BBC news 2010-04-15 加文本

1.President Obama has urged top Republican and Democrat leaders to speed up majority regulatory reforms, major regulatory reforms of the US financial system, widely seen as his next big political challenge at home.

speed up(使)加速

例句：We are speeding up the mechanization of our agriculture.
      我们正在加快农业机械化的步伐。

widely seen as是过去分词作后置定语，修饰reforms of the US financial system。

2.It's been two and a half years since this crisis started, more than a year since we first laid out a comprehensive set of reforms and I think we know what we need to know about the choices we face.

lay out设计

例句：The architect laid out the interior of the building.
      建筑师完成了这幢建筑的内部设计。

Our plan must be well laid out before we begin to work.
我们在开始工作之前, 必须制定好计划。

3. Israel has accused Syria of supplying Scuds to Hezbollah, but it's not clear whether any have actually been handed over.

hand over交出; 交付; 交给

例句：You must hand over your passport before you leave.
      离境前必须交回护照。

4.The voting ends on Thursday that many parties opted to boycott.

opted to选择

5.The head of the World Bank Robert Zoellick says it's  time to stop using the term Third World to refer to developing countries.

refer to 指…而言(as)

例句：All his classmates referred to him as “Blackbeard.”
      他的同学都称他为“黑胡子”。