Politics this week (2020.06.06) Part. 01

Both riots and peaceful protests spread across America in response to the death of George Floyd. It was the country’s worst unrest for decades, prompting many states to call out the National Guard and cities to impose curfews. Looting accompanied the chaos; shops in midtown Manhattan were ransacked. The policeman who knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for nine minutes was indicted for second-degree murder; the three officers who failed to stop him were charged with lesser offences. Donald Trump suggested sending in the army to restore order. Mark Esper, the defence secretary, said soldiers should only be deployed as a last resort.

• unrest
  • a political situation in which people are angry and likely to protest or fight 动荡，动乱，骚动
• curfew
  • 宵禁令；宵禁时间
• loot
  • [verb] （暴乱、火灾等后）打劫，抢劫，劫掠
• midtown
  • 市中心区
• ransack
  • 洗劫；（为找东西）把 … 翻腾得乱七八糟
• indict
  • 控告，起诉
• offence
  • 罪行，违法行为
  • 冒犯，侮辱
• order
  • 治安，秩序
    • restore/maintain order 恢复/维持治安
• defence secretary
  • 国防部长
• the first/last/final resort
  • 应急措施；可首先（或最后）采取的手段

NASA launched astronauts into space from American soil for the first time since the end of the shuttle programme in 2011. A capsule carrying two astronauts to the International Space Station was propelled by a SpaceX rocket, marking the first time a private company has sent humans into orbit.

• propel
  • 推动，推进
    • mechanically propelled vehicles 机动车辆
• orbit
  • （天体等运行的）轨道

Steve King, a Republican congressman from Iowa, who once questioned whether white supremacy was offensive, was booted out by voters in a primary election.

• congressman
  • （尤指美国众议院的）国会议员；众议员
• white supremacy
  • 白人至上（主义）
• boot sb ↔ out (of sth)
  • (informal) 赶走，解雇

In response to China’s move to impose a new national-security bill on Hong Kong, Donald Trump said his administration would “begin the process” of scrapping the “full range” of policies that treat the territory differently from the rest of China. He also said he was “terminating” America’s relationship with the WHO, citing China’s “total control” over the body, and banned Chinese airlines from flying to the United States from June 16th, a tit-for-tat measure. China’s aviation regulator indicated that it would allow limited flights to resume.

• bill
  • （提交议会讨论的）议案，法案
• scrap
  • to cancel or get rid of sth that is no longer practical or useful 废弃，取消，抛弃，报废
• tit for tat
  • 以牙还牙，针锋相对，一报还一报
• aviation
  • 航空制造业，航空，飞行
    • civil/military aviation 民用/军用航空

Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, suggested that if China enacts the national-security law in Hong Kong, Britain could make it easier for up to 3m Hong Kongers to go to Britain to live and work and eventually become citizens. Beijing told Mr Johnson to stop interfering in its affairs.

• enact
  • 通过（法律）
• interfere
  • 干涉，介入
• affair
  • [pl.] affairs 公共事务，政治事务

Bangladesh, India and Pakistan ended lockdowns intended to slow the spread of covid-19, even as all three countries continued to register record numbers of new cases.

• record
  • （最高或最低的）纪录

Taiwan’s constitutional court struck down a law that criminalised adultery, as an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Most of the people convicted under the law were women.

• strike down
  • especially : to declare (a law) illegal and unenforceable 废除（法律）
• criminalise
  • 使不合法，使非法
• adultery
  • 通奸
• unwarranted
  • not reasonable or necessary; not appropriate 不合理的，不必要的，不适当的

The Philippines retracted its decision in February to end a treaty under which American troops visited the country to conduct joint exercises and train Filipino troops.

• retract
  • 撤回，收回（协议、承诺等）
• treaty
  • （国家之间的）条约，协定
• conduct joint exercises
  • 进行联合军演
  • conduct
    • to organize and/or do a particular activity 组织，实施，执行
• Filipino
  • [adjective] 菲律宾的
  • [noun] 菲律宾人

As schools started to reopen the British government faced a backlash from teachers’ unions and local authorities, who claim it is still unsafe. Social distancing has meant that class sizes have been halved.

• backlash
  • [sing.] （对社会变动等的）强烈抵制，集体反对
• halve
  • （使）减半

The German government unveiled a €130bn ($145bn) stimulus package that includes a cut to value-added tax, aid for local authorities and incentives to buy electric cars. It will also issue a one-off €300 boost to child benefit in order to raise household spending.

• value-added tax
  • 增值税
• incentive
  • [noun] 激励；刺激；鼓励
• one-off
  • 一次性的

After years of fixing the petrol price close to zero, Venezuela’s government raised it to near market levels. For cars the first couple of tankfuls a month will continue to be nearly free, but refills after that will cost 50 cents a litre. The government hopes to alleviate chronic fuel shortages and reduce a massive budget deficit. Venezuela’s economy has shrunk by two-thirds since 2013.

• petrol
  • 汽油
• alleviate
  • 减轻，缓和，缓解
• deficit
  • 赤字；逆差；亏损
    • a budget/trade deficit 预算赤字；贸易逆差