人生|言叶

The Director of the CIA Michael Hayden has welcomed to the announcement of an inquiry into why the agency destroyed video tapes showing its agents interrogating Al-Qaeda suspects. Members of the Democratic Party had accused the CIA of trying to cover up abuse. From Washington, Vincent Dought:

Opposition politicians have been demanding an inquiry into the destruction of the video tapes of the interrogations which took place in 2002. Now the Department of Justice says there's to be a preliminary inquiry held jointly with the CIA. Earlier this week, the CIA acknowledged tapes were destroyed in 2005. The agency's director Michael Hayden said this was done to protect employees who might be identifiable. Senior Democrats have said any inquiry will have to establish if the agency broke the law in destroying the tapes.

inquiry ... establish ...

... any inquiry will have to establish if(=whether) the agency broke the law in destroying the tapes.

There must now be serious questions over LUL's handling of the tragedy, to the extent that we need a full inquiry to establish the facts.

UK inquiry should establish why contaminated blood products were given to people with haemophilia.

Venezuela has entered a times zone all of its own. The country's clocks have now been permanently wound back half an hour. President Hugo Chavez says the change will make Venezuelans more productive at work because the actual daylight will improve their health. But his critics say the decision is unnecessary and accuse him of acting on a whim. The BBC correspondent in Caracas says the permanent clock change has had to be postponed several times, because the government has found it more complicated than as anticipated.

act on a whim

Acting on a whim is one of those rare things for me!

Avoid acting on a whim.

I think that as you get older, it becomes harder and harder to act on a whim.

There's been a sharp escalation of the divisions within the US Episcopal Church, with the California diocese becoming the first one to break away in protest of the church's support of gay rights. Delegates of the diocese of San Joaquin decided by a large majority to secede. Peter Bows reports from Los Angeles.

Local clergy and laymen have voted 173-22(173 to 22) at their annual convention to remove all references to the national church from their constitution. The diocese which is based in an agricultural region in central California disagrees with the church's consecration of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2003. The diocese also refuses to consecrate women priests, unlike the vast majority of other dioceses around the country.

in protest of

Social workers will hold a one-day strike on Tuesday in protest of Sunday's attack on a worker in Lod.

by a large majority

The European Parliament today decided by a large majority...

By adopting by a large majority the draft report on its future composition, the Parliament...

On the 22nd October a motion was passed in Stormont by a large majority to protect...

escalation 扩大，增加

Episcopal 主教派的

diocese 教区

secede 正式退出

clergy （集合）神职人员

layman(laymen) 一般信徒

convention （政治、宗教、政党等的）会议

consecration （用宗教仪式）授予……职位

World news from the BBC.

The South Korean government has declared a state disaster along the stretch of coastline affected by the biggest oil spill in the country's history. A fleet of a hundred ships is trying to contain a slick which is 17 kilometres long. It was released into the sea by a Hong Kong-registered supertanker which collided with a barge on Friday. More than 6,000 police, troops and volunteers have been scooping up oil with buckets and treating contaminated birds.

slick 海上浮油

a supertanker which collided with a barge = a supertanker which was involved in a collision with a barge

Heavy fighting has continued to the night around the south-western Afghan town of Musakala, which government and international troops are trying to retake from the Taliban. Reports speak of a firefight and air raids forcing the Taliban to withdraw towards the centre of the town. Taliban sources say there've been civilian casualties. But BBC correspondent in Afghanistan says most civilians have left the town. Afghan officials say the aim of the operation is not only to retake the town but to make it hard for the Taliban to return.

firefight 交战

air raids 空袭

retake 夺回

withdraw 撤退

operation 军事行动