hot and arduous journey. The task was more arduous than he had calculated. In those days, a trip to the West was an arduous 艰苦卓绝的, 艰难的 journey. an arduous climb/task/journey. staging ground a place where something is planned or initiated. A staging ground is a location for assembly, preparation, and organization before an activity or movement, used in military, construction, entertainment, and even digital contexts like Stack Overflow for reviewing new questions. It's a preparatory area where resources, people, or information are gathered and readied for deployment, acting as a temporary hub before moving to the final destination or action. staging area a place where soldiers and equipment are brought together and prepared before military activity. Trump set to face a diplomatic intervention on Greenland in Davos: Top European officials are planning to use this week's annual summit of global elites as their staging ground for averting a fast-blooming crisis that has put the continent on edge — and may now threaten the survival of its seven-decade alliance with the United States, three people familiar with the discussions told CNN. That push from allies comes as even some in Trump's orbit have expressed private misgivings over the president's rhetoric and have sought an off-ramp 给台阶, 见好就收, 体面离场, 就坡下驴, 下坡. In the near term, the Europeans' emergency effort aims to de-escalate tensions following Trump's vow to slap new tariffs on any ally that opposes his push for "complete and total control" of Greenland. But it's also about trying to divert the president generally from his campaign for the Danish territory. And while Denmark has shown little inclination to giving up its territory, some senior Trump administration officials have worked over the past several weeks on a proposal to purchase the island, these people said. Trump — who arrives in Davos early Wednesday — told reporters before leaving Tuesday that he'll hold a series of meetings on Greenland while there, predicting he'd strike a deal that's "very good for everybody." He claimed NATO would be "very happy" and that Greenlanders, who've protested threats of American annexation, will be "thrilled." Yet despite Trump's sunny projections, he has continued to double down on his divisive demands, insisting again Tuesday that "we need" Greenland. The standoff set to play out over the next 48 hours underscores the seriousness with which European nations are now viewing Trump's imperial (I. belonging or relating to an empire or the person or country that rules it. relating to a government or country that controls or rules other countries: imperial expansion of American power. the imperial tradition of Britain. Imperial China. Britain's imperial past. the Imperial palace. imperial grandeur. II. The imperial system of measurement uses units such as inches, miles, and pints: Imperial units have in many cases been replaced by metric ones in Britain.) threats amid his sustained attacks on various global leaders. Tensions over Greenland have also forced a shift in calculation among some in Europe following a year in which most US allies sought to appease Trump rather than resist him — reasoning that in many cases it was worth acceding to his commands ( accede [æksiːd] If you accede to someone's request 应允, 屈服于要求, you do what they ask. to agree to do what people have asked you to do: He graciously acceded to our request. It is doubtful whether the government will ever accede to the nationalists' demands for independence. Britain would not accede to France's request. I never understood why he didn't just accede to our demands at the outset. II. 继承皇位. When a member of a royal family accedes to the throne, they become king or queen. ...when Henry VIII acceded to the throne. accede to the throne/accede to power to become king or queen, or to take a position of power: The diaries were written in 1837, when Queen Victoria acceded to the throne. ) rather than risking direct conflict. The president's bid to penalize allies economically has prompted alarm across Europe, with officials warning that such a move could fracture 分裂 the long-standing NATO alliance that encompasses 32 member states across Europe and North America. European officials instead are largely hoping Trump will take an off-ramp 见好就收, 就坡下驴, 给台阶就下 before it gets to that point. Among some people around Trump, there's a belief that he's posturing — seeing how far he can go to get what he wants — and that there's no appetite for military intervention. But that's still sparked concern that Trump's aggressive efforts could irreparably harm critical relationships. "It's trepidation," Bremmer said, summing up the mood among European officials girding themselves for Trump's arrival (gird verb. to prepare for a difficult activity. If you gird yourself for a battle or contest, you prepare yourself for it. With audiences in the U.S. falling for the first time in a generation, Hollywood is girding itself for recession. The army is girding itself for a renewed assault by the rebels. to gird your loins 磨刀霍霍, 备战, 秣兵历马, 战备 If you gird your loins, you prepare to do something difficult or dangerous. prepare oneself for something difficult or challenging. "members of parliament are girding their loins for an election campaign".) in Davos. "Nobody knows what he's going to say — including, maybe, him." 4. vagary [ˈveɪɡ(ə)ri,vəˈɡɛːri] 喜怒无常, 阴晴难定, 变化莫测 an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour. unexpected events or changes that cannot be controlled and can influence a situation. Vagaries are unexpected and unpredictable changes in a situation or in someone's behaviour which you have no control over. I take an assortment of clothes on holiday, as a provision against the vagaries of the weather. ...the perplexing vagaries of politics. The success of the event will be determined by the vagaries of the weather. She had her own style and was not influenced by the vagaries of fashion. "the vagaries of the weather". Like many of his peers, Britain’s leader has sought to keep Donald Trump close since the start of his second administration a year ago, figuring flattery was the best approach to navigating the US president's narcissistic vagaries. maelstrom [ˈmeɪlˌstrɑm] [ˈmeɪlstrəm] I. 乱流. 漩涡, 洪流. a confusing, frightening situation in which there is a lot of activity and strong emotions. If you describe a situation as a maelstrom, you mean that it is very confused or violent. ...the maelstrom of ethnic hatreds and vendetta politics. Inside, she was a maelstrom of churning emotions. The square is a maelstrom of crowds, buses, and taxis. She was certainly right about Trump's use of his social media account overnight. France's President Emmanuel Macron was another one caught in the maelstrom. II. a powerful current of water that spins very quickly. 旋涡, 漩涡. vocabulary: A maelstrom is a powerful whirlpool. A luckless ship might go down in one, and conflicting ocean currents might cause one. These days, you're more likely to hear maelstrom used metaphorically to describe disasters where many competing forces are at play. When an economy or a government fails, the situation is often described as a maelstrom. Following some precipitous event, all the forces at play — banks, governments, consumers — are trying as hard as they can to protect themselves. This creates a maelstrom — a perfect storm, so to speak — that drags any potential for rescue down with it. Maelstrom comes from an obsolete Dutch phrase meaning "whirling stream." "Maelstrom" Writ Large on Park Avenue Through July: Anyone traveling New York City's Park Avenue this spring will have the chance to contemplate the meaning of the word maelstrom, thanks to a sculpture by artist Alice Aycock currently being installed on the avenue's median. 5. va-va-voom [ˌvɑːvɑːˈvuːm] 精气神, 令人兴奋的特性, 有吸引力, 那股劲 informal humorous the quality of being exciting, attractive, or full of energy. Expressing that something is lively, sexy, passionate, or exciting. He was elegantly dressed but he just did not have that va-va-voom. As a sweetener, the French leader threw in a little extra va-va-voom at the end. "Let us have a dinner together in Paris together on Thursday before you go back to the US." Etymology: The first documented use of the phrase is on the April 21, 1949 episode of The Morey Amsterdam Show. Art Carney portrays "Newton the waiter" in a sketch and uses the phrase. He later recorded a song entitled "Va Va Va Voom" (1954). It was popularized a year later by car mechanic Nick in the Hollywood classic Kiss Me Deadly (1955), which helped the catchphrase to be remembered and reused many decades later in advertisements and pop songs. best of breed 同类最好 I. the animal in a show judged to be the best representative of its breed. The best of breed is the animal that wins first prize in its section at a dog show. The Queen's Trophy is presented to the best of breed Welsh corgi each February. any item or product considered to be the best of its kind. "their technology is still considered best of breed and demand for their products is still growing". II. Best of breed products or services are the most successful products or services in a particular area. Gerstner transformed most of the company into a best of breed systems integration provider. around the traps (Australia, colloquial) here and there; in various places. note: the traps refer to any place you frequent, as in I've seen him around the traps. Aussie slang since the 1930s, the traps originally referred to a route along which a person had laid traps which they then habitually visited to collect the game that had been caught. To go round the traps means to visit the places where people gather and talk in the hope of getting information, or more specifically, gossip. to fall into the trap If someone falls into the trap of doing something, they think or behave in a way which is not wise or sensible. He never fell into the trap of making friends with his employees. It's a trap too many people fall into.
特朗普泄露欧洲领导人短信: In any account of toe-curling 让人脚趾抠地的, 尴尬的 exchanges with Trump, the current NATO secretary general is never far away. A tall man, Mark Rutte is perhaps familiar with stooping low to avoid hitting his head. "Mr President, Dear Donald. What you accomplished today in Syria is incredible. I will use my media engagements in Davos to highlight your work there, in Gaza, and in Ukraine. I am committed to finding a way forward on Greenland. Can’t wait to see you. Yours, Mark". That object lesson ( object lesson 实物教学, 实例 a striking practical example of a principle or ideal. something that serves as a practical example of a principle or abstract idea. This album is, alas, an object lesson in bad mixing; the rhythm section seems to be drowning out the singers half the time. "they responded to daily emergencies in a way that was an object lesson to us all". An object lesson is a teaching method that consists of using a physical object or visual aid as a discussion piece for a lesson. Object lesson teaching assumes that material things have the potential to convey information. ) in obsequiousness was also pushed out by Trump on Truth Social. Rutte has form, of course. Famously, he once called Trump "Daddy." Trump, who loves to frame international relations in a way that, well, just about anybody could understand, had just compared Russia's invasion of Ukraine to a playground fight. "You know, they fight like hell. You can't stop them. Let them fight for about two to three minutes, then it's easy to stop them." The language is facile (facile [ˈfæsail] adj I. 易得的. 轻易得来的. 毫不费力 气得来的. easy to perform or achieve. (especially of success in sport) easily achieved; effortless. "a facile seven-lengths victory". II. working or moving easily or smoothly. III. 流于表面的, 张口就来的, 顺嘴胡说的, 没有认真思考的, 张嘴就来的, 未深思熟虑的. 不假思索的, 肤浅的, 停留于表面的. ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial. A facile remark or theory is too simple and has not been thought about enough. a facile explanation. We must avoid facile recriminations about who was to blame. "facile generalizations". [disapproval] without depth; superficial. If you describe someone's arguments or suggestions as facile, you are criticizing them because their ideas are too simple and indicate a lack of careful, intelligent thinking. This subject is admittedly too complex for facile summarization. a facile solution. ) and vacuous (vacuous [disapproval] 欠考虑的, 没经过大脑的, 假大空的, 空虚的, 脑袋空空的, 无意义的, 无脑的, 浅薄无知的 If you describe a person or their comments as vacuous, you are critical of them because they lack intelligent thought or ideas. completely lacking in intelligence or serious thought. a vacuous TV game show. vacuous minor celebrities. Models are not always as vacuous as they are made out to be. ...the usual vacuous comments by some faceless commentator. vocabulary: Reserved for the harmlessly stupid and truly meaningless, vacuous is a smart-sounding way to describe something dumb. Celebrity gossip and reality TV are usually pretty vacuous, even if they're fun. If someone smiles at you in a way that seems fake or empty, you could describe the smile as vacuous. An example of a vacuous comment would be a politician promising to make things better without explaining how. If something is vacuous, it's like a vacuum — hollow, empty, devoid of substance. wiki: In mathematics and logic, a vacuous truth 大实话, 废话一样的事实, 无意义的实话, a vacuous truth is a conditional or universal statement (a universal statement that can be converted to a conditional statement) that is true because the antecedent cannot be satisfied. For example, the statement "all cell phones in the room are turned off" will be true when no cell phones are in the room. In this case, the statement "all cell phones in the room are turned on" would also be vacuously true, as would the conjunction of the two: "all cell phones in the room are turned on and turned off", which would otherwise be incoherent and false. For that reason, it is sometimes said that a statement is vacuously true because it does not really say anything. More formally, a relatively well-defined usage refers to a conditional statement (or a universal conditional statement) with a false antecedent. One example of such a statement is "if London is in France, then the Eiffel Tower is in Bolivia". Such statements are considered vacuous truths, because the fact that the antecedent 先决条件前提 is false prevents using the statement to infer anything about the truth value of the consequent. In essence, a conditional statement, that is based on the material conditional, is true when the antecedent [ˌæntɪˈsid(ə)nt] 先决条件, 前提 ( I. something that happened or existed before something else and is similar to it in some way. An antecedent of something happened or existed before it and was similar to it in some way. someone or something existing or happening before, especially as the cause or origin of something existing or happening later: Charles Babbage's mechanical calculating engines were the antecedents of the modern computer. Many people feel a great curiosity to find out about their antecedents. We shall first look briefly at the historical antecedents of this theory. II. 先前的. An antecedent thing or event happened or existed before another related thing or event. previous: When the college was established in 1546, it inherited a hall from each of three antecedent institutions. It was permissible to take account of antecedent legislation. III. 指代的词. a word or phrase that a pronoun refers back to: In the sentence "He picked a book off the shelf and handed it to Sally", "book" is the antecedent of "it". ) ("London is in France" in the example) is false regardless of whether the conclusion or consequent ("the Eiffel Tower is in Bolivia" in the example) is true or false because the material conditional is defined in that way. Examples common to everyday speech include conditional phrases like "when hell freezes over..." and "when pigs can fly...", indicating that not before the given (impossible) condition is met will the speaker accept some respective (typically false or absurd) proposition.), but those on-camera encounters are revealing 能说明问题的. Democratic governor of California Gavin Newsom told Sky News he had had enough of the craven behavior. (craven [kreɪvən] 没胆量的, 胆小怕事的, 懦弱无能的 adj. [written, disapproval] Someone who is craven is very cowardly. Unwilling to fight; lacking even the rudiments of courage; extremely cowardly. a craven act of terrorism. Politicians are too craven to tackle this problem. They condemned the deal as a craven surrender. ...his craven obedience to his employers. I cravenly agreed, simply in order not to antagonize him. He wrote to her afterwards, hoping cravenly that she had not been hurt. vocabulary: A craven man is no Superman or Spiderman, nor is he a firefighter or a soldier. A craven man is the opposite of those guys: he has not an ounce of courage. In "The Wizard of Oz," the Cowardly Lion could have been called the Cravenly Lion, but that didn't sound quite right. Use craven as you would cowardly. A craven leader is scared to lead, while a craven gymnast stays on the mat and avoids the balance beam. You can also use the word to describe other things, besides humans. Craven policies, for example, are probably weak and do not take bold measures. hard-headed 头脑冷静的, 不情绪化的 practical and realistic; not sentimental. not influenced by emotions: a hard-headed approach to problems. "a hard-headed businessman".). "I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean, handing out crowns, the Nobel prizes that are being given away. It's just pathetic," he said.
Five takeaways from Trump's antagonistic speech in Davos: President Donald Trump's winding, meandering 冗长的, antagonistic speech to business moguls and government officials in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday was hardly a salve ( salve ['sælv] verb. If you do something to salve your conscience, you do it in order to feel less guilty. I give myself treats and justify them to salve my conscience. salve your conscience to do something so that you feel less guilty: He salves his conscience by giving money to charity. noun. 药膏, 软膏, 油膏 something that makes you feel better about a difficult situation. II. Salve is an oily substance that is put on sore skin or a wound to help it heal. a liquid or cream used to treat an injured, sore, or dry place on your body ...a soothing salve for sore, dry lips. ) to concerns the Western Alliance is at its breaking point. Trump complained relentlessly about the United States being taken advantage of by Europe, and wondered incredulously why his attempt to take control of Greenland was being met with resistance. He castigated ( castigated 痛批, 怒批 If you castigate someone or something, you speak to them angrily or criticize them severely. Marx never lost an opportunity to castigate colonialism. She castigated him for having no intellectual interests. ...Bradley's public castigation of the police chief. ) European leaders for making their continent unrecognizable through what he cast as uncontrolled migration and radical economic policies. And he speculated aloud about NATO's willingness to come to the defense of the United States, without mentioning that the one time the alliance invoked its collective defense treaty was at the request of the Americans after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Still, for European officials listening closely for a roadmap of how the rupture might unfold, there was one glimmer of conciliation when Trump said he wouldn't use force to take Greenland. And that, at a crisis moment for transatlantic ties, was something. Hours after his speech, there was potential better news for Europe. Trump announced he'd reached a "framework of a future deal" on Greenland following a meeting with the NATO secretary general, and that the tariffs he'd threatened to impose next month were off. "This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations," Trump wrote on Truth Social, without providing any specifics on the arrangement. Asked by CNN's Kaitlan Collins as he was leaving the summit whether the deal fulfilled his desire to own Greenland, Trump paused for a moment to think before saying: "It's a long-term deal." Still, his speech to Davos — filled with grievances and insults toward his European counterparts — left a mark. Here are five takeaways from his remarks. Not taking Greenland by force: For European leaders listening anxiously to the president's remarks on Greenland, there were four words in a speech of otherwise fiery rhetoric 措辞严厉 that mattered: "I won't use force." It was the clearest statement yet from Trump that he would not attempt to seize Greenland using military might. Until Wednesday, the president had refused to rule it out, and the White House had said military options remained in play. Taking it off the table will be a relief to officials who had been preparing for tense diplomatic confrontations with Trump to try and stave off ( I. A stave is a strong stick, especially one that is used as a weapon. Many of the men had armed themselves with staves and pieces of iron. II. 五线谱( = staff US) the five lines and four spaces between them on which musical notes are written. A stave is the five lines that music is written on. stave off If you stave off something bad, or if you stave it off, you succeed in stopping it happening for a while. The reforms were a desperate attempt to stave off defeat. But the reality of discovery was a different matter, and he did all he could to stave it off. ) a potential war. Markets responded positively, too, turning upward after a day of losses on Tuesday. That's not to suggest everything will be easy sailing going forward. Trump remained insistent that he would accept nothing less than full ownership Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. "This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America," Trump said. "That's our territory." And he promised to remember those who opposed him. "You can say no and we will remember," he warned. A historical argument: In reiterating his demand for control of Greenland — which he mistakenly called Iceland four times — Trump argued in Davos that "no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States." "Every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory," he said. "We're a great power, much greater than people even understand." Trump went on to slam Denmark as "ungrateful" for refusing to relinquish 放弃 control of Greenland, contending that 认为, 声称( I. to compete in order to win something: contend for The top tennis players in the world are contending for this title. There are three world-class tennis players contending for this title. contend against He's contending against someone with twice his experience. II. to say that something is true or is a fact: I contend that a novel should tell a story and tell it well. The lawyer contended (that) her client had never been near the scene of the crime. contend with something 面对, 应付, 处理, 应对 to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation. to try to deal with a difficult situation or person: At the age of nine, he had the death of both parents to contend with. We don't need a computer failure to contend with as well as all our other problems. ) the nation owed the US for defending it during World War II. "Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting, and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland. So the United States was then compelled, and we did it," he said, lamenting the US' decision at the time to allow Denmark to retain Greenland as a territory. "How stupid were we to do that?" he said. "But we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?" Trump also took aim at a range of other targets both old and new, at one point even belittling host country Switzerland as "only good because of us." He recounted a past exchange with a Swiss leader over tariffs, boasting that he decided to increase his levy on the country after she "rubbed me the wrong way." "We have many places like that where they're making a fortune because of the United States," Trump said to the largely European crowd, which sat in shocked silence. "Without the United States, they wouldn't be making anything." Switzerland was far from the only foreign nation to take hits from Trump. The president mocked Emmanuel Macron's "beautiful sunglasses" after the French president wore aviators indoors due to a minor eye condition, asking the crowd: "What the hell happened?" As for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump opted to issue an ominous threat. "Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful, but they're not," Trump said, taking issue with Carney's earlier remarks at the conference. "Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements." Trump used his speech to renew a pair of longstanding domestic grudges as well, attacking Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. "She comes from a country that's not a country, and she's telling us how to run America," Trump said of Omar amid an extended diatribe against (diatribe [ˈdaɪəˌtraɪb] 讨伐文, 檄文 a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something. A diatribe is an angry speech or article which is extremely critical of someone's ideas or activities. a speech or piece of writing that angrily attacks someone or something. A diatribe is an angry speech or article which is extremely critical of someone's ideas or activities. The book is a diatribe against the academic left. The senator launched into a furious diatribe against handgun legislation. The book is a diatribe against the academic left. a diatribe against consumerism. vocabulary: It's pretty overwhelming when you ask your friend a seemingly innocuous question, like "Do you like hot dogs?" and she unleashes a diatribe about the evils of eating meat. A diatribe is an angry, critical speech. This noun has its roots in the Greek diatribē, "pastime or lecture," from diatrībein, "to waste time or wear away," combining dia-, "thoroughly," and trībein, "to rub." So the origin of the word diatribe is connected to both serious study and the spending or wasting of time. With most diatribes, the speaker thinks he's well informed and knows something the listener doesn't, while to most listeners the diatribe is so angry and unhinged that it's just a waste of time.) the nation of Somalia, adding that she's "not going to get away with it much longer." And he invoked alleged fraud in the state she represents, Minnesota, to make a thinly veiled xenophobic argument for the Western values that he said need to be protected and strengthened. "The situation in Minnesota reminds us that the West cannot mass import foreign cultures, which have failed to ever build a successful society of their own," Trump said, claiming that Western prosperity stemmed from "our very special culture." "This is the precious inheritance that America and Europe have in common," Trump added. "We have to defend that culture and rediscover the spirit that lifted the West from the depths of the Dark Ages to the pinnacle of human achievement." A subdued Trump and a stunned crowd: For a while during Trump's speech, the standing room-only crowd took the president's personal jabs and off-topic asides ( aside I. 自言自语. 心理活动, 心里话. 嘀咕. a remark that someone makes in a quiet voice because they do not want everyone to hear it. An aside is a comment that a character in a play makes to the audience, which the other characters are supposed not to be able to hear. She rolls her eyes and mutters an aside to the camera, 'No wonder I'm stressed!' a whispered aside. II. 题外话. a remark or story in a speech or text that is not part of the main subject. An aside is something that you say that is not directly connected with what you are talking about. The pace of the book is leisurely, with enjoyable literary and historical asides. The informative asides about rural life make this wine guide rather special. III. on or to one side: pull someone/something aside He pulled the curtain aside. put something aside I've forgotten my wallet, so could you put this book aside (= keep this book) for me and I'll come back later on. stand aside Stand aside, please, and let these people pass. step aside We were asked to step aside to allow the repairman to enter. take/draw someone aside 拉到一边 If you take or draw someone aside, you take them a little way away from a group of people in order to talk to them in private. She took me aside (= took me away from the other people) to tell me the news. I gave her a plate of food but she pushed it aside. Billy Ewing grabbed him by the elbow and took him aside. Will put his arm around her shoulders and drew her aside. put/set aside money 存钱 If you put or set aside money, you save it for a particular purpose: Every week I put aside some money for a new TV. leave/put/set something aside If you leave, put, or set something aside, you do not talk about or deal with it at the present time: Let's leave that matter aside for now and talk about the more urgent problem facing us. She wants to put her pocket-money aside for holidays. ...the ground set aside for the new cathedral. IV. If you brush or sweep aside a feeling or suggestion, you reject it. Talk to a friend who will really listen and not brush aside your feelings. The Prime Minister swept aside concern about the rising cost of mortgages. V. You use aside to indicate that you have finished talking about something, or that you are leaving it out of your discussion, and that you are about to talk about something else. Leaving aside the nutritional argument, these loaves are better value. Emotional arguments aside, here are the facts. ) in stride. The president, who appeared more subdued following a lengthy flight into Switzerland, garnered laughs for calling out "so many friends, a few enemies" in the audience and claiming that after his first year back in office, "people are doing very well. They're very happy with me." Yet the attendees who stampeded into the room for a glimpse of Trump — crushing against each other to get in the door and nearly overwhelming the security staff — grew more restless and uncomfortable as the speech wound on, sitting largely in silence and offering only tepid applause at the end of the marathon remarks. Trump's extended argument for ownership of Greenland particularly alarmed some in the audience, who shook their heads and chuckled in disbelief as he described the territory as a necessary acquisition and slammed Denmark as "ungrateful." Another digression — and extended tirade against windmills — startled the room into nervous laughter as he inaccurately praised China for not having windfarms and called nations that rely on wind energy "stupid people." As Trump's speech hit the hour mark and went into a section on his deployment of the National Guard to Washington, DC, and other US cities, some of the international crowd had clearly lost interest — with a few even getting up to leave early. Trump himself even seemed to feel urgency to wrap up by the end, finishing out his remarks on a casual note: "I'll see you around." A Europe he doesn't recognize: If there was an underpinning to Trump's hourlong speech — and it meandered in many directions — it was an abiding belief ( abiding adj. An abiding feeling, memory, or interest is one that you have for a very long time. He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft. One of my abiding memories of him is of his singing to a small private party. The folk-song world was another of his abiding interests. permanent; enduring an abiding belief. ) that Europe and its leaders had veered drastically off course. While Trump claimed to love the continent's nations — declaring himself "100%" Scottish and German — he had only disdain for how officials had managed immigration, security and economics over the past decades. "Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable, frankly, anymore. They're not recognizable. And we can argue about it, but there's no argument," Trump said minutes into his speech. Recalling wars over the past century that required American intervention, Trump seemed intent on humiliating Europeans into granting him what he really wanted from them: Greenland. "Without us right now, you'd all be speaking German and a little Japanese," he said. And he insisted the world was reliant on the United States, and ungrateful in return. "Without us, most of the countries don't even work," he bemoaned.
