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1 Japanese Earth-quake and Tsunami
1. 日本大地震引发海啸
An earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale struck the north-east coast of Japan on March 11 and triggered a massive tsunami that led to the death of almost 16,000 people.
3月11日，日本东北部海域发生了里氏9.0级的大地震，进而引发大规模海啸，造成近1.6万人死亡。
In addition to this enormous loss of life and the destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami also caused a number of nuclear accidents.
海啸除了造成巨大人员伤亡以及基础设施的毁坏，还引发一系列核泄露事故。
This included a level 7 meltdown at three reactors in the Fukushima No 1 Nuclear Power Plant complex and saw the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of neighboring residents. According Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister at the time, “In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan.
其中，福岛第一核电站发生了7级事故，三个核反应堆熔毁，数十万周边居民被疏散。据时任日本首相菅直人称，“此次大地震是日本战后65年以来遭遇的最艰难的危机。
In the immediate aftermath, around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water.
地震海啸带来的最直接后果是，日本东北部地区有约440万户居民断电，150万户断水。
2 European debt crisis
2.欧债危机
This year saw anxiety over rising government debt in Europe escalate into a crisis of global proportions.
今年，欧洲多国政府债台高筑，引发各方焦虑，进而引发一场全球危机。
From late 2010 onwards, concerns over Europe’s economic stability had begun to intensify. Greece, Ireland and Portugal had difficulties refinancing their debts. This sent ripples around the world and all major stock exchanges exhibited significant losses.
自2010年底时起，各方对于欧洲经济稳定性表现出的担忧愈演愈烈。希腊、爱尔兰和葡萄牙无法再筹债款。该事件波及全球各地，所有大型股票交易所都遭遇股市重创。
Many western countries are seeking China’s pledge to help stimulate the continent’s economy and lift market confidence.
很多西方国家都在寻求来自中国的援助承诺，帮助重振欧洲经济，增强市场信心。
Some contend that Europe’s financial turmoil can threaten the demand for Chinese exports to the region. However, Chinese economic experts insist China should not blindly buy the euro debt.
一些人认为欧洲动荡的金融局势会影响到该地区对于中国出口产品的需求。而中国的经济专家则坚持认为中国不应该再盲目购买欧债。
3 The Arab unrest
3.阿拉伯国家动乱
2011 saw a wave of demonstrations and protests sweep across the Arab world.
2011年，一波接一波的游行示威以及抗议活动席卷了整个阿拉伯世界。
There have been drastic upheavals in Tunisia and Egypt, a civil war in Libya and protests in Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Oman.
突尼斯和埃及的国内政局发生了激烈动荡；利比亚爆发内战；巴林、叙利亚、也门、阿尔及利亚、伊拉克、约旦、科威特、摩洛哥以及阿曼等地爆发大规模抗议活动。
The upheavals have seen the departure of political strongmen such as Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh.
从突尼斯的宰因 阿比丁 本 阿里，到埃及的胡斯尼 穆巴拉克，再到也门的阿里 阿卜杜拉 萨利赫，这些政治巨头一个又一个地在动荡中谢幕。
Muammar Gadhafi, the former leader of Libya, was killed. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is still struggling to remain in power amid domestic discontent and foreign pressure.
利比亚前任最高领导人穆阿迈尔 卡扎菲被杀。同时，叙利亚总统巴沙尔 阿萨德仍然在国内的不满以及国外的压力中努力维护自己的政权。
These grassroots movements have differed from previous protests in that religion has not been a driving force.
这些平民运动与先前的抗议活动有所不同，其中并未有宗教因素推波助澜。
4 Death of Kim Jong-il
4.金正日逝世
Kim Jong-il, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) passed away on December 17.
朝鲜最高领导人金正日于12月17日逝世。
According to a report by the DPRK’s official KCNA news agency, the 69-year-old died of a heart attack on a train due to “great mental and physical strain during a “high intensity field inspection.
据朝鲜中央通讯社的一篇资讯报道称，69岁的金正日在进行高强度的视察时因身心劳累过度而突发心脏病在列车上逝世。
China on December 19 sent its condolences on the death of Kim, noting that the late DPRK leader had carried on and further developed the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK.
12月19日中国就金正日逝世向朝鲜发去吊唁，称这位已故朝鲜领袖不断巩固和加深中朝传统友好关系。
Observers maintain that the death will not result in turbulence in the DPRK. The KCNA news agency said the country, people and military “should remain loyal to the guidance of respected Kim Jong-un.
观察员认为，金正日的逝世不会引发朝鲜国内动乱。朝鲜中央通讯社表示，朝鲜全国上下、人民以及军队都将忠实于尊敬的金正恩的领导。
5 Death of Osama bin Laden and the end of the Iraq War
5.本 拉登被击毙，伊拉克战争宣告结束
On December 18, the US military officially ended its war in Iraq nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. In a conflict that has seen almost 4,500 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lose their lives, this year has thus seen the end of the most unpopular US military venture since Vietnam.
12月18日，美国在入侵伊拉克，驱逐萨达姆 侯赛因的9年后，正式宣布伊拉克战争结束。在这场战争中，近4500名美军士兵牺牲、数以万计的伊拉克人民丧生。今年美军也结束了自越战以来最不得人心的远征。
Prior to the withdrawal of troops, US anti-terrorist efforts had already sustained a victory following the death of Osama bin Laden.
在美军撤军之前，奥萨马 本 拉登的死亡已经证明了美国反恐战争取得了胜利。
In May, bin Laden, was killed by a US special forces. Believed to have ordered the attacks on the US on September 11 2001, bin Laden’s death came as a defining moment in the American-led “war against terrorism.
5月，本 拉登被美国特种部队击毙。本 拉登一直被认为是美国9 11事件的幕后策划者，他的死亡也成为以美国为首的“反恐战役的一个决定性时刻。
注释:
trigger 引发，引起
massive 巨大的
tsunami 海啸
meltdown 垮台
evacuation 撤离;撤退
escalate 逐步恶化，加剧
proportion 构成
pledge 保证，誓言
drastic 激烈的
withdrawal 撤退
更多内容》》》英语网英语学习频道
我要报班》》英语英语学习课程
（实习编辑：刘伟）
1 Japanese Earth-quake and Tsunami
1. 日本大地震引发海啸
An earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale struck the north-east coast of Japan on March 11 and triggered a massive tsunami that led to the death of almost 16,000 people.
3月11日，日本东北部海域发生了里氏9.0级的大地震，进而引发大规模海啸，造成近1.6万人死亡。
In addition to this enormous loss of life and the destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami also caused a number of nuclear accidents.
海啸除了造成巨大人员伤亡以及基础设施的毁坏，还引发一系列核泄露事故。
This included a level 7 meltdown at three reactors in the Fukushima No 1 Nuclear Power Plant complex and saw the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of neighboring residents. According Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister at the time, “In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan.
其中，福岛第一核电站发生了7级事故，三个核反应堆熔毁，数十万周边居民被疏散。据时任日本首相菅直人称，“此次大地震是日本战后65年以来遭遇的最艰难的危机。
In the immediate aftermath, around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water.
地震海啸带来的最直接后果是，日本东北部地区有约440万户居民断电，150万户断水。
2 European debt crisis
2.欧债危机
This year saw anxiety over rising government debt in Europe escalate into a crisis of global proportions.
今年，欧洲多国政府债台高筑，引发各方焦虑，进而引发一场全球危机。
From late 2010 onwards, concerns over Europe’s economic stability had begun to intensify. Greece, Ireland and Portugal had difficulties refinancing their debts. This sent ripples around the world and all major stock exchanges exhibited significant losses.
自2010年底时起，各方对于欧洲经济稳定性表现出的担忧愈演愈烈。希腊、爱尔兰和葡萄牙无法再筹债款。该事件波及全球各地，所有大型股票交易所都遭遇股市重创。
Many western countries are seeking China’s pledge to help stimulate the continent’s economy and lift market confidence.
很多西方国家都在寻求来自中国的援助承诺，帮助重振欧洲经济，增强市场信心。
Some contend that Europe’s financial turmoil can threaten the demand for Chinese exports to the region. However, Chinese economic experts insist China should not blindly buy the euro debt.
一些人认为欧洲动荡的金融局势会影响到该地区对于中国出口产品的需求。而中国的经济专家则坚持认为中国不应该再盲目购买欧债。
3 The Arab unrest
3.阿拉伯国家动乱
2011 saw a wave of demonstrations and protests sweep across the Arab world.
2011年，一波接一波的游行示威以及抗议活动席卷了整个阿拉伯世界。
There have been drastic upheavals in Tunisia and Egypt, a civil war in Libya and protests in Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Oman.
突尼斯和埃及的国内政局发生了激烈动荡；利比亚爆发内战；巴林、叙利亚、也门、阿尔及利亚、伊拉克、约旦、科威特、摩洛哥以及阿曼等地爆发大规模抗议活动。
The upheavals have seen the departure of political strongmen such as Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh.
从突尼斯的宰因 阿比丁 本 阿里，到埃及的胡斯尼 穆巴拉克，再到也门的阿里 阿卜杜拉 萨利赫，这些政治巨头一个又一个地在动荡中谢幕。
Muammar Gadhafi, the former leader of Libya, was killed. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is still struggling to remain in power amid domestic discontent and foreign pressure.
利比亚前任最高领导人穆阿迈尔 卡扎菲被杀。同时，叙利亚总统巴沙尔 阿萨德仍然在国内的不满以及国外的压力中努力维护自己的政权。
These grassroots movements have differed from previous protests in that religion has not been a driving force.
这些平民运动与先前的抗议活动有所不同，其中并未有宗教因素推波助澜。
4 Death of Kim Jong-il
4.金正日逝世
Kim Jong-il, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) passed away on December 17.
朝鲜最高领导人金正日于12月17日逝世。
According to a report by the DPRK’s official KCNA news agency, the 69-year-old died of a heart attack on a train due to “great mental and physical strain during a “high intensity field inspection.
据朝鲜中央通讯社的一篇资讯报道称，69岁的金正日在进行高强度的视察时因身心劳累过度而突发心脏病在列车上逝世。
China on December 19 sent its condolences on the death of Kim, noting that the late DPRK leader had carried on and further developed the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK.
12月19日中国就金正日逝世向朝鲜发去吊唁，称这位已故朝鲜领袖不断巩固和加深中朝传统友好关系。
Observers maintain that the death will not result in turbulence in the DPRK. The KCNA news agency said the country, people and military “should remain loyal to the guidance of respected Kim Jong-un.
观察员认为，金正日的逝世不会引发朝鲜国内动乱。朝鲜中央通讯社表示，朝鲜全国上下、人民以及军队都将忠实于尊敬的金正恩的领导。
5 Death of Osama bin Laden and the end of the Iraq War
5.本 拉登被击毙，伊拉克战争宣告结束
On December 18, the US military officially ended its war in Iraq nearly nine years after the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. In a conflict that has seen almost 4,500 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lose their lives, this year has thus seen the end of the most unpopular US military venture since Vietnam.
12月18日，美国在入侵伊拉克，驱逐萨达姆 侯赛因的9年后，正式宣布伊拉克战争结束。在这场战争中，近4500名美军士兵牺牲、数以万计的伊拉克人民丧生。今年美军也结束了自越战以来最不得人心的远征。
Prior to the withdrawal of troops, US anti-terrorist efforts had already sustained a victory following the death of Osama bin Laden.
在美军撤军之前，奥萨马 本 拉登的死亡已经证明了美国反恐战争取得了胜利。
In May, bin Laden, was killed by a US special forces. Believed to have ordered the attacks on the US on September 11 2001, bin Laden’s death came as a defining moment in the American-led “war against terrorism.
5月，本 拉登被美国特种部队击毙。本 拉登一直被认为是美国9 11事件的幕后策划者，他的死亡也成为以美国为首的“反恐战役的一个决定性时刻。
注释:
trigger 引发，引起
massive 巨大的
tsunami 海啸
meltdown 垮台
evacuation 撤离;撤退
escalate 逐步恶化，加剧
proportion 构成
pledge 保证，誓言
drastic 激烈的
withdrawal 撤退
更多内容》》》英语网英语学习频道
我要报班》》英语英语学习课程
（实习编辑：刘伟）
